MANAWATU HERD TESTING ASSOCIATION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3780, 17 April 1928, Page 2

MANAWATU HERD TESTING ASSOCIATION.

MEETING OF NO. 7 GROUP

The annual meeting of Group No. 7 of the Manawatu Herd Testing Association was held at Levin on Friday. There was an attendance of about 25, and Mr. W. H. Gimblett (president) of the Association, was voted to the chair. The other visiting members of the Association were Messrs J. Ferguson (secretary), F. J. Legg (treasurer), F. Woods and F. Rolin (members of the executive). A statement of receipts and expenditure was read by the secretary. This showed that the out* standing accounts amounted to £166 18s 9d; but the estimated receipts 'and expenditure showed that there would be a surplus of £4 14s Id.

The chairman advocated a system of orders on factory cheques for the payment of subscribers’ fees. He asked'if the farmers in this district thought that this would be a. satisfactory method of collecting the fees. There were several responses of assent, but Mi’. S. A. [Broadbelt, who is chairman of directors of the Levin Co-operative Dairy Co.', stressed the need for a guarantee by the Assoeiatoin and said that the Association should meet the directors before inaugurating the proposed system. The chairman said that the Waikato scheme was backed by the dairy company, which started it and financed it; there had never been any difficulty in financing it, because the big company stood, behind it. In answer to a question by Mr. Broadbelt, the chairman stated that the lowest charge in that district was about 5/- per cow; and the charges ranged up To 8/-. The secretary stated that he was informed that this year the charges would be 5/- per cow all round, but whatever subsidy was received would not go back to the farmer.

The question will be further considered at a meeting of the local group prior to the annual meeting of the Association.

FIELD DAY AT MASSEY COLLEGE,, The chairman said he and his colleagues were very pleased to have made the visit to Levin, because the Association desired to help the farmers in that district. The Association had approached the authorities of the Massey College with a view to having a field day on the College farm for members of the Association. A reply was read by the Chiannan from Mr. IC. C. Yates, registrar of the college, stating that the authorities welcomed the suggestion and would be only too pleased to give every assistance they could in this direction, and they asked to be advised as to what form .the Association wished the field day to take. The chairman stated that the date chosen was Monday, April 23rd, and the proceedings would commence at 11 a.m. He hoped that members from this group would make an effort to attend. The Association’s secretary had met the professor in charge of the dairy division, who was keenly interested in herd-testing, with which he had been assosiated in Scotland, and who would be able to talk to the farmers about schemes in use in various parts of the world and give them general information on the subject. They would also have the opportunity to see the farm in its raw state now, and in later years to compare it in its improved condition. He thought that all who made the ) trip would have an instructive and enjoyable time.

A vote of thanks was passed to the visiting officials, by acclamation, on the motion of Mr. Broadbelt, who thanked them for having attended the meeting, and expressed the hope that there would be a large representation of members at the annual meeting of the Association, adding that there would be a better attendance from this group than on the occasion of the last annual meeting.