THE NORTH ISLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 4028, 26 May 1931, Page 16

THE NORTH ISLAND.

GENERAL. The Auckland Provincial Conference of the Farmers’ Union was opened at Hariiil. ton <m Tuesday, Mr H. Al. Rushworth, M.P., presiding over an attendance of 140 delegates. The agenda included over 200 remits on economic and political questions. A formal welcome was extended by the Mayor (Mr F. D. Pinfold). Although it is getting late, several Hawke’s Bay farmers are sowing down new pastures just now, and the conditions are quite good for such work. It is interesting to note that a good many paddocks have been put down in Hawke’s Bay in the past season with the idea of harvesting for ryegrass seed in the future. With winter now in the immediate offing, this is the usual season of the year when there is a falling off in the numbers of swaggers to be seen about the roads. This has not been the case this year, however, for there are still numbers of these “ gentlemen of the road ” to be seen about our Hawke’s Bay highways and byways. Numbers of them are no doubt making to. or from the relief works in Napier and Hastings, but there is certainly very little in the way of casual, labour' offering on Hawke’s Bay farms just now. Many sheep farmers in the Gisborne district have intimated their intention to 1 change over to dairying this winter, in

view of the extremely low prices for wool and the much brighter outlook for butter (says the Poverty Bay Herald). A few months ago sheep men began to talk of the possibility of going into dairying, and one man went so far as to purchase a number of cows at a clearing sale. Since then, several more flock owners have signified their intention of placing dairy herds on fairly large sections of their farms. A visitor to the Stratford district from the Waikato records an increate in his • butter-fat returns which came as a very pleasant surprise (reports an exchange). He had had sharemilkers in his 250-acre farm, but his son tired of the commercial life and went back to his father’s home and took the place of the sharemilkers. At the end of the first season it_ was found that the butter-fat yield was 55001 b over the total of the sharemilkers’ figures. It may also be stated that the Waikato factory being supplied has paid out 10id every month. The provincial executive of the Southern Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Union decided in favour of the retention of the embargo on the importation of live stock from England and other countries where the foot-and-mouth disease prevails. It was also decided to forward a remit to the Dominion conference: — (1) That where there are two or more of one family in a ballot for Crown land and one draws a section the remainder of the family should automatically drop out unless there are no other applicants for the remaining sections; (2) that preference ballots be given to returned soldiers and maimed men provided they have sufficient finance.” “ Standardisation is not all the trouble ■with our cheese,” remarked a South Taranaki farmer to a News reporter recently. “ There are other causes operating against the making of a good cheese. One of them is the quality of the water used on some farms.” He instanced a case of a neighbour who could not understand why his milk got such a poor test. He tried out everything, and then thought of the water, with the result that about a mile up from his place he found a farmer’s milk shed and pig yard draining into the stream from which his stock drank and the water was taken for flushing the milking plant. _ This contamination ended, his milk again commanded a high test. ‘ A great commercial scandal ” was the description applied by Sir James Parr, in the course of a public address at Alangere, to the English practice of blending Dominion with foreign butter and selling the mixture as firstclass English fresh butter. There was no law to stop the practice, said Sir James, and the result was most disastrous to the New Zealand farmer, whose excellent article was pushed out by the blended stuff. For the past 12 months the Pro duce Board authorities had been trying to get an order under the Merchandise Marks Act making it compulsory to put on the packet the ingredients of blended butter, so that the public would know what it was buying, and so as to prevent deception. “Such, however, is the wealth and the influence of the blenders,” added Sir James, “that the committee is still sitting, and nothing has been done to put the matter right. Millions of pounds are being spent in buying blended butter, which should be coming to New Zealand to pay for our honest article. It is the duty of the New Zealand Government to take this matter up with the British Government, because it is vital to our econo mic existence.” An appeal from the New Zealand Federation of Industrial Rabbit Farmers for support came before the annual meeting of the Wairarapa Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union. The federation requested the executive to pass the following resolution:—“That it having been proved to the entire satisfaction of the Wairarapa branch of the Farmers’ Union that domestic rabbits do not constitute a menace to farmers, this branch urges that a public expression of goodwill be extended to the industrial rabbit industry, and that the New Zealand Federation of Industrial Rabbit Farmers be supported in their request for the removal of restrictions hampering the industry and preventing the importation of other valuable varieties of domestic rabbits.” Before lending its support, the branch decided to seek information from the Department of Agriculture as to whether there was any danger of disease being brought into the country by the importation of rabbits. “After passing legislation enabling the founding of a new primary industry, the Government has turned its back and re fused to accord it any recognition whatsoever,” stated the secretary of the federation, Mr G. H. Benton, in his letter to the union. “In spite of this the industry has progressed, and it is expected that nearly £30,000 worth of rabbit wool and pelts will be produced during the next 12 months.”

LUCERNE STANDS. During the past two seasons the value of lucerne has been well demonstrated to Hawke’s Bay farmers, and those who are fortunate enough to possess good producing stands have been in a very good position indeed. This crop has enabled them to successfully weather the adverse conditions that have existed, and it is only to be hoped that other farmers will realise the benefit which may be derived from a well established, well managed lucerne crop. CLEARING SALE. A clearing sale of dairy stock, etc., held on behalf of Mr J. Smith, sen., Kelvin Grove, proved most successful, considering the low prices for primary products. The herd, which consisted of 45 odd cows, is a very well-known herd, and has been built up over a number of years. There was a very* large attendance of the public, and the cows came forward in excellent condition. For the early calvers competition was keen, and the herd over all

was disposed of at the satisfactory average of £9 7s 6d, the top price being £lB. The young stock, horses, and farm implements were quite well competed for, and realised satisfactory prices. The following is the range of prices for stock:— Spring calvers, £7 10s, £B, £8 ss, £9, £9 10s, £lO, £ll, £l2, £l2 10s, £l3 ss, £l3 10s to £18; late calvers, £4 10s, £5, £5 15s, £6, £6 15s, £7 to £7 ss; rising three-year pedigree Jersey bull, 17 guineas; rising two-year pedigree Jersey bull, 8 guineas. POULTRY KEEPING. Mr Cocker, Government poultry expert, gave an address on poultry keeping in the Municipal Rooms, Napier, recently, under the auspices of the Women’s Institute. Probably owing to the short notice and the fact that Saturday is not a very suitable day for such functions, the attendance was not as large as anticipated, but those who were present absorbed some very useful information. Mr Cocker dealt with all phases of the industry, stressing the need for cleanliness, care in feeding, and other essentials which make all the difference between failure and success. He also gave some useful hints in regard to breeding and the selection of different types for different purposes. At the close of an interesting address he was accorded a very hearty vote of thanksBULLOCK DELAYS TRAIN., The presence of a young bullock on the railway line at the top of the Wangaehu Hill led to 40 minutes’ delay to the New Plymouth mail from Wellington recently. The front engine, with Driver B. M'Neil in charge, ran over the bullock about halfway between the two cuttings in an awkward bend in the line, and the two front bogey wheels were thrown about six inches off the line on the right. The bullock came to rest between the two engines and had to be cut away. Difficulty was experienced in getting the bogey wheels back on the line on account of the soft nature of the ground and the awkward curve in the line at the scene of the accident. Fencing posts and blocks of wood were requisitioned by energetic passengers who rendered assistance to the engine drivers and firemen, and after some 15 minutes’ tricky manoeuvring the engine was back on the line again. Strange to say the engine came to rest opposite the railway telephone at this point, and it was not long before the stationmaster at Fordell was informed of the mishap. After an examination of the front engine had been made I the journey was resumed at 3.45, the mail reaching New Plymouth about 7.45.

THE PASTURES. Compared with Hawke’s Bay, the Gisborne district is well off for feed at present. A comparison of the conditions in the two districts was provided by Mr R. Wright, chief inspector for the Wellington district of the Live Stock Division, who was in Gisborne recently. He said that while the Hawke’s Bay pastures were green, the feed was very short, and in some parts there was barely adequate grazing for the sheep. Hawke’s Bay had had a very hard time, and it was not surprising that large numbers of cattie and sheep had been sent out of the district for grazing, assistance being rendered in this connection by concessions made by the Railway Department, which also trucked feed in necessitous cases at reduced cost. A few hard frosts in Hawke’s Bay no doubt would cut the feed back and create a further shortage. The Gisborne country, he remarked, had responded a great deal more quickly than the pastures in Hawke’s Bay. A better rainfall in Gisborne following the drought assisted greatly. There now appeared to be an abundance of feed in this district. Parts of the Wairarapa had not been too well provided with feed during the past summer, but root crops were grown more extensively there, and greater provision was made for the winter than was deemed necessary in Gisborne, where sometimes there was a growth of grass almost throughout the winter months. LIVE STOCK MARKET. At the Wanganui sale the entry of all sections was a very fair one. The attendance wsa not as large as usual, but bidding on all store sheep was quite good. Fat sheep were inclined to drag a bit. due to being hardly fit and prime enough for butchers’ requirements. The cattle section was hard to sell at auction, but many lines changed hands privately. There was a good entry of fat sheep at the Gisborne sale. For quality ewes there was good competition. Quotations: Ewes, primest, to 8s Cd; good, 7s Id upwards; wethers, ordinary, 8s; lamb. 7s Id, 9s Id; extra, Ils; second grade ewes, brisk to 7s Cd. There was a store sheep entry of 7000. Values were maintained. There was a fairly brisk sale and a good clearance. Breeding ewes, first class. Cs 3d, 7s; medium five-year, ss; fairly good, 4s, ss; two-tooths, fairly good, 6s 6d, Cs lid; lambs, extra, 7s 6d; good, shorn, 5s lOd, 7s 3d; average, 4s, 5s 3d; small, 2s Cd; empty ewes fresh condition. 4s lid; fair, 3s; wethers, good quality, Bs, 8s 8d; fair two-tooths, 6s, 6s lid.

Fat lambs at the recent Feilding sale met with keen competition at prices slightly in advance of the previous week’s rates. AVith the exception of good-condi-tioned wethers, store sheep were not sought after. Dairy cattle were again yarded in large numbers, and prices remained the same in this section. There was also a heavy yarding of store and fat cattle, but competition was dull. Quotations: Fat lambs. 12s 7d to 14s 4d; light fat lambs, 9s 9d to 10s 9d; fat ewes, 7s Id to 10s Id; two-tooth ewes, Romney rams, 12s Cd; four and six-tooth ewes, Romney rams, Us 6d; small sixtooth ewes, Romney rams, 7s Cd; fouryear ewes, Romney rams, 8s Bd, 8s lOd; fat and forward two, four, and six-tooth wethers, Us sd; Us 8d; wether_ lambs, 7s Id, 8s; small ewe lambs, 9s 2d; springing cows, £6 10s, £7, £8 10s; springing heifers, £5 10s, £6; empty cows, 355, £2; two-and-a-half-year polled Angus steers, £4; three-and-a-half-year polled Angus steers, £4 14s; coloured two-year steers, £2 £2 10s.

. —Of the adult male employees of British railways 44,211 have wage rates of less than £2 5s a week.