ON THE LAND.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 222, 7 June 1915, Page 2

ON THE LAND.

THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. QUESTIONS CONSIDERED. Tjhe Board of Agricuture has been considering a number of matters referred to it by the Minister of Agriculture, public bodies, and others. The question of tlije approximate stocks of wheat and the estimated yield of oats for the present season in the Dominion was gone into with Mr Fraser, Go.vrenment Statistician, who placed figures before the board setting out th e position, in which he made it clear that so far as the wheat supply was concerned the position, owing to the greater yield being threshed than was anticipated, was a good deal mor e satisfactory than was first expected, the returns made up from figures f&y threshing mill owners giving the total amount available as about 6.| million bushels, instead of Av© millions, as estimated at first. With regard to oats the position was not so satisfactory, there being a shortage in area this year of 74,000 acres, as compared with last year. After discussion, it was decided that from the evidence given to the board in this matter it is of opinion that there is considerable danger that there will not he enough to meet the requirements of th e country. The question of providing legislation for the registration of veterinary was gone -Into wiiith Dr. Reakes, and the proposals submitted for framing a Bill were agreed to. A letter was received from the Director of the Veterinary School at Melbourne University on the subject of encouraging candidates to take up veterinary medicinne by way of scholarships. 'lt was decided to reply that the Board will use every endeavour to procure scholarships to allow students to attend the veterinary classes in Melbourne, but that the present condition of war makes it inadvisable to press the matter at the moment. Mr AS tori, i Agricultural Chemist;, gave the board further with regard to the supply of phosphates from Egypt and other parts. Th e question of the bonus for the discovery of phosphates deposits in the Dominion w r as also considered in conjunction with a valuable report from the Director of Geological Survey on the occurrences of phosphate rock in certain localities in New Zealand and it was decided to recommend that a larger bonus b e offered for their dlscovery, and an amendment made in the condition qounectedl ttydrowith, A report on agricultural banks, prepared by Mr Edwin Hall, was submitted # It was decided that the board could not recommend that legislation should he brought down at present until a greater public demand was shown, but that a leaflet should be published in the Departmental Journal showing what is being dene else whore in connection with such banks ■Mid how much might be done in this direction without State aid. It was stated that entries of stock for /.the Panama-Pacific Exhibition at San Francisco closed on August 1, and that the steamer taking the stock would leave Wellington on September 16. The Department of Agriculture is taking steps to facilitate shipping arrangements. The board desired the ■ information to be as widely known as possible, in order that intending exhibitors might make their arrangements in good time, and appointed a special sub-coramtitee to deal with the question.

A PROTEST. Several commercial men In Dunedin express surprise at the '.statement made bjy >tb/e Prinie Minis te'r: Jthiat there is going to be a shortage of oats in New Zealand; and that prices will he high before next autumn. It is thought that such an announcement will have a tendency to precipitate speculation 'in oats, with the I‘esult that farmers will hold on to their stocks, and that the public will be called upon to pay high prices long before there is any real scarcity. The feeling among buyers appears to be that if the Government can do nothing to prevent inflation of prices of grain and foodstuffs nothing should bo said or done to precipitate it. Probably there is another side to the business, but, says a Dunedin correspondent ,the aho ye represents the buyers 'side.