THE FARMERS' PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 1 August 1907, Page 3

THE FARMERS' PARLIAMENT.

PROCEEDINGS AT THE AGRICULTURAL CONFERENCE. LIVE TOPICS TOUCHED. THE SALIENT POINTS. (From Our Special Reporter.) Wellington, July 31, Perhaps the chief ijuostion* engaged l>y the New Zealand Agricultural Cou--1 ferenee yesterday were those of sheep branding, telephone extension, experimental farm* for the South Island, and registration uf entires. IWSOCXD STALLIONS

it'll tile question of entries, Southland ;t*kei[ that the Govenment should open • registers at suitable centres where enI i:res could l>e examined by veterinary I -iirgeons .111't roistered as free from h.-rnliiary disease. Otago wanted such registration made compulsory, and service liy unbound entires made illegal. In tHe opinion of Marllioruugh stallions ought to be taxed. The <|uestion inbr 'n con>idered from all these points of view at previous conferences. The stalli.n tax was vetoed in 18114, but the Conference l'esolv.'d in favor of prohibiting service by unsound seallions. In IWHI a system of issuing certilicates after examination at the annual shows was approved, and two years later a optional registration, like that now proposed by Southland, was carriM. In IM4 and l!N).j the Conference di-clared for subsidies for approved stallions. The Government Stud IJ;1I iu 1!X12, and, with modification*, again in 19113 and lflfl-t. It proposed to prohibit, under a penalty of C2O, the use of a stallion not registered as sound, the owner of the iiirire being liable to a similar line. Soundness meant freedom from the following diseases, which were declared to !e hereditary: Bone spavin, ringbone, sid»lione, navicular arthritis, laryngeal muscular atrophy (causing roaring or whistling), stringhalt, shivering, multifile recurrent fibroids, and any transmis=ible inferiority in the structure or quality of the hoof likely to impair its usefulness.

In the course of th;> discussion 011 Monday, while on the one hand there were firm demands made for sound entires, there were on the other hand plenty of instances quoted of successful stallions which had some of the so-call-ed hereditary defects, caused in many instances, however, by accidents. Mr Wlieeler. of Manawatu, urged the recognition of a distinction between defects which affected draughts and those which affected only racehorses. Mr Gilruth made a ["'pillar remark when lie said a racehorse that could win hundreds of pounds and only run .six or seven furlongs was of no interest to the farmer. Something different was wanted to produce farmers' horses. Southland's motion was finally restricted to draughts, and carried. Compulsory registration and the stallion tax were rejected. EAR-MARKING SHEEP. Th- proposals as to sheep branding came chiefly from Canterbury. They proposed compulsory ear marking, as well as branding ana the recognition of the near ear as exclusively the register ear and the other on l as the owner's ear.

The points were threshed out with considerable vigor. There were some who supported the proposals, and others who considered it indispensable that there should be a sex ear. What, they asked ironically, would become of the owner's ear after a sheep had changed hands half a dozen times, and been earmarked each time. There would lie no ear left. The existing system, however, was declared to bo utterly unsatisfactory, and to facilitate sli>ep stealing. Probably, as the question was referred to Messrs I). D. Maefarlane, Buchanan, Wheeler. Patullo, Clifton and Ritchie to consider and report on a satisfactory solution wi'l yet be evolved. "ARE YOU THERE!"

The telephone discussion emanated from Auckland, wliriv the backblocks arc. Mr Rutherford moved a motion, urging the Government to encourage local authorities or residents to establish telephone systems where the Government cannot do so. lie quoted so so startling instance™. In one district a certain line for which the Government wanted a guarantee of €4OO was put up for .€73. Another person had to pay 170 for a connection and £3B a year, aud another €4t> for a quarter of a mile extension and £lB a year. Vet in one northern district the settlers had erected fifty miles of Hue at a cost of not over €-> a mile, and nn the East Co a-I twenty miles at not over £3 10s a mile. The Govrnment's high charges were therefore not called for. In America things were different. In Indiana there was a telephone to every 10 people; in all the I'uit d States one to every 11 people; in Norway, Sweden and Denmark one for every 14; in Canada one for every 5. Mr Buchanan seconded, and regretted the want of sympathy displayed toward the backblocks by th» telephone department. In Wairarapa. out of 33!t telephone connections. 112 were put iu by the enterpii-e of the settlers themselves, who had carried a line -15 miles distant from Mar-terton. The cost was about £lO l"s dd per mile, and the Government was charging 111 some cases €4O per mile. Mr Edwin ITall declared there was nothing to prevent every fanner ill the liackbloeks having a telephone at a price within the reach of the poorest. In America the charges ranged from two dollars a year to a

The motion was carried unaanimously, and it was decided to send a strong deputation to the Premier; EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. In regard to the proposed Southern experimental farms, it was proposed by Mr Cuthliertou that his oat district should have an experimental farm at Invercargill, the Otago wheat and oat district should have another, and a third should be allowed for the celebrated wl»at tie'ds of Canterbury. ''What about Nelson? 7 ' asked Mr Chesuall. "We have been w anting an experiment il fruit farm for some years past. Areyougohg to crowd us outV'" Or Marlborough?' queried Mr McCallum. It would be better to have one for Otago and Southland, one for Canterbury, and one for the fruit district of Nelson, and the fine barley lands of Marlborough." With an addition that, pending the provision of the experiment farms, the (Government should co-operate with farmers in the motion for experiment farms in Otago. Canterbury and Southland was carried.

YESTERDAY'S PROCEEDINGS.

Per Press Association. Wellington, July 31. At the Agricultural Conference to-day, the committee appointed yesterday to deal with the question of fires, recommend il that the Government jdiould be requested to bring ill a Bill to prevent the carele— u-e of fire in rural iflstricts. I'rof. Kirk. leiverunient Bi.dogi-t. gave a technical talk on the di-ea-e of turnips, and potatoes, with pro!_m '->s rc|Kirt.s on that are Ining conducted throughout the rolony. it was decided to ask the Government to initiate a system of co-operative C\juriments in agi i' ulture on similar lines to those carried out bv Canadian and experimental union-, and in jjrder to senile proper-carrying out of such experiments. the Government be a-ked to have a certain number of cadets in ennneetion with every < x |.eriin lit a 1 farm under Ciivcrnmcni cuntrol.

The Airii'iilimal Conference resolvi. 1 that ilc te.vernment Iv a>ked to introdr.<e to {rive relief from taxation to A. aud P. Associations. TU' chairman introduced the subject of improving jirass lands of the colony. He said ft was a very serious consideration for New Zealand with half a ml; lion d.iirv cows and twenty million -hcep. to' keep tile pastures up to qualMr Hatli (Feildinjl) sug/osfed tliat pipa should be tested as miiiur--. He 'K-ii?vei! it would fie ou» of the be»t or' renev.in« pastures. M,- H:i|l moved—"That in order to as-i-rtain ihe '.i.'ws of farmers in (lilT' l'-'-llt ili-lriet- as to vbat grasses suit their c limat" and soil W. circulars be sent out fi'oiK fie- and P. Association askn L,-rie- of nne-tic-iis on the subject. Tlii- to. » | Mr V.»rtnn /Tiiranakh movrd that jr.- i. i-,-iiifii'nt I'" r-kod to inlwtliiro ! -:;n i'ti t-> A. U'l I'. A-r>nm-

{["!}' ?•» lr>a-!n<: ;ititlioritu'lfh .' .(: 1 1»- uf;v,"'T< in tl-.'xc in 1 lip I'nMic In. i'rO.irji in n\ i':|. in onW In Sup);!\ f ii j i::i.r»ivffl -t-ind-iid nf ImntiT*. Iliat it .vi hiTTiti-r-* 'fiiiniH. wh«»n» hornr<- t -<TT*ir.<! to (>:irrv n - -Hit. *wh imist' in tlio !><• lint" th:»t woifrht to IiOUII'K IVIniMo coD-idfi'd it ,1 inni'■i" W individual !joci< , tw- s ; mid moved

accordingly. Iu this form, the motion was agreed to.

The subject of judging by young farmers was introduced for discussion. Mr Peryman said some of the young men who had entered in the judging competition at the Canterbury Show had already been called upon to act as judges at other shows.

Mr D. D. MacFarlane 3aid the students ut Lincoln College were taken each week to Addington to make notes on points of the stock. The committee appointed the previous day to (V.al with the question of exporting inferior stock presented its report to-day. The committee was of opinion that the sale of inferior rams should lie prevented, and that all rams intended for sale should be culled by independent (xT-ons. That to do this competent men for different breeds would have to be appointed, but the expense of such work would at present be too great. In regard to the export of inferior sheep, the committee recommended that the Department of Agriculture should inspect all sheep for exportation, and that none

shipped unless passed by such inspectors. The committee expressed the opinion that the Hock Book Associations should take steps to ensure better inspection. and culling of Hocks under their care.

Mr Wheeler, in moving the adoption of the report, said it was hoped tlmt at a tuture date stock used for breeding in New Zealand should be dealt with iu

the same manner as for export. It was decided to discuss the recommendation.

| The Conference to-night had a discussion on agricultural education, there being a number of representatives of educational institutions present. There was a remit expressing the opinion that the interests of agriculture would lie greatly promoted by the establishment of technical schools in certain convenient centres making agricultural subjects a prominent feature of their curriculum.

Mr G. George, Director of Technical

Education at Auckland, said elementary education should be prominent in the education of both town and country teachers. There ought to be some form of local rating for educational purposes as thifc tended to more economical administration. It was suggested that they should establish schools at, say, Hamilton (Waikato), where, in conjunction with ordinary secondary education, both boys and girls would receive a course of instruction in the ordinary activities of the farm. They had come to the conclusion in Auckland that the school garden was a farce, that is if it was not made complement to work inside the school.

Mr Gray, principal of the Wellington Training College, offered a suggestion that agricultural schools should be established close to certain large centres to give town children access to country life.

Mr Gilruth said France was now in tho forefront in agricultural education. Agriculture had there quadrupled its output in thfrty years. The Minister for Education assured the Conference that the Department was in full sympathy with the desire te extend rural education.

Mr Rennie, instructor for Canterbury, said there was more difficulty in the South Island than the North, farmers in the South holding the opinion that they kn>w all they required.

The Minister for Lands said the prejudice of the lifelong farmers to Innovation in practical teaching was the greatest obstacle they had to deal with.