POULTRY BREEDERS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 188, 18 November 1910, Page 2

POULTRY BREEDERS

EGG PRODUCTION DISCUSSED. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Yesterday. The Poultry Conference was resumed to-day. Mr. T. H. Rutherford (Masterton) read a paper on marketing eggs ana the egg circle movement. The writer pointed out the immense possibilities of egg circle, and, quoting the example of Denmark. England and other countries, i showed that they were getting tired of the old system of marketing, and farmers were co-operating in placing their eggs on the market, reaping considerable benefit as a result. New Zealand eggproducers had also been for some time dissatisfied with the present system, and he urged that if egg circles were formed all over the Dominion and they worked in unison the time would not be far distant when an almost uniform price would be obtained for eggs all the year round. If there was uniformity in price, and that price was a reasonable one, there would be increased demand. The Government of South Australia had organised egg circles, and the arrangement was that eggs were paid for on delivery at depots, but in _New Zealand the egg circles paid out once a fortnight after the eggs were actually sold. By the latter mode of working, no financial assistance was required to organise circles. Assistance from the New Zealand Government would be welcomed in helping to organise circles by the granting j of free passes over the railways to organisers. He suggested that the Minister of Railways should be asked to reduce the railway charges on eggs and poultry. He advocated a system ol regulating prices, pointing out that it one purchased a fowl from a poulterer he paid according to its size and weight, and asked why should there not be the same rule for egrrg. He suggested that eggs should be graded as> follows: First grade. 2oz or over; second grade. 11/.I 1 /. oz to 2oz; third grade, all under IV-jOz; and that the price be regulated in accordance. He maintained that poultry farmers should not receive less than one shilling per dozen for effgs. As an argument he instanced that the price of milk remained the same when in short or full supply. Not so with e<rgs. As soon as the supply increased the price fell immediately. This should not be. for when the supply increased so also did poultry farmers' labor.

Tn the afternoon the delegates paid a visit to W. Knight's poultry ' farm at Lower Hutt.

The evening sitting was devoted to the consideration of a paper by Mr. F. Brown on the '•Selection of Lavers," and onp by A. G. Mumby, Wellington, on "T!ip Feeding of Layers." The conference will to-morrow hear papers on '"The Export Trade and How to Develop Tt," bv A. B. Bull, Auckland, and J. B. Merrelt. of ('Mristchurch.