FIRE BLIGHT.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 March 1921, Page 5

FIRE BLIGHT.

. f ,. CHECKING ITS SPREAD, BAR ON HAWTHORN HEDGES, Mr. Allen, Inspector of Noxious Weeds, attended the meeting of the Provincial Executive of the Farmers* Union at Hawera on Thursday, for the purpose of explaining the action which the Government had taken in endeavoring to prevent the spread of fire-bliglrt in New Zealand. Mr. Allen explained that fire-blight was such a serious menace that the Government had had to take very drastic steps and had declared hawthorn a noxious weed throughout the Dominion. The president (Mr. Dunn) agreed that fire-blight was a serious menace to the country and said that in his opinion the Government was doing the right thing. Of course it was easy for him to say that because he had no hawthorn hedges, but he believed that 'if certain plants were a menace to the country and interfered with people’s livelihoods, they should be cut- down. Someone had got to suffer, and it was better that those who grew hawthorn for accommodation should suffer than those whose orchards would be destroyed. In reply to a question, Mr. Allen said the flowering hawthorn would also have to be cut down. To another question he said that hawltblor-ni was the only plant on which it was known that the fire-blight made a home, axxd it was proposed to eradicate all hawthorn hedges throughout the Dominion. Mr. Dunn said although the fire-blight had not yet- reached Taranaki it would be introduced if steps were not taken to check it. He agreed that in the meantime the State should assist in keeping the blight in check.