A MENAOF.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 July 1922, Page 4

A MENAOF.

The committee of the Taranaki Agricultural Society is to be commended for its attitude in connection with the prevention of cattle tick in Taranaki. Nothing short of the erecting of dips on the northern side of the Mokan river and the dipping of all stock before coming across the river into Taranaki will meet the situation, in the opinion of all who realise the danger, and we are glad to notice that the Agricutural. Society strongly support* this view. The present regulations have been framed to prevent the spread of the disease, but. the fact is that notwithstanding them the disease has spread, and is rife throughout the East Coast, and has now got into the Waikato, whence cattle are driven intd Taranaki. Therefore the danger to this province •is a very real one, and everything possible should be done, to keep the disease from obtaining a footing here. If it does it will cause very heavy losses, for the mere act of dipping materially reduces milk production. in most cases, it is stated, by fully a third. The tick made its appearance in the North of Auckland many years ago, and could have been eradicated had the drastic measures that were recommended been taken by the Government, upon which, of course, pressure was brought to bear by the settlers concerned, and little, or nothing of an effective nature was done, with the re" suit that the tick is now in the districts mentioned and menaces others

that are, like Taranaki, practically free from all cattle disease. It would be a thousand pities if by neglect to take precautionary measures the dreaded disease gets across the Mokau. The only effective safeguard is dipping, and the suggestion of the Agricultural Society to erect a dip on the other side of the river is one which we hope will be backed up by every farmers’ body in the province, and the Government be pressed to give effect to it without delay.