PERMITS REQUIRED

Taranaki Daily News, 14 September 1940, Page 12

PERMITS REQUIRED

DAIRY HERD SALES POSITION DISCUSSED The opinion that the regulatiori compelling farmers to obtain a permit before they were able to dispose of their dairy herds was purely a war measure designed to prevent dairy farmers who were riot prepared to change over from home separation to the supply of milk for cheese going out of dairying was expressed at a meeting of the North Taranaki executive of the Farmers' Union yesterday during discussion on a remit from the Inglewood branch that a demand be made for the removal of the restriction. The remit, however, did not meet with the approval of the executive, which adopted an amendment moved by the president, Mr. H. E. Blyde, asking the executive to ascertain how the regulations were applied and whether they applied to individual cases or whole herds. Inglewood branch members held that even if the cows were sold in the yards they would be milked wherever they went and therefore there . would be no loss of production, but that the regulation was just another case of Government interference, said Mr. F. S. Burson in moving the remit. All members of the branch did not support the remit and he felt that he could not conscientiously object to the restriction, said Mr. Burson. He pointed out that regulations now provided that a man could be told to leave his wife and his farm or his work and take up arms to proceed overseas, and therefore no farmer should make objections to being compelled to milk cows. If any farmer had a conscientious objection to milking cows, no doubt he would be able to obtain a permit to sell them. The remit was seconded by Mr. D. Pearce. The object of the regulation was to prevent farmers who were refusing to charjge over from home separation to the supply of whole milk selling their cows and going into sheep or some other form of production, said the president, Mr. H. E. Blyde. He did not think the regulation was intended to apply to the man who wished to sell one or two cows, or sell to cull. He recognised that the regulation was an interference, which in peacetime they would be justified in resisting, but they were now under war conditions. He considered, however, that permits in necessary cases would be obtained on application to an officer of the Department of Agriculture. In the course of discussion it was pointed out that there were farmers who bred cattle for sale.