HERD TESTING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 June 1939, Page 7

HERD TESTING

COMPLETE REORGANISATION AMALGAMATION PLAN WELLINGTON-HAWKE’S BAY BODY SET UP. DAIRY BOARD’S IMPROVEMENT SCHEME. A complete reorganisation Ims been effected of I be herd testing movement in New Zealand to facilitate the operation of the New Zealand Dairy Board’s herd improvement plan. The reorganisation x has necessitated the amalgamation of the numerous small herd testing associations, including that in the Wairarapa. into larger district as sedations, six in all. The . Wairarapa area will now be part of the 'WellingtonHawke’s Bay Herd Improvement Association and its activities will no longer be conducted in groups as. in Iho past. The reorganisation scheme has the full support of the Agricultural Department and is being subsidised by the Government and the Dairy Board. The scheme aims at encouraging, amongst other things, continuity of testing. The district associations set up, besides Wellington-Hawke's Pay, are: —North Auckland. South Auck ■ land, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki and South Island. The first amalgamation under the scheme was effected on May 18, when the management committee men of all herd testing associations operating in the Wellington and Hawke’s Bay provinces met in Palmerston North to form the Wellington-Hawke’s Pay provinces met in Palmerston North to form the Wellington-Hawke's Bay Herd Improvement Association. The management committee then elected consisted of Messrs L. R. Wilton and John Martin of the Wairarapa Association; Mr A. Campbell of the Bush Association; Mr G. A. Cammock, of Southern Hawke’s Bay; Mr D. G. Begley of Heretaunga Association and Messrs D. Stent, Duncan K. Guy, Geo. Young and W. H. Gimblett, of the Manawatu Association. At a subsequent meeting, Mr W. H. Gimblett was elected chairman, and Mr T. G. W. Page of Palmerston North was appointed manager. On Mr Page’s recommendation Mr J. C. Carbines, of the Bush Association, was appointed assistant manager. The management committee again ■met on Monday of last week, when a large amount of business was transacted. Mr W. H. Gimblett was appointed to represent the organisation upon the Herd Recording Council of the New Zealand Dairy Board. A subcommittee was set up to deal with routine business, < the members being the chairman and Messrs G. Young and G. A. Cammock. N According to the proposed constitution, four of the management committee members elected "Should represent the dairy companies operating in the association’s territory, but in future years the dairy companies are to nominate their own representatives. Those members elected to represent the dairy companies were Messrs D. G. Begley, of the Heretaunga . Dairy Company; L. R. Wilton, of the Masterton Dairy Company; G. Young, of the Rangitikei Dairy Company, and Duncan K. Guy, of the Levin Dairy Company. All dairy company representatives were active members of present testing organisations.

In presenting the budget and the scale of charges for the ensuing year, the manager pointed out that in almost all cases the proposed charges were on a lower scale than those of the encompassed associations and also favourably compared with the scale of fees of many organisations with larger average herd size. The testing of many small herds tended to increase the cost of testing to larger herd owners, but the scale of fees proposed was drawn' up with a view to reducing this as much as possible. The scale of fees adopted was as follows: —£6 minimum fee for herds of 20 cows or less; for other herds 5s per cow up to 40 cows. 4s per cow for additional cows up to 60, and for cows over 60 3s per cow. Each herd also to pay a herd fee of £l. Fees were either to be paid in advance, when a discount would be allowed, or by an order upon the dairy company for deduction of fees over five monthly periods. These charges did not involve the grant for successive testing which would further reduce the charges to those members who had generously supported the movement in past years. To enable the identification of tested cows for sire survey purposes, etc., it was imperative that greater advantage of heifer calf tattoo identification be taken by members. A charge of 3d per calf was decided upon which sum would be paid to testing officers for the work entailed.

Approval was given to the manager’s suggestion that he attend the annual meetings of those herd testing associations which had amalgamated to form the Wellington-Hawke’s Bay Herd Improvement Association.