OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 November 1943, Page 4

OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS

DAIRYING AT STAKE

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —Our agriculture, which contains some of New Zealand’s most useful and enjoyable occupations, seems threatened by our Government’s policy. There are two outstanding faults. The first is our meanness in sending Britain an increase of only one-fifth ounce of butter’ per head when a statesmanlike campaign to double our output would give them twelve times as much. This is treatment which as every grocer knows, may cost us our customer and crash our dairying. The second fault is our Government’s indifference to tuberculosis which is killing two million people annually. Mr J. H. North, superintendent of the Palmerston North Hospital, is reported to have told his board that 15 to 20 per cent of the tuberculosis cases in the Wellington Hospital district were directly traceable to infected milk. The annual meeting of the Australian Veterinary Association in Sydney passed unanimously a resolution which said; Bovine tuberculosis can be eradicated.

During debates on the Pure Milk Bill in Britain a strong public demand was shown for prohibition of milk products from doubtful sources. Yet there was opposition against pasteurising. Foremost in favour of raw milk were specialists attached to Dr. Barnardo’s Homes, their argument being that raw milk contained something which made children safe against tuberculosis. Britain’s remedy therefore would be insistence on ,a certificate with every shipment that the country of origin is free from bovine tuberculosis. New Zealand could not comply. Our traditional hush-hush attitude on this matter is due to the belief that our herds could only be cleaned up by wholesale destruction. There is a better alternative —the genetic way. It is undeniably possible to breed a strain of cattle proof against tuberculosis. There are some countries with dairy herds 95 per cent clean, which would be very acceptable to Britain. There are some entire breeds with only 5 per cent infected. Mr Barclay, Minister of Agriculture last year, opposed any action on the three grounds that complete immunity would not be got; that it would take some years; and that high milking qualities which were of the greatest importance would be lost in the process. Each argument, is weak: (1) Nearly total immunity would still be a triumph and save our industry; (2) Cow generations are rapid and would give quick results, and (3) If resistance can be bred into a breed or a herd by genetics so can milking qualities at the same time.

We sometimes think that because a thing has not been done, it cannot. I am confident we would with worthwhile speed make all New Zealand dairy herds resistant by the genetic method. The industry now is on a precipice.—l am, etc., ARTHUR SAINSBURY. Otahuhu, November 9.