BEEKEEPING CLASS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 228, 24 September 1918, Page 6

BEEKEEPING CLASS.

INSTRUCTORS- SAL.AKIE9. The second meeting of the recentlytorutei beekeopcrs , class 'Was held at the Department of Airrlcnlture office, Albert Street, over nerenty persuns being present. Mr Westhrooke, Apiary Inspector, treated the subject of li«ckeepiuc from variow view-points, and gave some very sage advice Iv those whn intend to take up beekeeping »s n boEinesii. Dnrlnc tbc meetinc It was made known tbaf. there Is « jioksl--4)lllty of the Department of Agriculture losinc the services of Mr Weatbrooke ami the other apiary inspector* through the a<-tion of the Department in refusinc ti> raise their sauiricu to an equality with otlier nlHccrs dolns similar work. The meeting, action of the Department, resolved to-com-municate wllh the Government on the matter. In this connection, we may state that Mr Isnae Hopkiua, than whom no one ; work, has on two occasions dealt with thin 1 matter in the apiary columns of the "New Zealand Firmer," issued from this office. The following from Mr liopklnu in the current mouth's "Farmer" lully explains tbc subject:—"The recent revision of. salaries shows tbe maximum the , apiary Instructors can reach is £200 for first grade officers and for second grade ££4> 1 per annum. ' What consUtotes a second ! srade officer, or why there tdjould br rwo I grades, no one on inquiry secme to knerw. i-XtMVi the present instructors have had I seven veajß* service. an<l their salaries ibtand at CiW. so that with, the prescribed I annual addition of £10 they will have been lin the service ten years before reaching I wthe maximum salary, which », after all, {the lirwcst for flrxt grade and below many i sc-cond grade officers on the schedule." I Many salaries of public instructors m '.conTparison nro quoted to shevw that the apiary instructors have Rood reneon to be rtinsatlened, and it is stated that it this iiiKiuallty of is not rectified soon there will *c vacancies in the Division. To ei»c an idea of the responsibility of a.plsry inspectors, a)or> caees <XX» ton*) Of honey have been graded for export in Auckland this season since about March iesi. «^ ——