SHEEPOWNERS' UNION.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16364, 8 November 1918, Page 13

SHEEPOWNERS' UNION.

GENERAL MEETING OF MEMBERS. A general meeting of members ot tho Canterbury Sbeepowners union was held last evening, Mr T. D. nett presiding over a good attendance. MORTALITY AMONG LAMBS. The president brought up of mortality amongst lambs. »© not sure, he said, how the trouble was affecting North Canterbury, but was certainly an extraordinary ™ ( ? r " tality amongst lambs in his own aistrictj South Canterbury. As an example, in one flock of 200 ewes 4/ or 4» lambs had died. He expressed the opinion that the Department in charge ot that particular branch of agriculture was not doing as much as it might. lne matter was a very serious one to farmers, who could not afford a loss or even 2 per cent, in view of the taxation which tney were now, and would in tne future be, subjected to, Mr F. H. Smith expressed the opinion that the trouble was due to want of exercise. He considered that the loss in his district was at least 3 per cent That was, of course, referring to paddock lambs. Sir James Deans expressed the opinion that the mortality was due, not to lack of exercise, but to over-feeding. The matter in his district was really not a serious one, the mortality being at the outside one per cent. Sir Rudd was of opinion that frost had a considerable amount to do with the mortality. The chairman said that he had hearu of losses up to 20 per cent., and Mr B. Seth-Smith remarked that he had heard of a flock of 1200 in which the mortality amongst the lambs was 10 per cent. Eventually, on the motion of Mr N. M. Orbell, it was decided to ask the Live Stock branch of the Department of Agriculture to investigate the matter. in conjunction with the Sheepowners' Union and the A. and P. Association, and to report within three months. WEATHER FORECASTS. The chairman then proposed that more accurate meteorological information be furnished, especially in regard to forecasts of coming snowstorms, and that a permanent meteorological station be established in one of the islands south of the South Island. As a high country farmer, Mr Burnett spoke of the unreliability of the present forecasts by the time they reached the high country. Mb G. Murray strongly urged that girls, etc., in charge of country telephone bureaus should bo paid much better than thev were at present. Mr James Deans remarked on the very peculiar characteristics and inconsistencies of Canterbury weather. Tho Government Meteorologist, he understood. was limited to a certain number of words in his telegraphic reports, and consequently he was only able to give a kind of a general .forecast for New Zealand, which might he of use'to the West Coast, Southland, etc.. but of no use to Canterbury. Mr Bates would always be remembered for his predictions of "snow on the higher levels." Mr Deans added a word of praise for the predictions of Mr F. L. Wooles, and expressed a hope that his weather prophe"ies would be more widely published. After some further discussion, it was decided, on the motion of Mr SethSmith : "That the Government be as' e-l to appoint, pr financially ass'sfc the r " • holders to appoint, a local expert to forecast the weather in Canterbury,' and if necessary to erect an observatory for that purpose." OTHER MATTERS. A recentr "-Gazette" notice prohibiting freezing companies from fellmongerin? sheepskins other than those from stock killed at the works resulted in a short discussion, and it was eventually decided, on the motion of Mr A. W. Rutherford, jun.. that tho Minister of Agriculture should be approached with a view to having the embargo removed. On the motion of Mr Murray, it was decided to ask the Government to look into the matter of mail contractors subsidised by the Government competing in certain parts of the country with the Government railways. The rabbit pest formed the subject of some little d : scussion, and it was decided, on the motion of Mr K. Murchison, that the attention of the Government should be drawn to the need for inspection of rabbit-infested unoccupied countrv.

Mr Orbell opened tip another matter of interest by asking what the Imperial Government was going to 40 in regardi to New Zealand meat. If the country knew, he said, that meat was going to be treated in the same way as wool, that was that the Imperial Government would take it for twelve months after the end of the war, everything would be all right, but if such an understanding were not arrived at, New Zealanders would be in an awkward position as to their stores, not knowing which was their own me*>t and which belonged to the Imperial Government. The matter was not pursued.