REGISTRATION OF PIGS

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21866, 20 August 1936, Page 13

REGISTRATION OF PIGS

GOVERNMENT SCHEME OPPOSED “DEALING WITH ONLY ONE .PHASE” (PUli ASSOCIATION TNUEOBAM.) HAMILTON, August 19. The recent statement by the Minister for Agriculture, the Hon. W. Lee Martin, about the inauguration of a national pig recording service was the subject of a long discussion at a meeting of the Waikato Pig Recording and Research Association last night. . . . ■ “The great need of the pig industry is the knowledge to keep pigs profitably, work which the two pig recording clubs of the Dominion are pioneering so successfully. The Government, instead of strengthening this movement, is doing nothing except to work in opposition and has brought out . a national scheme for recording pedigree sows, which will touch only the fringe of the subject,” stated Mr H. D. Caro, president of the association, to-day. He said the proposed Government scheme took ground from under the feet of the Waikato association, which had to charge £1 a sow for recording, instead of the Government proposal of ss. The association fee of £1 was gladly paid by progressive pig keepers to benefit by the exceptional services of advice and supervision, for which the Government was making no provision. “It seems,” said Mr Caro, “most extraordinary that when the pig keepers of the country were anxious to establish educative recording services for which they were prepared to tax themselves the Government should ignore their desire, and propose to establish a service to deal with only one phase of the pig keeper’s problems, and without having a single man in its service capable pf directing or carrying out the necessary work,” “NOT UNDERSTOOD” BENEFITS OP SCHEME EXPLAINED PALMERSTON NORTH, August 19. “Mr Caro does not really understand the position,” declared ♦Mr J. A. Russell, president of the New Zealand

Pig Breeders’ Association, this evening, when the Hamilton message was referred to him. "What has been explained by the Minister is just the first step in a national investigation and educational scheme yet to be lolly developed. If Mr Caro would devote a little time assisting us to get a levy of 2d a pig on all pigs killed for local consumption and export* so that sufficient funds could be raised to put a big scheme in operation, it would be more welcome than destructive criticism. Every pig breeder in New Zealand has been crying for recording, but recording clubs can cater onlyfor a very limited number of breeds. With the national scheme the Government agreed to adopt- the breeder in the Dominion will have opportunity of having his stock recorded. “This is not a parochial: movement and we are not going to sit down and see recording alone introduced. There is a crying need for more investigation into diseases and management 9 Mr Russell explained that the executive of the New Zealand Pig Breeders' Association drafted the scheme with the Minister.