DEVELOPMENT OF DEPENDENCIES

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22464, 27 July 1938, Page 11

DEVELOPMENT OF DEPENDENCIES

NUTRITION AND SOIL EROSION SUBJECTS FOR CONFERENCE IN LONDON CsaiTisH omciu wib,ei*ess.) (Received July 26, 8.30 p.m.) RUGBY, July 25. „Soil erosion and. nutrition are the two most important subjects to be discussed at a conference of colonial directors of agriculture, which opened in London to-day. There were present representatives from all parts of the colonial Empire. The Under-Secretary for the Colonies (Lord Dufferin and Ava), in his presidential address, expressed the hope that the joint consideration of these two subjects by officers of agricultural, veterinary and forestry departments would be fruitful. He said that in recent years it' had been generally realised throughout the colonial Empire that in the planning and execution of programmes of social economic development, co-operation and collaboration among departments of agriculture, veterinary services, and forestry, health, education, and administrative officers were essential and from the Colonial Office efforts had been made, whenever possible, to emphasise the importance of collaboration in all matters concerned with rural development. Speaking on the dangers of soil erosion, Lord Dufferin said it was only during the last few years that the importance of soil conservation had been fully realised, largely as a result of accounts of the position in the United States. A similar state of affairs, however, had been developing in many British colonial dependencies, especially East Africa, where faulty distribution of stock was becoming serious. The position in regard to soil erosion in the colonial Empire had been reviewed in a memorandum sent to all dependencies and the Colonial Secretary had asked for an annual report on the subject from each dependency with a summary of the progress in anti-erosion measures. It was expected that in the discussions of the conference the importance of mixed farming, whereby animal husbandry was introduced into a scheme of crop production, would be recognised. Lord Dufferin said that increasing attention must be given by departments of agriculture to the production of greater amounts and a greater variety in local foodstuffs, and nutritional requirements must not be overlooked.