DELAY OVER DIAGNOSTIC STATION CAUSES CONCERN

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28963, 3 August 1959, Page 12

DELAY OVER DIAGNOSTIC STATION CAUSES CONCERN

Farmers’ organisations are concerned at the Government’s slowness in making known its decision on the provision of diagnostic services in the South Island. Speaking at Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, on June 17, the Minister of Agriculture <Mr Skinner) said that a decision on the site of the first diagnostic station in the South Island would be made within two weeks. Last week Mr A. C. Wright, chairman of the meat and wool section of North Canterbury Federated Farmers, sent a telegram to the Minister reminding him of his Lincoln statement and asking that some action be taken, particularly as the busy stock season for farmers is now beginning. Decision “Imminent” Members and officials of the Wool Board have made at least two recent approaches to the Minister’s staff seeking advice as to when a decision would be made, and on both occasions they were told that a decision was imminent.

Sir Walter Mulholland, a member of the Meat Producers’ Board, said yesterday that an early announcement had been expected after a meeting held some weeks ago between chairmen of Ihe Meat, Wool, and Dairy Boards and the Minister at which the boards had put up a proposal for financing diagnostic stations “I am a bit concerned that no public statement has been made since,” said Sir Walter Mulholland. who added that he had not been in touch with Wellington for several days to know if there had been any fresh developments. “It looks as if something must have cropped up. There ’s nothing I know that should hold up a decision.” he said. Mr P. S. Bonifant, chairman of the Ashburton Veterinary Club and a leading advocate of diagnostic services in the South Island, said yesterday that he was at a loss to know what to say or think. After years of fighting for these services, he said, he had recently felt that positive action was at last in sight. He felt that Mr Skinner had been sincere in promising an early decision. but it. was his view that the Minister must have come up against some political trouble. He was not opposed to South-

land and Otago having a diagnostic station, Mr Bonifant said, but he believed that Canterbury was justified in asking for a station because of stock numbers and because most veterinarians -—club and private—were north of the Waitaki. It is believed that the Government’s proposals are almost certain to provide for the establishment of a station at Canterbury Agricultural College, where for many months facilities have been ready. It may, however, be the Government’s intention to set up immediately stations both in Canterbury and at Taieri. with the latter station serving the important Southland and Otago stock districts. If the Government should, however, decide to set up only one station in the meantime, there are some who think that it may have the Department of Agriculture’s Winchmore irrigation research station in mind. More attention is to be given to animal problems at this station, where, from a departmental point of view, a diagnostic station would have the advantage of being directly under the control of the department, a factor which is believed to carry some weight with departmental officers.