Plea For More Bird Seed By Miss Howard

Press, Volume C, Issue 29563, 12 July 1961, Page 16

Plea For More Bird Seed By Miss Howard

(From Our Par Item en tan* Reporter)

WELLINGTON, July 11. A plea for the production or importation of adequate quantities of bird seed was made by Miss M. B. Howard (Opposition, Sydenham) during the Address-in-Reply debate tonight. “The member for Gisborne (Mrs E. Tombleson) said tonight that food was being made for cats and dogs,” said Miss Howard. "Very plaintively I ain going to ask her, can she do anything about the birds? Cau she persuade the people in her district to produce bird food: canary seed, budgie seed and finch seed? Is there anything that the honourable lady can do to help me, because I am jolly well desperate? “Seriously, I can tell the Minister that the shortage of seed for pet birds is very serious, and unless something is done many of them will die. Even during the war, when things were very serious for New Zealand and we had to cut out the transportation of many things, bird-seed was still allowed to be imported. I appeal to the Minister to do something to again allow it to be imported. Can he give me an answer now?” “If Necessary” The Minister of Industrie* and Commerce (Mr Marshall): “If we think it is necessary.” Miss Howard: "Hooray. I am getting the full brunt of

the complaints. 'That is why I am mentioning it to the Minister. I am sure I will have the support of the member for Gisborne. ..." Miss Howard concluded: “I went to say to the Minister thank you on behalf of the birds that make New Zealand such a lovely country. Thank you for saying that you are going to allow the import of canary and budgie seed into New Zealand."