Tussock board to seek grant from Govt

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33773, 20 February 1975, Page 14

Tussock board to seek grant from Govt

The North Canterbury Nasselia Tussock Board will seek a special grant from the Government of §36,000 to maintain its work for the coming year.

If the board was unable to obtain the grant its programme of work for the year would have to be cut considerably, said the operations manager (Mr D. W. McLellan) at yesterday’s meeting of the board. Originally, the board’s estimated expenditure for 1975 totalled $510,609 but at its January meeting the board, in view of the uncertain economic future facing the farming industry this year, decided it was not a time in which to expand, or to bow down to the inflationary spiral, and so pruned its estimates back to $428,960.

This revised estimate was forwarded to the inter-de-partmental committee on nasselia tussock, which re fused to accept any reduction.

In its letter to the board the committee said it found the reduced estimates unacceptable to ‘ recommend to the Minister for approval., The committee took this view because it appeared obvious that the level of grubbing of previous years could not be maintained and as the level of grubbing ini previous years had been! only adequate to do the necessary work, the committee suggested that any reduction ‘ could not be accepted at (present.

The board was asked to reconsider its estimates and to present a programme which would take care of (this year’s requirements as lin previous years.

The board’s chairman (Mr F. K. Forrester) told a visiting Parliamentary delegation headed by the Undersecretary for Agriculture (Mr Barclay), which met the board yesterday afternoon, that its expenditure for 1975 would now be $504,000, which was $6609 less than the original (estimate. Mr Forrester added that this estimate was based solely on the use of a Fijian labour force similar to that of last year, which was the most economical force the board could have for this particular job. The grubbing charge for this year was $1.58c an hour, whereas on the board’s original estimates it was $ 1.72 c. He said that for the board to complete its programme of work this year — an economically uncertain one for

farmers — it was essential for the Government to come to its aid with the special grant, which would be over and above the usual subsidies.

Mr Barclay said he appreciated the board’s problem. Although he was not in a position to say anything about it he felt sure the board’s representation to the in t e r-departmental committee would receive its full consideration. In a letter to the board at its January meeting Mr Barclay supported the board’s plea for a full draft of Fijian workers this year.

' In his report to the board Mr McLellan said that no approval had been received for a draft of 67 Fijians to work for the board this year. One report from the Department of Labour seemed to indicate that the draft would be cut to 38 men, and that the board would be obliged to employ town gangs and some single labourers. {At present a team of about 14 local young men and schoolboys who had been employed last year were employed in two grubbing gangs. The board is to call for a limited number of applications for the county scheme for an unspecified trial period. This county scheme is a Government subsidised scheme in other parts of the Dominion which {have isolated infestations of I nasselia tussock, and where 1 there are no tussock boards. In the meeting with the Parliamentarians Mr A. A. Macfarlane said the county i scheme was not looked at with much favour by the board. For one thing theie were no suitable properties] 'for trying it out in the (board’s area.