EGG PRODUCTION

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 68, 14 December 1931, Page 12

EGG PRODUCTION

Outlook for Industry BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD Research at Wallaceville “Each penny a dozen rise or fall in the price of eggs means a gain or loss of £200,000,” said Mr. A. H. Cockayne, Assistant-Director-General of Agriculture, when addressing the gathering -ho visited the Government’s Poultry Experimental Station at Wallaceville on Saturday afternoon. Mr. Cockayne said that the poultry industry -occupied a far more important place in the life of the country than was generally realised. That was indicated by the fact that over 150,000 families kept fowls. They kept some 4,000,000 fowls, and taking the average production at 10 dozen, it meant that 40,000,000 dozen eggs were laid annually. These, together with poultry sold or used as food, with eggs at 1/per dozen, meant some £2,250,000, or at 1/6 £3,250,000. Nevertheless, the price of eggs was no criterion by which the industry should be measured, but rather, should that be done, by the cost of production. The Department of Agriculture, in all the industries it fostered, and poultry was not least, had always paid particular attention to the advocacy and adoption of methods that would lead to profitable production. Grading and Instructional Work. “Poultry-keeping does not primarily differ from any ojther phase of live stock husbandry,” said Mr. Coekayne. “Its essentials are good stock and good management, but there are, as in all other live-stock production Industrie?, innumerable problems concerning both these aspects. Increased production on a lowering rather than a rising cost basis is the objective of all departmental endeavour in its grading and instructional work.” This was particularly true of its poultry work. The object of the station was specifically to study on an essentially practical basis phases of poultry management concerned with increasing production oi 'a lowering cost basis, economical feeding, economical breeding, and,economical disease control, the three great factors that spelt success from the production standpoint. “The Department of Agriculture always viewed successful production as its business and is doing its best in 1 this direction,” added Mr. Cockayne. “It likewise views successful marketing, equally essential to success and development, as the growers’ business.; We look after, or try to look after, the money that can be made by reducing costs through scientific management, and you have to look after the money that can be made by scientific marketing. If the Government does its part and you do yours, the future ahead of the poultry business is bright indeed.” . ' Scientific Advice.

Mr. F. C. Brown, ehief poultry instructor, stressed the value of the station as a means of advising the poultrymen along scientific lines, and said one of the objects of the station was to breed a fowl which would produce the best eggs for export. The Hon. A. D. McLeod, M.P. for Wairarapa, said that they wanted to build up their smaller industries. He had seen how this had been done in the older’ countries, and also what had been done in regard to side-lines. The . poultry growers had the opportunity, and at Wallaceville they could get the best in-struction-second to none in the world. Mr. W. H. Field, M.P., promised that the poultry farmer would always have his support. Speaking of the burden which the price of wheat was inflicting on the poultry farmers, Mr. Field said he hoped the reduction of 1/- per bushel would be some help to the poultry farmer. As it was at present, the South Island poultry farmer, having fed his" hens on cheaper wheat, sent his eggs up to the North Island and swamped the market. The poultry farmer, he knew, hoped to do without wheat, and get satisfaction from using as food barley and ground maize, but he could not see why wheat could not be imported into the country practically free of duty for poultry purposes.