FACIAL ECZEMA

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 4, 5 July 1938, Page 4

FACIAL ECZEMA

THE WAIKATO LOSSES

LOANS FROM GOVERNMENT

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

HAMILTON, This Day.

' A lengthy report on the facial eczema investigation carried out in the Waikato was considered by a large gather--1 ing of farmers at Hamilton. The Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin) and the Acting Director of Agriculture, Mr. Fawcett, also Departmental heads, were present. The Minister stated they would not be satisfied until they got something definite from the investigation, and the research work would continue until some results were obtained. The question of obtaining* financial relief by an alteration to the unemployment tax and income tax forms was raised by the meeting, but the Minister stated that farmers who suffered losses would be able to obtain loans in the same manner as in other districts where disasters had occurred. Each case would be considered on its merits.

It was pointed out during the meeting that it was impossible to gauge actual losses through the epidemic but sheep farmers, it was stated, would get nothing more than from .50 to 75 per cent, lambing this season and there would also be a considerable reduction in the wool cheque. While dairy farmers had not lost so heavily as sheep farmers there had been a big reduction in butterfat production during April and May and the New Zealand Co-operative Company alone has lost £90,000' worth of butterfat. In view -of the fact that this Company handled' 'over half the butterfat produced in the Waikato it was . safe to say that the loss of butterfat .because of facial eczema amounted to from £150,000 to