"DISMAL RECORD"

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 75, 30 March 1939, Page 15

"DISMAL RECORD"

POULTRY FEDERATION

CONFERENCE OPENS

"The dwindling numbers in the federation, the stalemate in our efforts to improve the marketing conditions of our industry, the procrastination of the Government, and the lack of loyal cooperation within the industry make a very dismal record to place before you," stated the president of the New Zealand Poultry Producers' Federation (the Rev. W. F. Stent) in his report to the fifth annual conference of the federation, which opened in Wellington yesterday. Delegates were present from Duriedin, Oamaru, Christchurch, Wellington, Wairarapa, ManawatuRangitikei, Taranaki, Waikato, Waitemata, Manukau-Franklin, Hauraki, and Bay of Plenty. ' .

"Although there may be somewhere in the region of 30,000 owners of 25 birds or more, less than half of these register, so that even with the threat of illegality before them one out of two shirk their responsibility," the president's report continued. "Nine out of every 10 of the registered poultry farmers are indifferent to the federation.

"I have sought from time to time the reasons behind this apathy and they can be given in the words of the speakers themselves and, speaking generally, are summed up as follows:— 'Too busy ... What's the good of it? . . . I'm doing all right without them ... Poultry is only a side-line with me

. . . Only a waste of money . . . What have they done anyway? . . '. I'm sick of the* whole business, etc., etc'

"And yet many are the times that these have been the first and foremost to demand of the federation immediate action where their interests are personally concerned by shortage of wheat or pollard or high price of feed and the low price of eggs.

"Numbers and money talk and if you have no money numbers are a good substitute. In politics it is better even than money. In my opinion poultry farmers of this country have no one but themselves to blame for the parlous conditions they are suffering. Any Government having pretentions to democratic ideals will listen to the voice of the people providing there are plenty of them, and our chaotic conditions of marketing would have ended long ago if the federation had grown in numbers during the last four years. It is the apathy, disloyalty, and general shortsightedness; of the great majority that is the reason for the procrastination of the Government. Far too often the poultry farmer has shown himself to be a little man with a little mind and a limited view and with nothing big about him except his squeal. "Despite all this I am still hopeful of bringing some beginnings of order into the present chaotic marketing conditions."

The president paid a tribute to the work of the secretary (Mr. A. J. Severn) and members of the executive.

The statement of receipts and expenditure for the year ended February" 28, 1939,. showed the total revenue as £332 16s Id, including subsidy from the New Zealand Poultry Board £313 10s and capitation fees £17 9s 6d. The expenditure totalled £197 12s 9d. The Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin), who was to have attended the conference this morning, will not be present until this afternoon. Advice was received that the Minister Was attending the demonstration of land clearing machinery at Westport, but that he would return to Wellington by air this afternoon and would then fulfil his promise to attend the conference.