FARM RESEARCH FUTILE

Evening Star, Issue 22974, 3 June 1938, Page 13

FARM RESEARCH FUTILE

WORKING AIMLESSLY UNIFICATION URGED fP*H United Press Association.] CHRISTCHURCH, June 2. “ Money for farm research might as well be thrown down the drain as given to the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, said Mr G. C. Warren, a member ot the Dominion Executive of the New Zealand Farmers* Union, speaking at the annual conference of the North Canterbury district farmers. He described research in New Zealand as hopelessly disorganised and attacked the attitude :of the two Government departments to a subject of vital importance to the whole country. ' , , .. , Mr Warren proposed, on behalf ox the Barfield branch, a remit urging the Government to release without delay the reports of Dr Hucker and Dr Hammond, visiting cattle and sheep experts, who recently made a survey of stock problems at the request of the Government. He said these experts had been brought to New Zealand at considerable expense, and if their reports were to be. kept in the dark it would be a waste of money. The reports would probably indicate the methods by which research should be carried out. Research was hopelessly disorganised. Each institution was working well, but aimlessly. He foresaw the time when Lincoln College would confine itself to sheep problems, Massey College to cattle, and Wallaceville Laboratory to serums and “ bugs,” and Cawthron Institute to soil analyses and kindred work. The Department of Agriculture was more or less opposed to the unification of research because it feared that a change would push the department into the background mainly as a supplier of information. Mr A. M. Carpenter (Fernside) suggested; that, in view of the appalling losses of stock,, it might be advisaable to send a man overseas, perhaps to a place like Denmark, to study the methods there. The conference carried the remit unanimously.