POULTRY AMENDMENT BILL.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 11 July 1933, Page 6

POULTRY AMENDMENT BILL.

REQUEST FOR CONFERENCE. At the annual meeting of the Levin Poultry-keepers' Association, Ltd., on Friday night, which was also attended by a number of representative poultry farmers from Otaki and Foxton, the Poultry Amendment Bill brought before Parliament last session came in for some erijipiiij]], but with a view to evolving a workable and accepxtiN o Bill to put forward at this year's session, it was decided to ask for a conference of the poultry industry to discuss the whole matter. Mr P. Jennens said he did not wish to say much about the Bill, to which there were quite a lot of objections. They asked for a conference with its promoters far the purpose of getting the objectionable features cut out, and then going to Parliament with a Bill on which the industry was agreed. They were looked on as opponents of the Bill, but were only opposing certain clauses. Registration was favoured in a modified form. Mr Jennens referred to the alteration by Parliament of the minimum for registration from 12 head to 25, and pointed out that 92 per cent, of the eggs came from yards with less than 50 fowls. "Those are the people who make and break the market," he said. Only, 1330 people kept more than 200 fowls. If the exemption from registration was allowed to stand at 25, there was going to be a lot loss money available than was anticipated. The suggestion he favoured was to cut the hundred in half, and make the foe a shilling for each fifty head with an. exemption up to twelve head. T'hat would give more capital than if they commenced at 25. Another thpg they opposed Avas the ridiculous idea of stamping all the eggs on the farm. He had always objected to the idea of stamping the end of the egg. Agents and cooks had never favoured it. The egg might be quite fresh when the stamp was put on it, but who knew how old it was when it reached the breakfast table. Dealing with the question of control, Mr Jennens said it was all very well to say they would export 20,000 crates of eggs,,but Avho was going to finance it. It was the export merchants who found the money for.that purpose and they should have a voice in the policy. So far as control was concerned the N.Z. Poultry-keepers' Association did not know what they wanted themselves and did not know what was in the Bill. In Auckland they said definitely that they liad got control in the measure. Canterbury and Otago said they had not. Their Auckland official organ said there was no reason why the Control'Board should not have the same functions as the Department of Agriculture had had in the past. It should be remembered that this proposed Board was not going to market eggs. The producers were going to have all the expense of the Board and registration, but on top of that, *he producers would* have to pay an agent to sell their eggs. He did not know of any Control Board in this country that had been a success and did not see liow any Poultry Control Board could hope to achieve it. If they had a Board they wanted business men on it who were not themselves interested in the particular industry, and any man who took on the big responsibilities involved must be capable of the duties that would be put upon him. So far as regulations were concerned, what they needed most was to regulate the 'bad egg off the market, and if they had that, it was all that was necessary for the industry. Mr F. Picot said his definite opinion Avas that the less Government control there was in any industry the. better. Referring to the stamping of eggs, he said a great deal had been made of the "National Mark," and many.thought it would be a good thing, but he found that the mark was put on the box in England and not on the egg. Mr Griffiths (Otaki) said they had discussed the Poultry Amendment Bill and were a bit fed up with it. They had come to the conclusion that regulation was what was wanted and not control.

Mr B. Raskin spoke against various provisions of the Bill, and espceially the proposal to set up a Board of Control, though that intention hud been denied. Six members at high salaries and expenses would soun absorb all the half-crowns, they would collect for registration (fees and there would be nothing left for export purposes. They would therefore have to get some merchant to export for them, and if there was a loss, who would it fall on. Winwas it necessary to have a Board for twelve months when the export season only covered six or eight weeks. If the N.Z. Poultry-keepers' Association had called a conference before going to Parliament with the Bill, they would have got it passed last session without all the trouble that had taken place. The following resolution was put to the meeting and carried unanimously: "This meeting, being representative of the poultry industry in this district, unanimously protests against the Poultry Amendment Bill in its present form being made law. "That, in the opinion of this meeting it is desirable that a conference of those interested be held to discuss the Bill prior to its again being placed before Parliament. ''