GIVE SERVICE

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 57, Issue 4000, 31 May 1948, Page 6

GIVE SERVICE

AIM OF VETERINARY CLUB REPORT RY SURGEON FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF N.Z. “ This is my first opportunity to deliver a report to this organisation and I would like to give my impressions, as a newcomer, on the veterinary position in New Zealand, and more particularly on the Hauraki Plains,” stated the report of the veterinary surgeon, Mr J. Robins, to the annual irfeeting of the Farmers’ Veterinary Club held at Ngatea recently. Mr Robins came out to New Zealand from England during the year to take over the position he now holds on the Hauraki Plains.

“ New Zealand has recently realised that it would probably get along better with some form of veterinary service to its farmers by veterinary surgeons. Rightly or wrongly it has decided to exact a levy on produce and with it subsidise veterinary clubs. Advantage of Scheme “ The club' system, with a veterinary surgeon on a fixed wage, relieves the vet. of the necessity of selling you something in order to earn his living and allows him always to advise the line that will pay you best. The chief disadvantage to my view is that I have no opposition. Certain farmers always think that there is a better vet. in the next town and in England they remain happy searching the country for the unobtainable ideal and handing over a lot of cash to veterinary surgeons. Here if a cow’ dies that should not, or I make a bad diagnosis, and being human these .things happen to us all, then we have to live in a state of uneasy distrust which is not good for either of us,” continued the report. “ So far as this club is concerned our aim is to give everyone within travelling distance veterinary service and our club is open for anyone in the country to join. We will definitely have a temporary help over the coming busy season and a second permanent vet. in the new year. Trading of Club “ I am expanding the trading side of this club as I feel it supplies a real need to the farming community. Our policy here is to made up medicines at the wholesale cost price of constituents and ■ I am only too pleased to tell you those constituents and tell you the reason why I put them in the medicine concerned. I credit the farmer with wanting to know what is in a drench and why it is given and I advise anyone to buy those drenches you keep around the shed from the club.” stated the report.