LEVY ON PIGS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 160, 8 June 1937, Page 5

LEVY ON PIGS

ADVISORY SERVICE. PROPOSALS OUTLINED. Details of the method by which it was proposed to administer tho fund raised by the levy of twopence a pig, on all pigs slaughtered, to provide an instructional and advisory service to the pig industry were elaborated by the Superintendent of the Pig Industry, Mr M. J. Scott, at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Pig Breeders’ Association in Auckland. The immediate concern of all who paid tho. levy, said Mr Scott, was how it was to he svyent and by whom it was to he spent. The general scheme was that all those who paid the levy -would have representation in the disbursement of the money. The proposed organisation for the administration of the scheme provided for the establishment of a National Pig Council, meeting once or perhaps twice a year to determine the general policy of the industry, and seven district councils meeting once a month. The third part of tho organisation would embody the pig clubs. REPRESENTATION ON COUNCIL. The National Council would be composed of 20 members, including two from the New Zealand Pig Breeders’ Association, two irom the Farmers’ Union, seven from tho district councils, and one each from the Meat Producers’ Board, the Dairy Board, the meat exporting companies, tile freezing works, bacon curers, Grain Merchants’ Association, stock and station agents, the Department of Industrial and Scientific Research, the Internal Marketing Department, and the Department of Agriculture. It was proposed that there should lie five district councils in the North Island and two in the South Island, each to he based on at least 10 pig clubs, but in such a way that there were not more than seven councils throughout the Dominion. The pig clubs were a co-operative movement, said Mr Scott, and set an’example of good conditions under which pigs could be kept. ESTIMATED REVENUE OF £7200.

It was estimated that the levy would bring in approximately £7200 by March 31, 1938, and that subsequently the amount would be about £BOOO, calculating on present killings, said Mr Scott. It was also possible that the Meat Producers’ Board and various commercial interests would display the same generosity as in the past and this would bring the total amount received above that budgeted for.

Tho levy which was being collected according to the regulations from every firm killing pigs would be allocated among the seven district councils by the NatiomvL Pig Council, said Mr Scott. The levy of twopence was to provide more essentially for instruction. In order to give the district councils some means of maintaining the interest of their members in feed trials and other investigational work it was proposed that a certain amount of money should be made available to them for this purpose. More important than the conduct ol demonstration instructional trials, however, was the establishment of testing stations where pedigree pigs, perhaps two to four from a litter, could be seen led on standard rations, the rate of growth feed efficiency measured, and the carcase quality assessed when they, had attained a bacon weight of 1501 b. This was -the service given by testing stations in European countries, Mr Scott explained, and such a service would discover those high quality, thrifty, bacon pigs that were the foun'dation stock of any real improvement. SUPPORT FOR SCHEME. Asked whether there was any possibility of members of the -council of the I New Zealand Pig Breeders’ Association j obtaining representation on the district councils, Mr Scott replied that he thought the suggestion would be welcomed.

On the motion of Mr G. Jamieson, of Hamilton, the meeting decided to express its sympathy and support of the scheme as outlined by Mr Scott. Suggestions for the grading of pigs also were discussed by Mr Scott, and the meeting decided in favour of a proposal which could be put into opeiation at an early date. The proposal was t-liati the Department of Agriculture, in co-operation with the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board, should employ sufficient supervising pig graders to ensure that the grading of pigs was carried out on a uniform basis between one wonts and another. The definition of grading was interpreted to mean that some 10 to 15 per cent, of the worst pigs noiv graded into the first grade should be placed in the second grade.