The Northern Advocate Daily “NORTHLAND FIRST” WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 1938. The Bobby Calf Trade

Northern Advocate, 20 July 1938, Page 6

The Northern Advocate Daily “NORTHLAND FIRST”

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 1938. The Bobby Calf Trade

Registered for transmission through the post as a Newspaper

ECENT developments in the bobby calf trade are of interest I 'j in every dairying district in New Zealand, and nowhere fXmore than in Northland, where the sale of hobby calves_ at * the farm gates has grown into a sideline of increasing importance to the farmers. It is interesting to trace the growth of this branch of farming from its small beginnings in South Taranaki a few years ago. Until ways of utilising the flesh were devised the carcase of a young calf was almost useless once it had been skinned, except as pig food. Today, however, hobby calves represent a useful source of profit and the business of selling and handling them has grown to such dimensions that the Government is now taking a serious interest in it.

To illustrate the rapid growth of tin' industry, as a result of the organisation of the bobby calf trade, it is only necessary to quote the statistics published in. the New Zealand Year Booklet year. In 1932, 593.029 calves were killed in abattoirs and slaughterhouses. This figure rose to 599,335 in 1933, soared to 941,705 in 1934, dropped nearly 200.000 in 1935 on account of the British embargo, since lifted, and then rose, in 1936, to the peak figure, of 1,074,656, a total nearly double that of five years earlier.

During this period, too, the number of calves slaughtered on farms showed a declining tendency, dropping from 14,558 in 1932, to 11,575 in 1936. In any ease the farm killings represent but a negligible proportion of the total, and this proves that the real importance of the bobby calf trade lies in the system of collecting from the farm gates and trucking to freezing works or abattoirs. It is well known that this practice was viewed with disfavour for a long time by many people, on account of the fear that cruelty was involved, but special regulations now make it an offence to sell or offer for sale any calf which has not been adequately fed from birth, and also it is now required by law that any farmer disposing of bobby calves shall feed them not more than four hours before they are removed from his property. Apart from allegations of cruelty, which were in many oases unfounded, the industry had its own internal troubles, largely caused by competition among buyers, and by overlapping carrying services which resulted in obvious waste when several different trucks worked the same roads, lifting calves here and there, whereas a system of zoning would have allowed one carrier to concentrate on one particular road, thus promoting greater efficiency all round. This was largely the objective of the bobby calf pools now being formed under the Government’s supervision. Some rationalisation of the trade and its methods was obviously demanded. It now remains to be seen whether the calf pools will meet the demand. As far as Northland is concerned, there has already been a quick response to the proposal that, provided 80 per cent, of the .suppliers agree the co-operative dairy companies shall be constituted the central authority for the separate pool. So far, so good. No one is better qualified than the dairy companies to undertake the work, iand experience in the Wairarapa and elsewhere has shown long since that, where there is rationalisation and zoning, with consequent elimination of overlapping transport services, the farmers’ returns from his sales of calves are materially increased. There remain only one or two small points of doubt. So long as the pools do not suppress free and open competition in tendering for purchase and transport of the calves, all should be well. If the farmer, for one reason or another does not get the full value for every calf sold, the pools will defeat their own object. It is certain that farmers will be entitled to protest strongly if at any time any outside agency should intervene to deprive them of any portion of their legitimate returns.