F.F. To Seek Full Price For Bolter

Northern Advocate, 12 August 1948, Page 5

F.F. To Seek Full Price For Bolter

... ~--. v vThe Whangarei sub-provincial executive of the Federated Farmers will press strongly for payment in full of the 30/- increase in the contract price of butter in Britain to cover anticipated increases in costs of production, fertiliser and labour. Further attempts will be made to obtain some reimbursement from the Dairy Stabilisation Fund for farmers who have retired from the industry, and for the estates of those who have died. These decisions were made at a meeting of the executive here yesterday. Mr A. Wiblin, the Hukerenui delegate, regretted that the federation had not availed itself of the opportunity of placing before the Fertiliser Commission the advisability of making the proposed Northland fertiliser works a cooperative concern. There were 6500 potential consumers in the area that would be served by the works and they could finance such a project. Mr Wiblin added that a foreign combine would not be as sympathetic to the needs of the farmers in depression times as would a producer-con-trolled organisation. LEVY ON PIGS sprang gxgl sav. e 1? ksuu? crarreirtyoi A remit from the Whangarei branch protesting at the increase of the levy on pigs from 3d to 6d, this amount to be paid to the Northland District Pig Council, was defeated by a small majority. Mr Hewlett and Mr K. M. Stevens spoke in opposition to the remit, stating that the service given for the money was a good one, and that the cost of carrying out the work justified the increase. In approving a remit from the Purua branch, the executive expressed 'its appreciation of the work done by Mr E. H. Arnold, of the Department of Agriculture, and decided to press for assistance for Mr Arnold, who had. in members’ opinion, too much territory for one man to cover, in spite of the fact that he worked early and late on the job. Federated Farmers are to have two lepresentatives on District Rehabilitation Committees, and Messrs Stevens and H. Gunson were appointed to represent the Whangarei district farmers on the local committee.

Information was also sought on the affairs of the Land Development Eoard, which takes over the administration of rehabilitation land. herd testing An improvement in the standard of the service and extension of scope was advocated for herd testing in Northland. There were at least 250 farmers waiting for the service, but they could .not receive it owing to a shortage of labour, it was stated. Mr Stevens said that if the farmers wanted the service the only way to get it was to pay for it. The testers had a difficult job and were expected to travel round the countryside in prehistoric vehicles and work for low wages. Mr Hewlett said that he had been an executive member of the Herd Testing Association since its inception in Northland, and the question of supplying cars for the testers had been investigated and found inadvisable because there was always the risk of misuse of the vehicle, and, in any case, a car could not get within reach of some sheds during the winter months. It was also suggested that farmers who had been testing for years and knew what their herds were doing might be prepared to forgo the service for a year to allow newcomers to benefit from testing information. This suggestion was not supported as it was considered that the full value of testing could not be obtained unless it was carried on through the years until lifetime performances could be compiled as a guide to breeding.