THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15377, 12 August 1913, Page 8

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

REQUEST FOR CONCESSIONS/ | VALUE OF THE PRODUCTS. ESTIMATED AT £1,500,000 A YEAR. ~ [BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL CORP-ESPONTyKOT.] Wellington, Mondays Mop A deputation from the New Zealand Poultry Association waited upon the Prim* Minister (Hon. W. F. Massey) this evening, for the purpose of bringing before him certain matters connected with the poultry industry. The deputation, which was hk'' troduced by Mr. A. Harris, M.P. (Wait*', mata), consisted of Messrs. S,. Brittain Bull, of Auckland (president of the asa*?V ; ; ,;: ciation), S. H. Scott, and A. G. Mumby (vice-presidents), W. Bierre (JPalmerston ; North), and W. Jessen (Wellington). ,• v : Mr. Bull, who acted as spokesman, said ■■'■• that the requests of the deputation were principally contained in the loilowing re.ll solutions, which were passed at the annual conference held in Auckland in March last: {i) That the Agricultural Department be iV. £ .ii ; ti*.d 10 iuiuctaii.i an v&y-aaying com- . petition at the Ruakura State Farm, and : -.—* ..no ueavy and iigut ureeds ; (k) mat the De-- : S partment be asked to undertake experii||fe mental tests to endeavour to arrive at tho;# approximate costs of feeds tor the heavy :||i and tight breeds of towis, to ascertain t.nei: : % relative vaiues for products ootained, amlM that the Department be urged to enwfli courage the poultry industry, in view of M its increasing magnitude; (3). that thai"'g» conference ot the Poultry Association a©, sires to lay before the Government the an- f ference in treatment between the pouujy and the iruit industry, that, as against ft ' director and an assistant director" and a r '> large staff of instructors lor tie fruit in- : : • dustry, we who picduce lour or five tiaias ' more in' value have only one instructor; (4) the desirability oi " putting poultry '- farmers on the same footing as fruit ' farmers with regard to railway charges;;! (5), the desirability of bringing poultry: Jt appliances under agricultural, horticuitural, and viticultm-al machinery in the Customs classification the duty at present being from 20 per cent, to 25 per cent, 1 -'&BP Valuame Industry. ;:|f||p; In speaking in ragard to the first resolution, Mr. Bull &aid that in tlia compete ■ tion at Papanui, a record- was put up last " year in egg production, but what had' beeu done there did not carry the same weight ■ as if it had been under Government '• supervision. As showing the value of the industry to New Zealand, Mr. BuK said the last census showed that there were : some three million birds in the Dominion. '.', Allowing a reduction of 10 per cent, for non-producing birds, thi6 would " £riv e k!,7OO,O0O egg-producing birds. Estimating the value of the eggs at an average of ' ten shillings a year each, this gave a total , of £1,350,000." When the value of. tw '■ export trade was taken into accouai, it was found that fcho "total value of the industry to the Dominion was abort • v £1.500,000 yearly. The fruit 'industry was worth only about one-third of that amount-' The deputation also desired to secure -a (satisfactory definition of .. " fresh eggs.'' Eggs which are not new should not btt ; ; stamped arid sold as such-, The it w-as stated, was suffering a great deal; - through inferior eggs being sent. sl|b|

Mr. Massey: How would you J'efiu*,: fresh *ggs? Mr. Bull : Those that are not more tUasy four or five days, or at the most, a,we||| The Government's- Attitude. ;< The Prime Minister, in replying, <xtm gratuiated the deputation on the way |H which the industry was progressing. Mi far as Urn request for the egg-laying_coffl petition at Ruakura was •was not-'quite certain as to the faciWfifl there, or whether tlie staff to undertake tho supervision o* the petition. He would inquire into the;; matter, and let the deoutation know the,; result. Personally, he'could not eee why the competition, could not be arrangedHe thought, that the experimental food; tests coald be arranged without As to instrrictors, he was not, quite cst-y tain that there was the same necessity for;.: poultrv instructors, as there was for fruii; instructors. The fruit industry was al-: roost in its infancy, but ii was likely to; become a big thing. He agreed., of coiv&S that the Doultry industry Was also capao!a of great development. He would look into the point raised as to railway charges. Its believed that the deputation had a, gryvance. .•■ -,—-' Mr. Harris : You can . brin? 3 case >&*, fruit from Auckland for a shilling, but .$£ brina a case of eggs you have to pay 7s.4d\ - :,.,-. : •■' Mr. Bull: It costs is 9d to l>nng a case of eggs from PalmK'ston. whereas, a case of the. same size of fmit is broughiS for 6d. .'-■•''•. Mr. Massey said that the railway charges Would be revised in two or three months, and the matter' would then be: gone into. In Tegard #> the duties on; appliances, he eaid that there were certain anomalies in the tariff which reqmred attention, but he was not prepared at present to say to what extent these would be. dealt with this session.