KING COUNTRY FARMERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18460, 25 July 1923, Page 12

KING COUNTRY FARMERS.

PROPOSED .STOCK " DRIVE." THE RAGWORT PROBLEM:',; [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN *, CORRESPONDENT.] .-' TS KUTTI. Tueedar. _ " - A- meeting of the newly-formed A. and -•':-;■ P. . Association was held yesterday i o?. the purpose of organising a stock drive in ".; connection with the forthcoming show and ;■.> also to; discuss the eradication pi ragwort. The president. Mr. Mostyn Jones, pre- ' sided over - * 1 a ir fair attendance'of 7 members. He stated that the King country had come : to be regarded as /a district covered with ragwort. : jT Ragwort;. was ; certainly in evidence but not to the extent commonly supposed, and not more" so , than in other districts. / The; best I way} to remove •.. this '.v' •.-. impression was: fori them to see that ; the very best stock was exhibited at the. approaching Te Kuiti Show,- thus acquaint- , ' ing ; visitors with, what the district was • ' capable of producing. At tho last meet":::ing of "the association \- it 'i had been ;.-■;.re- '■.- solved,-that the association proceed with vo the stock drive; to obtain funds to place it ;: a on a sound basis so that the show might '•• . effectively advertise the . products of the , \ district. The farmers^ would be ? asked to ;; creditrsomo of ; their;, stock at their first 1 sale to'-'.the association, oKas an alternative, to donate stock to the drive to De held in. conjunction-with'-"'the auctioneering companies' sales in October. Mr.;"W. Gadsby said he would be '< pleased -'to present a pedigree bull tto the ; association;- ' • , ~' Mr.','J. N. Boddie, referring to the , spraad",of ragwort, said the 1923 Noxious; Weeds" did not go far enough. What , was Wanted was a small;, committee in r every* district to lighten the- work of the ;0, inspectors, who at present; had too ' much i countr^' to ! cover. ■ ''■; : ; ; ; , Mr.:-A- P. Grey said native lands would ! have m be cleaned up first. What was, '■ the vim of v the pakeha clearing his larm | from 'the pest when the ' neighbouring | * - natives; allowed it to grow in profusion. j !,- * urtherinore-,ragwort ; was spreading on \ : unoccupied • Crown ; lands and it ; would be b^tter r Jo give the land away and have U :: : . the ■ spread of ragwort stopped, than leave ; these 'fends in their 'present condition. ." Some. 15 years ago the Government v had V assisted ; the Terauamoa settlers to- pur- ;. chase sSheep to check the growth of weed ■;.',' with highly successful, results. :, ■ V ; Mr.i,Boddie emphatically;; asserted that ■ v if ragwjort was not ; soon ; eradicated - { V would " cause the ; , death of , the dairying industry.'; The natives would " : have to ; ._ bo coraiaelled. to : clear their holdings, and ; until this •rifas done little practical pro- ;•■'■■■■ gress could Ae ; made. J-;i:>w'•';■;.;,--''....;;-., :i^..;;' J. N. Boddie, A. P. Grey W. Btnneer, and X ,M; ■ Somerville were ap,;v;l>ointea;.a sub-committee to go fully im»> ; ways ; and means of combating - the growth of ragwort).