POULTRY REGISTRATION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21249, 1 August 1932, Page 13

POULTRY REGISTRATION

Sir, —Anyone who studies poultry feeding will no doubt wonder how the poultry- I keeper can make a living out of it with the feed, especially wheat, at present prices. The New Zealand Poultry Asso- j ciation has formulated a scheme whereby | all of us, from the man with thousands j of birds to the small one, will have a | chance of receiving something for our, labour. Instead of grousing and growling I think that the industry will benefit | if we help along the scheme to the best of our ability. Manurewa. Sir,—Perhaps it may interest some to learn what has happened elsewhere. After the war, British Columbia took up poultry raising and as far as efficiency went, made a good thing of it. There wfire always complaints about prices of feed and of eggs. It is not a grain-grow-ing province and the wheat had to be brought from the prairies and maize from the United States. The market for eggs was queered by the importation of United States eggs, which were admitted on a duty of three cents a dozen, and the American hen started laying two weeks ahead of tho Canadian hen, owing to the climate. Then a British Columbian egg pool was proposed and started with the usual flourish of oratory, promises and threats. It was not a Government organisation and membership was not compulsory, although 90 per cent joined. Ihe objects of the pool were to stabilise prices, to find markets and dragoon the railways into reducing freight rates on fowl feed. Before tho pool started, prices had been as low as 17 cents a dozen during the peak of production to the producer. The pool would see that such misfortunes did not occur again and tho eastern provinces were to be induced to buy British Columbia eggs instead of United States ones. But three years after the pool came into existence, in the summer of 1930, eggs dropped to 8 cents a dozen to the producer. And in tho winter of 1931-32 they were only 12 cents a dozen to the producer. Tho railways did not reduce theiir freight rates, but they lost half that business, because 50 per cent of the British Columbia poultry-keepers have gone out of tho industry, broke or disgusted. It is not suggested that tho pool was in any way to blame; it was merely a feather in tho gale of economic conditions. Tho argument that it is necessary to protect the public from indifferent eggs seems rather ludicrous No one buys twice where they have had an election egg instead of n fresh ono sold them! It seems a great pity to try to forco cooperation on people and to run the certain risk of driving some out of tho industry. Tiie writer does not see touch to complain of in Is 3£d a dozen at this season. Producer,