MARKETING SCHEME

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22412, 7 May 1936, Page 16

MARKETING SCHEME

VISITING MINISTER'S STUDY AGRICULTURE IN TASMANIA [BY TELEGRArrr —PRESS association] WELLINGTON, Wednesday The Tasmanian Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, the Hon. R. Cosgrove, arrived from Sydney by the Wanganella this morning to investigate matters of interest to his departments. He was accompanied by his wife and will spend a little over a fortnight in New Zealand. Mr. Cosgrove said he was particularly interested in the Government's marketing proposals, as he was going to introduce a marketing bill next session. Farming conditions in Tasmania were very similar to those in New Zealand. Conditions and climate were about the same, so a scheme that would suit New Zealand should suit Tasmania. Many Tasmanian dairy farmers had changed over to sheep. The , main trouble in the past, so far as dairying was concerned, had been the quality of pastures, and he believed Tasmania's best way out of any agricultural difficulty was through pasture improvement. The Government had been encouraging this for the past 10 years. Mr. Cosgrove estimated that about 100,000 acres a year were being brought in as good pastures, and he believed what was being done would place dairy farming in Tasmania on an economic basis.

Farmers had been advocating guaranteed prices in Australia for the past two years, but no State could act alone. Any guarantee would have to be made by the Federal Government. Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria had all pinned their faith on an equalisation scheme.

Air. Cosgrove said he wished to learn as much as ho could about afforestation methods in New Zealand. Tasmania's accessible forests would be cut out in 20 years at the present rate of consumption, and every endeavour was being made to renew them as quickly as possible. The Afforestation Department had experimented with pinus insignis an J Douglas fir, but the results had not been good, and afforestation at present was mainly confined to native trees.