STOCK LOSSES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23529, 18 June 1938, Page 12

STOCK LOSSES

RAVAGES OF FACIAL ECZEMA RESTORING DEPLETED FLOCKS (Per United Press Association) HAMILTON, June 17. Grave losses having been suffered by sheep farmers in the Waikato through the ravages of facial eczema, the task of replenishing the depleted flocks has become a problem which threatens to prove difficult of solution. The assistance of the Government has again been sought, this time in the form of concessions in railway freights on consignments of healthy stock which is being brought in the Waikato from the unaffected areas of Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki, Manawatu, the King Country and North Auckland Thousands of sheep have already been trucked into the half-bare farms of the Waikato and placed upon properties where in some cases more than 50 per cent, of the flocks have been wiped out Reference to the attestation required from farmers who apply for loans from the Government to replace stock lost through facial eczema was made to-day by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr W. Lee Martin), who said the form was the standard Treasury form of application for assistance. The printers mark showed that 5000 copies were printed in 1936. It was the form used in cases of floods, fires, and disasters of all descriptions. The applicant was required tc certify that he was unable to met his loss or to repair the damage suffered without the assistance applied for. No objection to this attestation had been taken in previous cases, the usual view being that the word “ unable ” was governed by the implied word reasonably.’’ Mr Lee Martin said he was asking the Treasury whether this could not be explicitly stated and not merely implied, but in the meantime his advice to sufferers was to fill in the form as though this word had been inserted

Instancing the willingness of the Government to co-operate, the Minister said that last Friday he informed the Prime Minister (Mr Savage) that £IO,OOO was needed to make a start with the investigation work, and this amount had been granted immediately. He pointed out that £BSOO was required for his department and £ISOO for the De-

partment of Scientific and Industrial Research, which would be a charge against the Department of Agriculture.