FARM RESEARCH STATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27078, 12 May 1949, Page 8

FARM RESEARCH STATION

Minister of Agriculture | Visits Invermay larly statement expected \ • W' V' " As a result of a literally flying visit to the Taieri yesterday by the Mnister of Agriculture, Mr Cullen, a pronouncement on the fate of t]he Invermay property at North Taieri as a farm research station is expected from him in about a fortnight. £ Mr Cullen flew to Taieri from Wellington yesterday, arriving shortly after noon. He had lunch, inspected the property in the next hour, heard representations about Invermay from interested organisations, addressed them briefly, and then boarded a plane about 2.35 p.m. fbr his return to Wellington. < The Minister told those present at the meeting on the aerodrome tjiat he would go into the matter of Invermay fully, would study the reports of departmental officers, and if necessary would visit the area again. He would see the Minister of Lands, Mr Skinner, for whom he y?as acting at present, and when this was done he would advise the t search Station Committee of his decision on the suitability of the e. Mr Cullen told members of .the committee that he expected to take at least a fortnight before being able to make a pronouncement.

iThe Minister was met at the airport yesterday by the Minister of Defence, Mr Jones, Messrs P. G. Connolly, M.P., W. A. Hudson, M.P., and R. Walls, MLP., Messrs J. S. Skinner, James Begg, W. O. McKellar, H. A. S. Orbell (all members of the committee), and A. G. Elliott (chairman of the committee, Department of Agriculture), Messrs J. Preston and J. E. D. Roberts (Federated Farmers), Mr W. P. Hartstonge, Mayor of Mosgiel, Mr R. J. Calvert, Rehabilitation Committee, and Mr W. A. Bodkin, M.P. for the area. They comprised the party which carried out aii inspection of the Invermay site. Cullen was shown the boundaries of the property, and the l|nd which comprised 1261 acres. This is* split up into 261 acres of first-class l£nd and two blocks of 500 acres each ojt second and third grade land. wOn the return to the aerodrome, Mr Qonnolly, as chairman, pointed out to

Mr Cullen said that he appreciated the work done by the Research Station Committee. The initial expenditure on a research station would be small compared with the cost of later experiments, but he was keen to have these pushed ahead. Otago and Southland fell short of the institutions established in other districts, and were keen to have something. He would go into the whole problem again. The Minister said that it would perhaps have been better had he seen the property earlier himself, but there were excellent men in his department and he had taken notice of what he had been advised. He felt .that he could say nothing more at this time than that he would investigate the whole position again, and, if necessary, would visit Invermay a second time. i_. , ....jitaJjiJlH

the party that it was proposed to have a short conference about ,the site.

Mr J. S. Skinner, a member of the committee, told Mr Cullen that the Invermay property provided ‘all that was required for a research station. In the past two years and a-half, the committee (comprising representatives of Federated Farmers—one each from North Otago, Otago and Southland—the Meat and Dairy Boards, the fertiliser industries of Otago and Southland and merchants in Otago and Southland) had inspected properties for a site for the research station. All the members of the committee had farming experience. Mr Skinner added that the work of the officers of the Department of Agriculture in assisting the committee was appreciated. The committee felt that its members were a jury which had given its verdiet in favour of the Invermay property in no uncertain terms. They had seen land from Mosgiel to Morton Mains, and had come to. the conclusion that Invermay was outstanding for the purpose. They looked upon Mr Cullen as the judge, If they were the jury, and he, had never yet known a judge to disagree with the verdict of the jury. He hoped that Mr Cullen would uphold their verdict on Invermay.

The Mayor of Mosgiel, Mr Hartstonge. said that Mosgiel had many, amenities which would fit in well with a farm research station in the district. It had a regular air service and rail facilities to and from Dunedin; Central Otago, and Southland. From that viewpoint alone, Invermay offered the best facilities. The borough also had two fairly large hotels at which people who visited the station could stay The property was connected to the borough water supply by an eight-inch main, and if water were required there would be plenty available. Electee power was also available, and the site was near' to the University of Otago, which could assist the activities of. the station. The speaker added that Dunedin was only 10 miles distant, and could provide extra amenities. There was a high school at Mosgiel which had an agricultural section comprising 70 pupils. He thought that it would be difficult to find a better place than Mosgiel to provide facilities for highly technical working on a research station. Mr J. Preston, for Federated 1 Farmers of Otago, said that for the farmers of high and medium-grade country the problem was to develop the carrying capacity of second and third-grade land. If a solution were found by the establishment of a research station at Invermay, a service would have been done to all farmers on these types of land in New Zealand. The problem required special study. Mr Cullen said that he had been intensely interested in what he had seen at Invermay. The, Department ■of Agriculture was keen on experiments in agriculture in any part of New Zealand. His colleagues in Cabinet had been liberal in making finance ' available to the agricultural colleges in New Zealand. Although the agricultural policy of the country was not as spectacular in its operation as other branches of research, its value was demonstrated In the manner in which the Government had undertaken experiments to assist the man on the land.