GOVERNMENT AIDS TO AGRICULTURE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2804, 11 December 1907, Page 6

GOVERNMENT AIDS TO AGRICULTURE.

Several impoifant it-ems appear In the Supplementary Et-tiinat^s of the. Department of Agriculture which were voted by Parliament in the closing hours of the late session. The provision of £400 for the payment of a veterinary inspector of meat in London was. according to the reports, the only one of these items which was (pie.->tionerl. and the explanation that the duty of tlie officer to be appointed would ho to examine- any New Zealand meat which it w-is alleged wa^ diseased, and to report thereupon, in oidcr that full information might be obtained by ttft Government and the exporter, seemed

to satisfy the questioner.* The impression ' was apparently conveyed that condemnation of New Zealand frozen meat- was a frequent occurrence, and that the appointment of a veterinary inspector with some experience of the freezing trade in the colony would be a check upon the London sanitary authorities. As a fact, there has scarcely been a condemnation of New Zealand frozen meat since the trade was initiated, and none at all for years past. The efficiency of the Government inspection at the freezing works and the desire of the freezing companies to maintain a high reputation for their product, hav-e united to prevent the shipment of any meat respecting which there was the slightest doubt. It has subsequently been stated, however, that the duties of the veterinary inspector in London will also include the watching of the Smithfield market, with the object, it may be presumed, of reporting upon the condition in which the meat appears, and how it is dealt with there, as the Taranaki dairy companies' representative is doing with regard to butter. If the freezing companies and other exporters can be advised of means for marketing their meat to better advantage than at present the veterinary inspector will'b? doing good service. Another new officer is also provided for under the designation of Organiser of Agricultural Experiments and Lectures. It is understood that the duties of this officer will be to organise and direct experiments by farmers on their own farms after the manner of the Canadian and American co-operative experiments, and this new departure will be heartily welcomed. Farmers in all parts of New Zealand have shown their willingness — indeed, eagerness — to experiment, ■but have had to work in the dark, and an experienced experimentalist will be able to introduce system to their work, so that results of the greatest value will follow. The importance of onranised farm experiments has been urged by the Witness for many yeirs, and it is gratifying that the system is to be introduced and assisted by the Government, as has been .promised to successive agricultural conferences. The fibre industry in its primary stage is to have the nen-efit of practical instruction in tbj- selection and growing of the best vaT'eTies of the New Zealand hemp plant. (By the way, the attempt to cK.inge the name of the product from New Zealand hemp to phormium fibre is, according to London advices, meeting the strong disapproval of those engaged in the marketing of the article.) The appointment of the expert in phormium culture is urderstood to have been conferred upon Mr Gregor M'Oreeror, a recognised authority on the subject, and it may be hoped that not only the culutral but also the mechanictii processes of the industry will be speedily improved. The waste which at present takes place both in the treatment of the plant and in the preparation of the fibre is a serious handicap, and every encouragement should be given to the discovery of means of obviating it. The item of £125 for subscription to the International Agricultural Institute refers, no doubt, to the annual

contribution of the Dominion to the organisation which was inaugurated last year at the initiative of the King of Italy, and which has for its main objects, the collection from' all parts of the world and dissemination amorist its members of information regarding new agricultural processes and varieties of plants, the prevention and treatment of diseases of animals and crops, the markets for'produce, and so on. The institute may prove to be of valuable assistance to agriculturists, or it may fail in its objects. The army of inspectors is to be added to by the appointment of inspectors of apiaries. No doubt beekeeping is a profitable industry when conducted on the right lines, and the new inspectors should be competent to give the necessary instruction. In the expenditure of the Department of Industries and Commerce there is an item which cannot be regarded with full approval — that is, £120 for exhibit at the "Royal Dairy Show." If this means the exhibition of stored New Zealand butter against newseason's Australian at the dairy show in London a few weeks ago, it should not have been passed without question. It is notorious that the exhibit was entered contrary to the advice of the Dairy Commissioner, and it is said that the butter had actually to be bought for the purpose from stored last season's stock. Naturally, the only award obtained was a. commendation, amongst some score or &cr of Australian factories, and an undeserved stigma was thus cast upon New Zealand butter. The Government, by the supplementary votes mentioned, as well as in its general policy, is showing willingness to pro* mote the interests of agriculturists, and while the actions taken cannot in every instance be entirely approved, they are evidence of good will. It is disappointing that no provision has been made for the immediate establishment of a dairy experimental station or for providing an experimental farm or farms in the South Island, 'but surely these great requirements must be supplied without much further delay.