STOCK IMPORTATIONS.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13640, 26 August 1937, Page 5

STOCK IMPORTATIONS.

WANGANUI FARMER S VIEW. Electric Telegraph—Press Association WANGANUI. August 25. A scheme suggested by Mr Lloyd Hammond, Rnngatikei. for importing stock into the Dominion under supervision was supported at the monthly meeting of the Wanganui provincial executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union to-day. It was said that this method would l>e much safer than the present system of bringing stock to the Dominion via Tasmania and other countries. Under the new scheme the risk of foot-and-mouth disease would be considerably less.

Mr T. W. Howie said he was in favour of stock being brought into New Zealand by the I ront door, as it were, instead of the back door. He was emphatic, however, that, while the importation of stock under Mr Hammond's scheme would undoubtedlv be scfe, no risks should be taken with foot-and-mouth disease. Mr ('. -T. Harris, organiser for the Farmers’ Union, pointed out many disadvantages of the present methods of importing stock. He held that farmers to-day were taking a bigger risk than they would if Mr Hammond’s scheme'were adopted. Actually, the embargo would not be lifted, and the new regulations would mean a. tightening of conditions. ‘**l am not advocatin', the lifting of the embargo. but under Mr Ha mmond’s -eh. me stock will come direct and we -hall hav,. no control over it,” Mill a iris added. The president, Air T. Currie, said that at the recent Dominion conference. in Wellington it was stated that hedgehogs we re carriers of the dis-

Further support for the proposed ■ system was given by Mr C. Smith, who said that under the present method stock mi route from England was in the care of a member of the ship's crew. If foot-and-mouth di.>***ase developed nobody on board would know anything about it. If Mr Hammond's scheme would he supervised on the voyage by a qualified veterinary officer. • \W want our sheep and cattle brought out at certain times of the year, and I think if Sir William Perry has an objection to Mr Hammond's scheme he should lift it for ft molt* national view.” said Mr Smith. "A New Zealand farmer, of course, should be allowed to select his own stock or appoint an agent in England to do this for him. We have scon stock come into New Zealand which is not a credit to British j. I ix“ utivo dofiiU'd to support "Mr Hammoml's scheme