Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, THURSDAY, SEPT, 7, 1937. FIGHT AGAINST RAGWORT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19423, 7 September 1937, Page 4

Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, THURSDAY, SEPT, 7, 1937. FIGHT AGAINST RAGWORT

The early and effective measures proposed by the Government in an attempt to check the spread of ragwort will be greatly appreciated by farmers in those localities where the weed has already become established and in others where, in the absence of remedial steps, it threatens to become a menace. The danger of a serious spread of ragwort has been repeatedly emphasised in recent years, but hitherjto the authorities have not been ' sufficiently imbued with the urgent necessity of tackling the problem, and every year of delay has increased the hold of the weed and increased the difficulty of eliminating it. Now it is proposed to spend about £75,000 in the course of a few months, the operations being financed mainly through the unemployment fund, with some assistance from the Department of Agriculture. The work is to be carried out under the supervision of the county councils, by whom unemployed labour is to be engaged. The councils, however, will not incur any commitments beyond the utilisation of their stall's and, in the circumstances it may be taken for granted that they will give their whole-hearted co-operation in carrying out a work which is so vitally important to their ratepayers. It is possible, of course, that in other quarters there will be some objection to the unemployment funds being used for what is. in effect, a subsidy to the farming community, but such a view would be a short-sighted one. Ragwort is something far more than an indication of inefficiency on isolated farms; it cannot be controlled by individual action, and unless it is controlled it will not only penalise the farmers directly affected but may seriously menace the industry upon which the whole Dominion is so largely dependent. In other words, the subjection of the weed is a national responsibility, and for its recognition of this fact the Government is to be congratulated. This district has not been so badly affected as some, but there are localities where ragwort has gained a strong hold, and it is not necessary to go many miles from Gisborne to obtain evidence of the manner in which the weed spreads and obtains a footing. One of the greatest difficulties is that no matter how much labour and expense a farmer may devote to keeping his property clean he cannot secure immunity, because the seed is carried from neighbouring areas, or even a distance, to provide a fresh crop in the following season. It is for this reason that isolated effort is futile and that an attack on a wholesale scale is essential. It is a reflection on the Government that the worst areas, and those where least has been done, are properties under the control of State departments, particularly unoccupied Crown and native lands, or farms which have been abandoned Land of this type has been converted into nurseries for the propagation and spread of ragwort, and its existence has discouraged the individual farmei who might otherwise have been prompted to take action.' The Government's campaign, it would seem, is to be directed primarily against these areas, and the very fact that it is to be launched should act as an incentive to other property owners to clear their own land. It should be emphasised, however, that action on the part of the Government does not overcome the need for measures being taken by individual owners. Indeed, the contrary is the case, for if the State operations were to be regarded as an alternative to independent measures, instead of an incentive to them, it might do more harm than good, because it is emperative that the weed should be atacked on all fronts and by all the forces that can be mustered. While the Government's scheme itself is entirely commendable, there is one aspect of it that provokes comment and may demand some further consideration. The unemployed men

who are to be engaged are to be paid at the rate of two shillings an hotu and to be employed for a 40-hour fiveday week in occordance with the Government's policy. On the face of it, no objection can be taken to these terms, but there are two points which immediately obtrude themselves. In the first place, it is reported from all parts of the Dominion that farm labour is practically unprocurable: in Auckland it was stated recently that there were 300 vacancies and only ten applicants, although in the city itself there were more than 8000 registered unemployed. If these men are now to be offered two shilling an hour for a five-day week, what prospects will there be of farmers securing necessary labour at the award rate of approximately one shilling an hour for a seven-day week? And that rate, it must be remembered, has been accepted as a basis in fixing the price of butter fat. The second point is a related one Under the Government's scheme, unskilled unemployed labour will be engaged in eradicating ragwort at two shillings ;m hour. It is possible, and even probable, that on an adjoining property an experienced farm hand will be called upon by his employer to do exactly the same work for half the wages. Such an anomalous position will assuredly create discontent, and it is possible that the Government will have to extend its scheme, either in the direction of subsidising the farmer or else by making itself responsible for the work on private as well as public land.