PROVIDING STOCK FOR SOLDIERS

Southland Times, Issue 24548, 24 September 1941, Page 7

PROVIDING STOCK FOR SOLDIERS

APPEAL FOR REARING OF CALVES A request to take steps to secure the help of farmers in the rearing of calves for the stocking of soldiers’ farms when they return from the war was made recently by the New Zealand R.S.A. to all associations. Edendale is the first sub-association in Southland to make a move. It is at present appealing to farmers in the Edendale, Brydone, Seaward Downs, Menzies Ferry and Morton Mains districts to rear one or more calves of good origin as free gifts for soldiers’ farms. It is expected that other sub-associations in Southland will follow this lead.

The necessity of providing suitable stock for the settlement of soldiers on the land was discussed by delegates to the special land conference held in November of last year and to the New Zealand R.S.A. council meeting in May of this year. A special committee that was set up embarked upon a scheme to give effect to the resolutions passed about the provision of stock. This committee emphasized two urgent reasons for securing stock. They were: (1) The lands it is proposed to settle are not now in dairy production, with the result that the stock required is additional to the Dominion’s normal annual requirements. (2) With the change-over to cheese manufacture it Is a definite certainty that the number of young stock reared this year will be substantially reduced. The Government has land available for wintering and rearing this young stock, and has agreed to take delivery early in the new year, approximately the end of January.