THE EGMONT SEAT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 46, 9 October 1911, Page 2

THE EGMONT SEAT.

HON. T. MACKENZIE

The announcement that, the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. T. Mackenzie, is to stand for the Egmont seat should be a source of keen satisfaction, not only to the dairy farmers of that electorate and of Taranaki in general, but to milkproducers throughout the Dominion, says the “Canterbury Times.” No Minister of Agriculture has exhibited , the same interest in the dairying activities of his Department as has Mr Mackenzie. The excellent standing of the dairy produce division with the farming community is largely due to his wise discretion, while lie is responsible for such important forward movements as herd-testing, pasteurisation of dairy factory by-products, a sane method of dairy inspection, tiie appointment of a dairy produce grader at the Home end, and the establishment of a monthly journal of the Department. In addition to this he has developed on a sound principle tiie most sucessful work the experiment stations have in progress for the advancement of dairying. This is the securing of high-type pedigree stock of a milk-producing strain for the State herds. The Weraroa herd of Holsteins is now the finest collection of deep-milking Holsteins to be found in the Southern Hemisphere, and a bull, it is reported, will soon lie on its way from America to provide a change of blood. Then at Moumahaki Mr Mackenzie has wisely decided to establish a herd of utility Ayrshires. There are already at. Moumahaki a number of good Ayrshires, but shortly thd herd will be strengthened by the addition of the finest collection of milk-record stock to be introduced to this country. These are to be selected by Mr J. Dunlop, the Scottish Agricultural Commissioner who irecently visited the Dominion, and who is probably the foremost man to-day in Scotland associated with the great movement for the development of the Ayrshire on utility lines by reason of herd-testing work, having assumed the mantle of the late Mr John Spoir, the pioneer in the revolution of the Ayrshire. The introduction of milk-record Ayrshire stock is of marked significance, for time will probably prove that, given the deep-milking type, no race of dairy cattle will prove so useful to the general run of New Zealand dairymen as the hardy little Ayrshire. Altogether, Mr Mackenzie deserves well of New Zealand dairymen, and those who know him and his work on behalf of the industry will be gratified to see him contesting a seat in a North Island dairying constituency. They have no fear of the result . If there is any gratitude in human nature he should be able to command (-victory in any rural electorate in the Dominion.