RAGWORT CONTROL

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3822, 16 October 1936, Page 12

RAGWORT CONTROL

APPEAL TO THE MINISTER. (Our Resident Representative.) At Wednesday’s meeting of the Otorolianga County Council the whole morning was occupied, in committee, considering the problem of ragwort control and the employment of labour in connection with its eradication. It was decided to allow the Press to publish the following communication, sent this day, to the Hon. Minister of Agriculture: “At a meeting of the Otorohanga County Council held to-day, I was directed to advise you that the Council legrets that so much delay has occurred in finalising a scheme of ragwort control, and wishes to impress upon you the necessity of coming to an early decision. Much valuable time has already been lost,and every day lost now is serious. “The Council has acted upon arrangements as far as they have gone, and has started two gangs, in terms of Mr Cockayne’s communication to the Council. “The Council relies upon the wages of these men being refunded in terms of Mr Cockayne’s letter, and also the foreman’s wages. “Under this arrangement the Council will be able to deal with the financial farmers, but there is no provision as to how the unfinancial farmers, the Crown and Native lands, are to be dealt with. “The work that is being done on the farms will be of little benefit unless the Crown and Native lands are cleared up, as they constitute the main propagating grounds of the pest. These lands are producing ragwort very rapidly now, and the Conn cil trusts that you will realise the urgency of quickly deciding upon a workable scheme of control.”