“KEY TO STORE”

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 72, Issue 6238, 5 June 1946, Page 4

“KEY TO STORE”

MORE FERTILISER NEEDED STRONG CASE MADE BY, MR G. A. WALSH Mr G. A. Walsh, of Roto-o-rangi, chairman of the meat and wool section of Federated Farmers, Waikato Province, at the annual conference in Hamilton, said that as upholders of civilisation and the dearly-won rights of heritable not one of the delegates, nor anyone else, could observe world happenings without grave disquiet and increasing resentment. The cessation of active hostilities was certainly an achievement, for which all were thankful, but success in peacetime was the real need.

After referring to the great need for increasing production to feed the starving nations of Europe, India and the Far East, with England cutting steadily deeper into her own very lean supplies, the speaker went on to say that the Dominion Council of Federated farmers had offered the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, and the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Roberts, full co-operation in helping to provide the great need. Only last Thursday, continued the speaker, the State departments concerned met Federated Farmers to discuss urgent details of requirements and procedure, all of which would be referred to the separate industries involved. South Auckland’s greatest capacity to help lay in restoring the six years’ starvation of land for lack of fertilisers, for adequate manure supplies would permit a 20 per cent, increase in production, representing 4,000,000 to 5,000,000 sheep, with an increase also in beef. Mr Walsh explained that a 31b increase in lamb and mutton weights would mean 4000 tons more meat, and an additional 750,000 lambs would give a further 10,000 tons. Ewe mutton would yield an overall promise of close to 20,000 tons greater production from the meat and wool section of Waikato lands. Fertiliser Was the key to this store, said Mr Walsh, and he would say to overseas: “Give us phosphates and we will give you meat.” Lime and fertiliser should be elevated to a first priority for transport, concluded the speaker.