BOARD OF AGRICULTURE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 190, 10 February 1914, Page 3

BOARD OF AGRICULTURE

THE TARAXAKI REPRESEXTATIYK in?. RICHARD DIXTILE, OF STRAT- . FORD. llr. Richard Dingle, a very wellknown tlugre in tlie Taranaki dairying world, lias hocn selected by the Taranaki agricultural or{fanisalMiA«'' for recommendation . to the Minister of Agriculture for appointment to tbc proposed Board of Agriculture. The appointment was made on Monday morning, at Stratford. liy a conference of delegates from tdie Taranaki Agricultural Society, Egmont Agricultural and . Pastoral Association, and Stratford Agricultural anil Pastoral Association. The' delegates were: Messrs. .1. S. Connett and F. Wlitsou (Taranaki), E. Treweek (Eginonl). .1. I). Ilealy and J. B. Richards (Stmtl\>rd). Mr. Connett. as president of the metropolitan body,■ presided, and spoke briefly oil the matter'which was to engage the delegates' attention, concluding by inviting nominations for the position of representative of Hie Taranaki district; upon the Board. Mr. tlealv nominated Mr. R. Dingle, and Mr. 'Treweek put forward Mr. B. Lysaght. Mr. \Y. B. Fearon, secretary I of' tin: Stratford Association, in who«c offices the meeting was held, was appointed scrutineer for the poll, which gave Mr. Dingle four votes and Mr. Lysaght two, each body represented being entitled to two votes. The chairman declared Mr. Dingle elected, and the formal part of the business was at an end. It was but natural that these gentlemen, all warmly interested in the work of agricultural societies, should indulge in some "shop talk," and Mr. RiclianU put forward a suggestion, which was warmly approved, that these three associations, having so much ill 1:0111111011, should bold at least annual conferences to discuss matters connected with the associations, and with the J management of Hie animal shows, lie pointed out that the conferences would be more than ever necessary now that the. thrcti associations' were to have a representative in common on the Board of Agriculture, in order that that representative, might learn the minds of his constituents on matters which might come before the Board, and on agricultural matter* generally. Mr. Richards suggested that the metropolitan Society should take the initiative. and convene the first conference, March being mentioned as a suitable time. Mr. Coiuietl favored the idea, and it was left to him to arrange the date for the first gathering. THE FARMERS' REPRESENTATIVE. MR. R. DIXOI.E. Mr. Richard Dingle's ippointnu'iit -hould meet with the approval of , of the farming community of the province. He is an eminently practical man, and one who believes that dairying, properly curried out, is a profitable industrV even when comparatively highly-paid labor has to be employed—the opinion of hundreds of others notwithstanding. He was bred and born a farmer, and is a native of Frankley road. New .Plymouth, Mr. Dingle is no youth, for <i'2 Miinmers and winters have passed over his head, and each , successive season seems to have added to his store of knowledge of the ways of men and cows, and tests and

cheques, until now he is competent to advise dairymen just how to make their monthly milk cheques aa fat as his own. Just after attaining; his majority, Mr. Dingle went to Haw.era, and from there to the Waimale Plains, being among- the first selectors ,of that fertile tract. He farmed ia the ManaiaOtakelio district, and was a leading spirit in the formation of the Otakelio Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, about the second concern of ttie kind in the province. Later, he tackled the country about Ilowan,. and here again lie busied himself in organising the dairymen for their own benefit; the outcome being the Kaponga Co-opera-, tive Dairy Company,..of..which lie was the second chairman of directors. Stratford knew him, and when he took up a farm here he was soon made a director of the local dairy company. Two 1 [vears ; later—possibly twelve years ago—he was chairman o£ directors, and he is chairman still. ■ Mr. Dingle has built: up one of the 11 nest,milking herds in the district, having for many years ■tested every .individual cow in his herd and culled out the wasters, whilst hehas carried out many experiments in pasture improvement on his own farm. He has been and is a successful farmer, and his success is due to watching and. improving the stock-in-trade of the dairying business—his land and his cows. He has considerable force of personality, and there is 110 doubt that he should prove an invaluable man in the high position for which the representatives of the agriculturalists of faranaki have selected liini, ■Mr. Dingle has done a full share of work 011 local bodies. He was a countv councillor for some years, and is at present a director of the Taranaki director of the Kgmont Box Companv; member,of the Egniont National Park Board; borough councillor; and on the executive of the Stratford A. and P. Association, of which he was the first president and a prominent promoter.