VETERINARY SERVICE

Taranaki Daily News, 2 August 1930, Page 14

VETERINARY SERVICE

FORMATION OF A NEW CLUB WORK OF FARMERS' UNION. OUTLINES OF TILE MOVEMENT. The formation of a veterinary club for the put j < st of making available the services of a veterinary surgeon for farmers, .whether members of the Farmers’ Union or not, was agreed to at a meeting of the North Taranaki executive of the Farmers’ Union in New Plymouth yesterday. It was resolved that the matter be referred to the branches for the purpose of discussion on the lines set out. An attendance of about 25 members was presided over by Mr. IL E. Blyde. Tho scheme set forth was to provide free veterinary service, attendance and medicine to all members at all hours. No fee of any kind would be collected, apart from the annual membership. Special duties as' demanded would be charged by the veterinary officer at reduced fees, to be collected by himself, with no redress to the controlling committee. The "duties of the surgeon would include the care of all stock usually carried on ordinary dairy farms. Pedigree stock, tuberculin-testing and matters of litigation .would bo excluded from the general scheme and paid for at reduced rates by the owner on a mutually agreed scale. Private practice would be allowed so far as it did not interfere with the smooth working of the scheme. If such were , not permitted a higher minimum salary -would be paid. The administration,. it was proposed, should .be . carried out by a committee appointed by the Farmers’ Union with executive powers which would deal with all complaints. The financial aspect Would mean the payment of salary, travelling allowance and expenses, and a surgery allowance for the supply 'of the necessary medicine, dressings, lotions, etc., as prescribed by the veterinary officer. Only animals seen or prescribed for by the officer would be catered for. SALARY OF THE OFFICER. The monthly salary of the officer, it was proposed, would be of a sliding nature to -permit cf additional membership. The suggb-ted charges werj a basic salary of £390 a year plus £1 per member, with a minimum membership of 300. A basic travelling allowance would be mad) of £lOO plus 10s per member and a surgery allowance if 10s pc - member. I lm» on a minimum membership of 300 the salary would be £6OO, travelling allowance £250 and surgery allowance £l5O, a total of £lO6O. The average contribution per member would be about £3. Methods of raising the necessary funds were reviewed, one suggestion being an annual membership fee on a per cow basis. Herds of pedigree stock would be charged 50. per cent, more and all producers of whole milk for l own supply at the same rate. Further details showed that an ordinary farmer would pay a minimum of £2* for herd of 20 cows and a pedigree breeder £3, with an additional charge of one shilling per cow above 20 for the formqr, and Is Gd for the latter. If the amount raised was in excess of the requirements it could be adjusted by lowering the minimum of 20 cows, the minimum charge per cow, or both. Wayt in which additional funds to stimulate membership might be raised, at the same time eliminating disease from the district, were suggested. They were: Tho provision of a small laboratory for rapid diagnosis; the encouragment of tuberculin testing on a £1 for £1 basis with the owner, this, being outside the scheme, would be an additional payment to the veterinary officer; (if this were impossible then free tuberculin might be provided); compensation to members for stock condemned under the Stock Act . on cooperative; lines to cover the loss to the owner and at the same tiinp encouraging him to report such cases early; abortion, eradication; compensation for slaughter in herds where few cases occur and where certain conditions regarding isolation, etc., could be complied with; trial of manimitis cures in certain herds, with compensation for untoward results; compensation for selected sterile cows which might assist the veterinary officer in his effort to control sterility; grants in aid of . topdressing or feeding experiments with a view to controlling sterility. IMMEDIATE SERVICE; There were not claimed to be embodied in the scheme hilt might indicate the manner in which a voluntary method of disease control.could be developed from the foundation calling for an immediate service for individual requirements The figure of 700. was suggested as the minimum number for one. surgeon, who o’i this basis would receive a maximum salary of £lBOO. Another scheme, emanating from Oka to, contained suggestions which varied slightly from the main proposals. Regular lectures should be delivered in’each, sub-district. The cost of conducting the service in this scheme also put the cost at £lOOO, which would mean a levy of -2s Gd per cow, working on a basis of 8000 head of -stock, or if the average production per cow was put at 2501bs of fat per cow a levy of i-Sd per lb of butter-fat. • Similar veterinary clubs or societies were now working in the Waikato and North Auckland. Outlinging the reasons for endeavouring to start the niovement tlie chairman said there had been agitation in certain districts for a co-operative veterinary servic.e. Recently a scheme had been suggested*-and in the future farmers might have to haye a surgeon more or less foisted "on them by spine compulsory Government scheme and he thought a voluntary one brought operation by the farmers themselves' would be preferable, lie therefore moved that a veterinary club be formed for the purpose of making available the services <-/ a' veterinary, officer.. In seconding the motion Mr. B. Budden said he thought it was high time farmers obtained the most efficient service possible for their stock. The Agricultural Department had done a great deal,’ but he thought that more could bo done under the proposed scheme. In other districts veterinary groups had been formed with very good results and

those’ districts did not seem to be overburdened by the cost of the scheme. A closely settled district like Taranaki should be able to form more than one club and by concentrating the members into smaller areas travelling fees could bo cut down. SCOPE OF OPERATIONS. The suggested radius of the officer’s operations, said the chairman, was to .Inglewood and Okato and north to Urenui, roughly a 20 miles radius from New Plymouth, The scheme would be better if dealt with through the union, as he did think all suppliers of dairy companies‘would join. Mr. Morris thought the area it was proposed to cover was too large - for one man to work efficiently. To a certain extent, replied the chairman, this trouble must be present, but even at this time, there was the same difficulty and with a union officer this would be obviated.- He thought there should be 300 to .400 members in one area, while if support were strong enough more than one club:,, might be formed." f

Air. Spence thought the scheme would come into operation too late this season to be of use during the calving months. '• Tho opinion that if there was not going to be work for the officer alt the year round it was not worth while having him was expressed by another speaker. However, if he were appointed as soon as possible, perhaps during the slack period, he could get into the running in preparation for the. heavy work of the following season. He thought thei'e would be no lack of work. • It would be necessary to move slowly, added Mr. W. N. Ackland, otherwise sufficient members might not be obtained. Farmers should be educated to the proposal gradually. There was a short discussion regarding the proposal to have a 50 per.cent, higher rate for pedigree herds/ Messrs. Frceth and Morris both dissenting. The chairman and Mr. T. Telford pointed out that pedigree stock was valued higher than grade cattle and owners were more .liable to call in..the services of a surgeon. _ Replying to Messrs. Telford and S. Topless the chairman said the scheme

would include horses and sheep. Mr. C. Wilson proposed that th® scheme be placed before the branches next week for them to discuss it and report as to the support available. , The chairman put .the motion that a club be formed and it was carried. He - suggested the delegates go < bock to their respective districts and inquire regarding the support available and report to the executive, which in. turn would classify the data and place it before the meeting in a fortnight’s time. It'might be possible to have as many as threfe veterinary officers. .. . . In reply to a question the chairman said he did not think any differentiation should be made between members and non-members of the Farmers’ Union. The chairman thought they . would have two schemes, one north and tho other south of New Plymouth, but the vital thing was to make a success of tho first club.