INTERESTS OF FARMERS

Taranaki Daily News, 4 June 1934, Page 6

INTERESTS OF FARMERS

MOVE TO IMPROVE WOOL CLIPS. TRAINS FROM PLATFORM WANTED. The monthly meeting of the Stratford executive of the Farmers’ Union was held on Saturday, those present being Messrs. T. T. Murray, chairman (Toko), J. Wood and A. Grierson (Huiroa), H. Clemow (Cardiff), C. McCutcheon (Whangamomona), G. Strack and B. Richmond (Wharehuia), L. Marfell .(Huinga), and H. A. Hunt, secretary (Stratford). “That any levy imposed on wool be spent in New Zealand for the improvement of flocks; that all purebred flocks be subjected to compulsory registration with the existing breed societies and inspected and culled to a standard annually; that no sales of rams from unregistered flocks be permitted; and that trimming and faking rams for sale be stopped,” was the text of a Huiroa remit. In moving the remit, Mr. Wood said he understood money was sent overseas towards the cost of wool research and if a levy was to be made then the money should be spent in New Zealand. The work of the sheep-breeding associations was being spoiled by the unregistered and careless breeder. The breeding of stud sheep should be under the supervision of experts and annual inspection and culling made compulsory, while a standard should be set to attain uniformity. Much of the wool contained medullated and elliptically shaped fibres caused by bad selection and indiscriminate crossing. Trimming and faking hid these faults from the inexperienced buyer and should be stopped. Something on the lines of the remit would increase the export value of wool enormously without increasing the flocks.. Mr. McCutcheon supported the remit and thought it should be enlarged to embrace pastoral as well as stud sheep. Extensive information on the matter would be needed before the remit was strongly pressed. There were points in the suggestion but every aspect of it would have to be fully considered, said Mr. Hunt. Adoption of the scheme might mean the breeding of a pampered type of sheep that would be useless on rough country. “We have either to affirm or otherwise the principle of the remit; the details can be gone into later,” said the chairman.

“My idea is not to foster the stud breeder particularly but to improve all flocks in New Zealand,” Mr. Wood said. The remit was carried as was one from the Whangamomona branch protesting against any levy on wool until full information was forthcoming as to how the money was to be spent. The Whangamomona branch asked if it would be possible for east-bound passenger trains to leave the platform at Stratford. The remit would be referred to the Railway Department. Sometimes, Mr. McCutcheon said, the train left from the No. 2 line, which was a great inconvenience to elderly people, women and children.

The branch also suggested that better facilities be provided to convey the district nurse from Tahora to Tangarakau and back. Mr. McCutcheon pointed out that at Paekakariki an engine was provided to convey a nurse to back-country districts. There was a nurse established in the district and she had to walk from Tahora to Tangarakau over the mud road. However, he wanted more information before he pressed the remit and would withdrew it in the meantime.

That the Whangamomona branch objects to the Government’s withdrawing unemployment money from expenditure on school grounds was a third remit, which was carried.

Mr. Wood thought the Public Works Department, with unemployed, should metal Mokaka Road from Kiore to Te Wera. Apart from the benefit the settlers along the road would gain by the metalling, all the settlers in the Matau and Kiore districts would have direct access to Te Wera station, which was one of the stops for the night express. Part of the road was in the Stratford County and part in Whangamomona so that it might be better for the first move to come from Whangamomona or the Strathmore-Te Wera branch of the union. Metalling of the road would permit of a circular mail service through Te Wera, Kiore and Huiroa, which would be a big advantage. Further discussion was deferred till a larger attendance was secured representative of the areas concerned. GOLF UNDER DIFFICULTIES. CAR LIGHTS ON THE FAIRWAY. Golf in pitch darkness with motor headlights trained on the last green was the lot of players in the later matches at the Eltham golf tournament yesterday afternoon. Thre was an entry of over 80 players in the tournament and they taxed the 12-hole course to its capacity. The players in the four second round matches of the Nimrod handicap were trapped by descending darkness at 5 o’clock from the 16th green onwards, and either played “blind” or with various artificial light. Flickers of match-light indicated to players the approximate position of the green but players with cars came to the aid of the belated along the last hole and coursed up and down the fairway, training headlights in the track of the hole, while others shone lamps on the green itself. Even then desperate drives into the darkness and reckless run-up mashie ventures disappeared silently from view. Then commenced a Jong and patient search for the little white ball in an ocean of impenetrable black.

There was one shot that refused to yield up the secret of its whereabouts and the club-house in mock alarm hurriedly organised a search party. A small contingent of cars in reckless disregard of club rules twisted and turned across the fairway and those left in the club house indulged in argument as to whether the hole should be forfeited or postponed for completion till daybreak this morning. The search was given up as a bad job and the match decided by a toss of the coin, The match was all square at the 17th. Under the circumstances the player who holed for five on the 372 yard final hole had every reason to feel proud of the feat, and fully deserved the compliments the club-house produced as the ghostly figures walked in from the gloom. EUCHRE COMPETITIONS. Results of the games played in the Friendly Societies’ euchre competitions at Stratford on Friday night are: Hibernians 83, Foresters 57, Rechabities 46, Druids 44, Triumph 37, Manchester Unity 29. j The points table at the end of the

first round shows:— Hibernians PWL Points Ch. For Ag Pt. 5 5 0 269 223 10 Triumph 5 4 1 227 176 8 Rechabites 5 3 2 187 189 6 Forester .......... 5 2 3 230 257 4 Druids 1 4 225 260 2 Manchester Unity .. 5 0 5 164 187 0