BOBBY CALF TRADE

Taranaki Daily News, 2 August 1935, Page 8

BOBBY CALF TRADE

OVERLAPPING IN COLLECTION. FARMERS’ UNION MOVEMENT. Some discussion took place at the monthly meeting of the South Taranaki executive of the Farmers’ Union at Hawera yesterday on a remit from the Kaponga branch asking the executive to take some action to prevent overlapping in the collection of bobby calves. It was suggested that the board such as the Meat Board should organise the collection. The saving in cartage would give them at least threepence more for each calf, said Mr. R. E. Williams, Kaponga, who moved the remit. An arrangement had been tried at Rawhitiroa to improve the position, said Mu J. Cocker, but it had fallen through because the companies were not giving a specific price. If they had only one lorry there would be no competition. The zoning of the district and the appointment of a board or committee of three was suggested by Mr. W. E. Carter, Mangatoki. The amount of heavy traffic traversing the roads for collecting must be causing damage to the roads, said the chairman. It was a matter that would have to be tackled seriously. There were boards such as the Transport Board in existence which could deal with the matter. He thought the Executive Commission of Agriculture could make regulations fixing zones and regulating prices. An amendment that the question should be dealt with fully at the meeting next March was moved by Mr. Cocker. At the last meeting of the branch he had suggested that some board should control the matter, said Mr. J. S. Tosland, Opunake. If that were done they would have to see that the farmers received a fair price. In his opinion it was necessary to keep the competition going in the interests' of the farmers, said Mr. A. B. Muggeridge, Manutahi. The average price for calves given by the companies was 4s a head, said Mr. Williams. The competition was among the carters, not the companies, and if any farmer received higher prices than the average someone else had to pay for it

Most of the difficulties could be overcome by the fixing by some board of the prices of the calves by weight, said Mr. R. D. Dagg, Kaponga. He considered the arguments which took place between farmers and lorry drivers were largely responsible for much of the dissatisfaction.

The withdrawal of Mr. Cocker’s amendment was followed by the carrying of an amendment moved by the chairman that a committee consisting of Messrs. R. D. Dagg, W. E. Carter, J. Cocker, R. E. Williams and W. Parsons should be appointed to collect all information on the subject and formulate proposals to be referred to the Transport Board and the Executive Commission of Agriculture.

The appointment of Mr. H. E. Blyde, president of the North Taranaki executive, as representative of the whole province on the Dominion executive by the delegates at the recent conference was confirmed. As a result of information, before tbe meeting that sodium chlorate manufactured in Japan was being quoted in New Zealand at prices less than the standard, the secretary was instructed to write to the Department of Agriculture for information regarding its effectiveness.