STOCK DISEASES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20930, 8 January 1938, Page 16

STOCK DISEASES

SUGGESTED VETERINARY ASSISTING DAIRY INDUSTRY At the December meeting of the New Zealand Dairy Board the director-general of the Department of Agriculture, Mr A. H. Cockayne, who had discussed with the board departmental proposals for extension of the work and research into stock diseases, said he was in favour of a veterinary service for the dairy industry supported by a Government subsidy. "We won’t get the full benefit from our extension work util we have such a service,” he rema... d. Discussing the costs which would be involved in the provision of such a service. Mr Cockayne estimated that it would cost about £9OO per annum for the provision of each veterinarian, £7OO as salary and about £2OO travelling expenses. It was suggested by Mr A. Linton (the Board’s representative on the Bureau of Animal Research) that the Government should subsidise this amount to the extent of £OOO per annum, or in other words bear a third of the cost. He estimated that at least 50 veterinarians would be required. so that the Government's share in the scheme would involve an outlay of about £15.000.” In answer to Mr Hale, Mr Cockayne stated that he considered that to arrange a service through the dairy companies, as was at present being done in some areas, would be more satisfactory than through veterinary clubs. In most instances, veterinary clubs were unlikley to be successful unless there were numbers of valuable horses in an area. This concluded the discussion and at a later stage in the meeting, the following resolution, to be conveyed to the Minister of Agriculture, was carried on the motion of Mr Linton, seconded by Mr Marchant: “That the Government be urged to encourage the establishment of a veterinary service throughout the Dominion, the costs to be borne by groups of farmers and dairy companies, with a substantial subsidy from the Government in each case.”