SPRAYING RAGWORT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 438, 2 December 1930, Page 8

SPRAYING RAGWORT

WORK FOR UNEMPLOYED? INCREASING PRO D ( C TI«) N all men were not suited to work with the long handled shovel. Mr R. Ta trick suggested at the Chamber of 'ommerce meeting last night that some •memployed men would be better en jaged in spraying ragwort, gorse and • Hackberry with eradicator. The people of Wanganui did not think what a menace the ragwort would be to the country, he said, especially up the river. It was now very bad up the river and was spreading. Would it not be a good thing if the Government were to employ men to spray the ragwort with the sodium chlorate that the Agricultural Department had found efficient in dealing with the weed. One ragwort flower would produce at least 500 other plant®. Mr A. S. Burgess said that the sug gestion was worth a lot. It should go ont. There was any amount of country that was infested with gorse, ragwort and blackberry. The Government could say to the farmer: “Wp will clear it for £1 an acre.'’ It would bring land into production that for years had not produced anything at all. Any amount of men that were totally unfit for road work could he employed in spraying. Tn many eases the farmer could not afford to pav the whole lot himself.

The Chamber decided to refer th matter to the Farmers’ Union.