Successful Large-Scale Aerial Top-Dressing Trial

Wanganui Chronicle, 6 May 1949, Page 5

Successful LargeScale Aerial TopDressing Trial

MASTERTON, Last Night (PA).— The first large-scale New Zealand aerial top-dressing trial concluded successfully today, at Awatoitoi, near Mastertori, in tlite presence of a large number of Departmental observers, Air Force personnel and farmers. An Avenger aircraft based on Hood Aerodrome, Masterton, made a number of successful runs over 80 acres at Awatoitoi and representatives ot the Soil Conservation Council and the R.N.Z.A.F. addressed a gathering of farmers. The Director of Civil Aviation, Wing-Commander Gibson, emphasised that aerial topdressing was still in the experimental stage, and that its future development depended on the support of the farming community and of interested departments. Mr. W. L. Newnham, Chairman, of the Soil Conservation Council, said that the future of millions of acres of marginal hill country ’depended on the experiments in aerial top-dressing, and on the development of means to prevent further deterioration of such land. The chairman of the North Island Hill Country Committee of the Federated Farmers, Mr. James Andrew, thanked the R.N.Z.A.F. for its part in success of the trial, and said that farmers were looking forward to an ever-increasing number of aeroplanes top-dressing increasing areas of hill country. Mr. R. W. Kebbell, Provincial President of the Federated Farmers, declared that on the success of the experiment depended the future of much of New Zealand’s Primary Industry.