HERD TESTING.

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 17802, 29 August 1929, Page 11

HERD TESTING.

STATE ASSISTANCE. GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY RENEWED. PROPOSALS FOR THE FUTURE. (Times Correspondent. WELLINGTON. Wednesday. f Government aid in the development ' of herd-testing is to be continued f this year, as indicated in an announce--3 ment to-day by the Minister of Agri--1 j culture, the lion. G. W. Forbes, that \ | last' year’s grant of £10,500 is to he . i repeated for the coming season’s work, L together with £llsO for organising ' purposes. | Value of the System. ' “The herd-testing movement has 1 undoubtedly been productive of much benefit to the dairy industry and has ' been a distinct factor toward increas- ! lng the output of dairy produce,” said 1 the Minister. "Not only has this in- ’ crease come as a result of the direct 1 effect of herd-testing, but also by the J Increasing interest In the productive J capacity of their herds which It has ; aroused among dairy farmers, including many who do not actually put their herds under test. Hitherto the Government grant has been allocated among the various herd-testing associations by a small special committee appointed by the Government, and the herdtesting work, so far as that carried out under what is known as the group system is concerned, which includes a majority of the cows tested, has been conducted by the Herd Testing Federation, a keen and zealous body, but not very closely organised. “In addition to the group system there is also what is known as the association system, which is less complete, although very useful in its way. It is operated principally by dairy factory companies or by the Department of Agriculture." New Central Body. To bring about a more definitely organised and more comprehensively conj trolled system the Minister recently I set up a new central body termed the herd-testing central executive, whose main functions are: (1) To direct the policy of the Herd-Testing Federation, and (2) to control the allocation and distribution of the Government subsidy to all herd-testing organisations, whether working under the group or the association system. This central executive is composed of four representatives of the federation, one of whom, Mr Dynes Fulton, acts as chairman, the chairman of the Dairy Board, the Directop-General of Agriculture, the director of the dairy division of ilic Department of Agriculture and the director of the Dairy Research Institute. Organiser to be Appointed. It has also been decided to appoint a herd-testing organiser who will be directly an officer of the federation, hut whose work will be carried out on lines directed by the central executive, one of whose aims Is to have the whole of the herd-testing work so organised and carried out as to bring It more and more toward a point where it will become entirely self-supporting. The executive, also, will be able to .ensure that the funds contributed by the Government will be utilised in such a manner as to give the best results both to dairy farmers and to the country generally. To the Best Advantage.*,* ■« > * Hitherto, the amount of the Government subsidy has, with adequate safeguards, been paid on a per cow tested basis to the farmers whose herds havp been under test, thus reducing the fees payable by the farmers to the testing organisations. Under the new arrangement the herd-testing farmers will still receive the benefit of the subsidy ■ directly or indirectly to the fullest extent possible within the limit of the ; amount available. It will be the duty ; of the executive to see that the money is utilised to the best advantage in : the interests of herd-testing, and par- ] ticularly of those farmers who put : their herds under test. The central i executive has already had a prelim- : inary meeting and a further meeting ! is to he called at an early date in order I that arrangements may he completed for the season’s work. - i