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Session 11. 1921. NEW ZEALAND.

BOARD OF AGRICULTURE (REPORT OF THE) FOR THE YEAR 1920-21.

Laid on the Table of the House of Representatives by Leave.

REPOET. The Hon. the Minister of Agriculture, Wellington. Sir, — Board of Agriculture, Wellington, 30th June, 1921. I beg to submit the following report of the work of the Board of Agriculture for the year ended 30th April last. The close of this period marks the first year's operations of the Board for its third term of office. Three conferences of producers and allied interests were convened by the Board during the year under review. The conference of 27th May, 1920, dealing with the meat-export trade and the wool and shipping questions was fully dealt with in our report of last year. Another conference was held on the 18th August, 1920, to go into the wool position, particularly as regards the disposal of stocks on hand, shipping-space, also financial assistance to those growers who needed it. The third conference was held on the 31st March, 1921, when freight contracts and freight rates, refrigerated shipping and markets for frozen meat, realization of wool stocks, and the proposed establishment of a Board of Mercantile Shipping were dealt with. In addition to these conferences we met on several occasions to consider the various matters referred to us from time to time. It is with deep regret that I have to record the untimely death of Mr. Allen S. Orbell, of Waikouaiti, who since the inception of the Board represented the Otago District, and rendered great services to the farming community of the Dominion during that time. Mr. James Begg, of Dunedin, was elected to the vacancy on the Board caused by Mr. Orbell's death. The Wool Position. Perhaps the most important of the many duties coming before the Board has been the consideration of the wool position —first as the result of the termination of the Imperial commandeer, and secondly as regards the realization of the present and future clips in the light of the accumulated stocks now on hand. It may perhaps be as well to give a resume of the Board's deliberations in conference with producers and allied interests, as well as at its own meetings from time to time. At the request of the Bight Hon. the Prime Minister, a conference of representatives of woolgrowers and allied interests was convened by the Board on the 18th August, 1920, to discuss the position. Besides the members of the Board and the Producers' Committee, there were present representatives from the Sheepowners' Federation, Farmers' Union, agricultural and pastoral associations, freezing companies, Woolbrokers' Association, and the New Zealand Frozen Meat Exporters' Association. The conference was attended by the Right Hon. the Prime Minister and yourself, and Dr. Reakes (Director-General of Agriculture) and Mr. Lees (Controller of the Department of Imperial Government Supplies) were also present. The Right Hon. the Prime Minister explained the position to the conference, and read cablegrams which had passed between the Government and the Imperial authorities regarding the stocks of wool on hand in Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, also comments of the Home authorities on the position.

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