New Director of Horticulture.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 57, Issue 5, 21 November 1938, Page 433

New Director of Horticulture.

Appointment of Mr. W. K. Dallas.

MR. William Kerr Dallas, National Diploma of Horticulture (N.Z.), has been appointed Director of the Horticulture Division of the Department of Agriculture, in succession to the late Mr. J. A. Campbell, whose death occurred recently. Mr. Dallas was . formerly Fruit Experimentalist, and for three : years was Acting Assistant-Director of the Horticulture Division. Mr. Dallas is the son of Mr. John Dallas, formerly of “ Finegand,” Balclutha, and now of Christchurch, and was born at Kaitangata, South Otago. He was educated at the Kaitangata Public School, and later at the Balclutha District High School. ’ t Service in the Department. In November, 1908, Mr. Dallas joined the staff of the Horticulture Division as a cadet, the Director at that time being the late Mr. T. W. Kirk, F.L.S. In 1912 he was transferred to the Te Kauwhata Horticultural -Station, near Auckland, . to further his studies in fruit culture and viticulture. . Two years later he travelled overseas to study conditions and practices in fruit culture in a number of States in Australia, in Canada, and in the United States of America. t' While in California Mr. Dallas assisted Mr. Edmund Clifton, New Zealand Commissioner to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition at San Francisco, with the New Zealand Government’s display. At the conclusion of the Exposition he was appointed by Mr. Clifton to take charge of the installation and display of New Zealand products at an exhibition in New York which was organized by the Panama-Pacific Medal Winners’ Association. Before returning to New Zealand he visited a number of the more important fruitgrowing areas in the United States.

Post-war Work.

r On > his return to the Dominion Mr. Dallas enlisted with the Expeditionary Force, and saw active service in France. He received his discharge on his return to New Zealand in 1919, and was appointed Orchard Instructor and stationed in Christchurch. In 1924 he was transferred to Dunedin in charge of the Dunedin-Roxburgh district, and in 1930 he was seconded for duty to the Plant

Research Station, where he was under the direction of Dr. G. H. Cunningham, D.Sc.

During the past three years Mr. Dallas has been closely associated with the late Mr. J. A. Campbell as Acting Assistant Director of the Horticulture Division. Interest in Horticulture. Mr. Dallas has taken an active interest in the activities of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, and is a holder of the Institute’s diploma. While stationed at Dunedin he acted as secretary of the Otago district committee of the Institute, and is at present a member of the Dominion executive. In addition to his interest in pip and stone fruit culture he is also keenly interested in citrus fruits and their culture, horticulture generally, honey-production, ' tobacco-culture, and commercial market-gardening pursuits, y <■ v v Messrs. A. B. Congdon, H. E. Stevens, and F. G. Duncan have been appointed representatives of the producers 'on the New Zealand Fruit-export Control Board under the Fruit Control Act, 1924.