AVENUES OF WASTE

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 251, 21 September 1929, Page 4

AVENUES OF WASTE

CHALLENGE TO SCIENCE. ADDRESS BY Dlt E. MARSDEN. Taking as his subject, “Avenues of Waste in New Zealand,” Dr. E. Marsden, of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, delivered an interesting address, and one giving much food for thought, before members of the Manawatu Philosophical Society last evening. Dr. H. H. Allen presided. Dr. Marsden stated that waste might be defined as the lack of utilisation for the material benefit. There were individual, material, local body, education and Government wastes—it had been pointed out to the speaker that hundreds of thousands of telegraph forms were wasted every year — wastes through diseases in crops and stock; human lossss through preventible diseases, wastes of distribution (the cost from the producer to the consumer in the case of fruit and other perishable goods), wastes as a result of fire —the insurance companies estimated the annual loss in New Zealand at £l,soo,ooo—and strike and unemployment wastes. The world did not realise how much it owed the sun, the energy from which was not lost, but converted into such things as food and power. There was no doubt but that man could create power from the wind, which was a tremendous energy going to waste. At present, however, it was handier to use the water power of the Dominion. Thero were great losses in the coal industry. The waste was in a large measure due to competition between small mine owners, who did not wory about national conservation. Savings could be effected in burning. The lecturer knew of one man who had effected a saving of half in his bill by proper , insulation. There were now two firms in the \Vaikato, and one was mooted in Wellington, for dunging low grade coal in.to a higher grade .. useful product methods that would effect a great saving. WASTES EASY TO POINT OUT. To point out wastes was an easy matter, continued Dr. Marsden, but to point out ari economic method of overcoming them was difficult. There were the forestry wastes —the growing menace in indigenous forests of borers of various descriptions and other entomological troubles, fire losses and the losses in milling. But, with regard to the latter aspect, there were now hopeful signs that synthetic boards could be made from the waste, and sawdust specially prepared uas being used as a foundation for blocks for building purposes. The first waste with regard to agriculture was the delay in bringing nonfnlly utilised lands into settlement. There was a huge area of pumice land west of Te Kuiti that could be much more intensively used, but there was the question of finding the proper treatment and proper herbage for it. Plant diseases cost New Zealand £4,000,000 per annum, but it was fairly obvious that this amount could be cut down by thirty per cent. The work the Plant Research Station in Palmerston North was doing was wellknown throughout New Zealand; there were tremendous losses because of the use of wrong grasses. Many of the remedies were obvious, but it needed much research before many losses could be overcome.

DAIRY INDUSTRY DISEASES. Dr. Marsden stated that there were several aspects in the dairy industry that called for serious consideration. There were the diseases of sterility, abortion and mammitis, representing a loss of £4,000,000 a year. They were wastes because in part they were avoidable, and the loss was due possibly to insufficient knowledge, or insufficient utilisation of that knowledge. In the dairy industry, with reasonable precautions, a couple of millions sterling every year could be saved. Then there was the problem of the best strains. A farmer spent a great deal of time wondering if he should take this or that breed, whether this animal or that animal would produce the best milk or cheese results, and the money involved in answering these questions ran into millions. There were also the butter-fat losses in aeparation—small losses individually, but collectively great. The pig industry was clearly allied with dairying, yet New Zealand was far behind Denmark in the number of pigs bred. The country could support three times the number it did, for it had the necessary food available. . . With regard to the freezing industry, the lecturer stated that there were many problems encountered, but there were colossal savings that could bo effected. The “lack of bloom” was one problem, whereby imperfect freezing caused a carcase to lose that desirable market freshness which lost the Dominion from to Id at Smithfield. But there was a wonderful spirit abroad in the last few years to reduce these wastes. There were losses, that individually appeared to be small items, but collectively they amounted to something very serious. were losses from damaged hides, and in the treatment of pelts. Many losses were due to ignorance, and to lack of co-operation between employer and employee. Dr Marsden stated that the whole world was changing over from small scale to big scale production. There were the losses owing to the changing fashions in boots and shoes and the change in colour. Small factories could not afford to have useless stocks on their hands. Dr Marsden concluded by stating that the losses and wastes he had pointed out were a direct challenge to science. Dr Marsden stated that Dr McDowell raised a very important point when he referred to the loss of phosphates which occurred in human food. Dr. McDowell stated that - the phosphate deposits of the world were being depleted to produce human food. He wondered if New Zealand could not do more to conserve this loss, like other countries. Dr. Marsden stated that certain investigations had been conducted already. Mr J. C. Neill stated that he doubted if anything could be described as waste if it were going to cost more in time, money and labour to put the material to use than it was worth. On the motion of Mr J. Murray, M.A., a vote of thanks was accorded Dr Marsden. Mr Murray stated that tho address showed how science impinged on every department of life, and showed the need for more, and better, education.