FROZEN MEAT AND WOOL.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13875, 28 October 1910, Page 6

FROZEN MEAT AND WOOL.

SPEECH BY THE GOVERXOR

CO-OPERATIOX URGED.

His Excellency the Governor visited tlio Tiuiaru Show yestordav, whoro ho inspected iho stock with evident iit-ti-rost, nml expressed his appreciation of it. Ho was enf,crtaiiH-d at lunclifoii by the president Olr R. 11. I?hocK«>) :uul lUfinbors of tic comniitteo of the Aijocinth !i, where lie mad* an inter-i\-»tii)ii and one- which created

p.. very favourable impression

Lord Islington .inured the member* of the Association that he- deeply appreciated tho warm and cordial way they had received him. It was a great pleasure to come u> Tim.iru that day. and pay a visit to tho town in his official rapacity on an oce-aMon like the present. Timaru. ho .said, onjoyt d the I distinction of being the general in- [ dustnal centre of tho southern portion [ ol tho Canterbury provincial district, j and he thought it hade fair to hi come I <-ne of tho most important ports in the whole Dominion of New Zealand. Apart, however, from that very groat pleasure ho had in coming to such an important centre, they must realise ihat he had additional pleasure in coming that day to visit their town and moot to ninny of these who resided in tho district and were connected with tho Agricultural and Pastoral Shows lor many veal's. In the Old Country lie .had been associated with the agricultural and pastoral community. He wa.s the owner of property in Kngland, and he had been encased in the occupation of farming with varying degrees of sueeesF, and therefore he came to ' New Zealand and to Timaru that day with a certain knowledge of tho up and downs and fluctuations to be conj tended with in an industry of this kind, j and of the trials and troubles that were i part and parcel of a farmer's life. He I had not only a warm and sincere rej gard ior the industry cf agriculture, ! but for all those occupied in it, and i ho came amongst them that day with ■ a personal interest and (sympathy. i Even though agriculture had not yet : assumed .such a conspicuous importance I in iN'ov Zealand as it was bound to do, they had conw to realise, he believed, that the very inundations of their existence depended upon tho j industry of agriculture, and that was j oiio reason why ho would, during the time* he had the honour to preside as Governor of Xew Zealand, assist in every possible way in the industry, aa he knew. too. that tho future advance of tho Dominion entirely depended on I it. Now that he had had the oppor- | tunity of obtaining a fine view of tho I district and neighbourhood, he under- | stood what splendid advance had been made in connection with the industry in iSouth Canterbury. Coining down I ■in tJio train lie had seen tho iWtilol plains stretched out, and if that were not sufficient evidence to show what had been done in a short time, his walk round tho grounds prior to coming to "luncheon fully confirmed him in his opinion. He had seen as splendid a a show of sheep as would bo found in I most agricultural shows, and he would like to congratulate, the Association and the agriculturists of the district on the very fine standard of everything ho had ftoen. Tho district was playing :in important part in tho great indusj trial movement of agriculture. From j tho returns which had been furnished 1 him by the Department of Agriculture, lie wr.s a bio to infer that South CamI toibury contributed a very largo share to the '-■■■ports which left tho country-, particularly in regard to wheat and , frozen mutton. With regard to tho I frozen meat trade, it was a difficult and dangerous thing for anyone, most jof all for a Governor, to make any predictions, but ho could not help feeiing that this trade was susceptible to considerable extension in regard to the Dominion. Ho said so because ho saw thnt older countries, with their vastly increasing populations and corresponding difficulties in satisfying their needs from within, would require to make additional demands on newer countries. Uo hoped that there would shortly bo established a convenient steamship service between New Zealand and I Canada, and then there, would bo no reason why the Dominion should not open up a frozen meat trade with that member of tho Imperial family, It was his sincere hone that an extension of the frozen moat trade would follow on those linos. Ho had noticed in that morning's paper that in the city of Vienna a riotous and hungry mob of people had rushed the market-place in order to secure Argentine frozen meat at Is 4d a pound, and Australian frozen moat at Is 10d per I pound. It must have, made the j mouths of .some of Xew Zealand's exporters water to read that. (Laughter.) Tho time must soon arrive —in fact ho was Euro that it was not far distant —when the large populations of tho older countries would make it necessary that there should be further restrictions in regard to the exportation of meat, if it was not produced i n sufficient quantities for their own use. When that time en mc Xew Zealand would have an additional harvest in front of her, and she should be kept on tho alert and be ready to jump off at once, so that the country would bo able t<l reap the advantage. His Excellency, referring to the wool trade, said that )u> had noticed by the returns that the export trade was an increasing one. and ho rejoiced to see that the value of the amount Kent away last year was one million sterling over that of the previous year. It also gave him much pleasure to see that settlors in the Timuru district, as in others, were realising the enormous benefits to be derived by applying the principles of mutual Now Zealand would not stand in the position it did to-day in t<) being a butter and cheese exporting country unless tho 00-operntive factories had been instituted throughout both islands, and ho ventured to say that if these principles were applied to other branches of agricultural industry vast benefits, and ho might say indispensable benefits, would result. I'artK'ularlv in regard to wool would tin: application of mutual cooperative principles have a highly de.r.iraiil'"' oiiVct. As the country developed with (loser settlement, it would havo t" compete with other markets by tho eycelU'jit.-o of its prcd'K-ts. ard it would bo ijecf- arv to have everythisu: turned out in tlv highest standard. With the co-(,:>(>r.-!tiv.' .-\>.'.o:rt, products could bo h;i;:d!od with greatur facilities and under more economic conditions than cuu'd Ik , expected from the individual .;iiinll holder and tii.: small settler. Mutual c-i-operation hncl been adopted tt i(ii?!y in v oi::'? foreign countries and (,-.! a slow-.t rcaio in Kngland, and it };:id !)<"v;i proved ihat such ;. s-.Vi-tem | was tho v':tv foundation and ground- ] work of modern agriculture Ho j hopi-d th.it '!k'v w.iuld not thir.k ho had r-n:in"' amongst them in a didactic spirit thit day .Nobody liked bciu;; i.,ld what to d" lers than he did, and !.'■ !;:'--w tint farmers; did not like it. Hmvowr, i'.e \l:d not come amongst tij.• r,i in such a spirit, bur si'iply by his remarks to try to leave an impre'sion tint during tin- ti-r.o he was Governor of New Zeabnd his desire was tii .i^'si-uK' 1 himself in a most i-ymriA-t! '.-tic manner m tho great industry of agru-uliure. (Applause.) It was, oi e.iur.st.'. 3ii absurdity ior a Governor in the:e nii'i'Tn days to attempt to govern. A Governor's position was an incongruous one. but he could offer a lew mi•.'■_' ■■ tii'iis i:i ire with the . c ons<; i) ; " .-.tirr'ul.itin;." iiiuj on-.-f-iiraging tliosi? v.ho nvre working in this greit indnsfrv. an industry which lad great benefit' attached to it, .'iiid many tips and downs. There was no reason, with the snlcndid actual conditions of the

country and with the (;reat energy to bo found aniongHt tho people, why this great should ni.t go forward on most extensive lints in the future Ho sincerely trusted that durin» tii e time he hud tho honour to be Governor that h-T. should sw this ftaplo liustry advance, the exports increase i*R vfJue, also the advancement and pro-** l>eritv :»f the Dominion, t! 1/ would be a creator and more va!uable ;;<s<?t to the lmhh Imperial fna'jlr of which they were ;;'! members and'of which they were all proud 'to 3» n.er.ibers. ;Loud applause.)