SILVER COINS.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20862, 23 May 1933, Page 13

SILVER COINS.

♦- SMALL PEOSPECT OF StINTING IN N$W ZEALAND. [CEO 3?*ffisS Bpecgil Berrieo.] DUNgDIN, May 22. The "proposal to increase pilver coinage in the Dominion was commented on fey a representative -of a weli-toown firm of engravers in the city. He informed '* reporter, to-day that if the proposal were Adopted it was extremely doubtful whether the minting of wins would be done in New Zealand. It was stated that while there would he no difficulty in producing coins of the required {standard, no firm in this country had machinery capable of turning them out in sufficient quantities to enable it to compete effectively with the Melbourne mint, which, in the event of the coinage being increased, would probalary secure a contract from the New Zealand Government Even if any New Zealand firm desired to undertake minting, it would be necessary to obtain the requisite machinery from England, and the opinion was expressed that by the time this had been done, and the plant assembled and in working order, at least 12 months would have elapsed before the first issue of coins could be made. In the circumstances, it was thought that New Zealand engravers would be content to allow the work to be done in Australia.

Few realise the extent to which wool is made to play its part in the every-day life of the community, and as Mr W. E. Barnard, M.P., commented at the opening of a wool exhibition at Napier, it is remarkable to find how many fine things are made of wool, says the "Daily Telegraph." It is difficult also to appreciate the enormous number of sheep there are in the world at the present time. Australia heads the list with 110,000,000, then come Soviet Russia with 89,000,000, America 53,000,000, South Africa 45,000,000, Argentine 44,000,000, India §7,000,000, China 35,000,000, Npw * Zealand 28,000,000. New Zealand thus occupied eighth place among sheep growing countries of the world, England and Wales coming eleventh with only 17,000,000. Onertenth of the sheep grow* in sew Z,ealfm4 *re to be found in Hawke's Bay, said) Mr Barnard.