NOTES BY THE WAY

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21775, 6 May 1936, Page 17

NOTES BY THE WAY

HIGH LAND PRICES

It was not unusual when butter prices were hovering round about 2s 3d to 2s 6d per lb for dairying land in the Taranaki province and parts of the Rangitikei to sell at £l3O an acre. Incidentally it was not unusual, either, for farms of this value to carry five or even six mortgages. The writer saw a sale of bullock fattening land in the Rangitikei at £95 an acre, and it was currently reported that one block of 1000 acres in the district, used for fattening, had actually attracted an offer of £IOO an acre. The land, of course, was of magnificent quality, and carried throughout the year and fattened on the pasture alone a beast to the acre. It would have made splendid dairying country. In those days the frozen beef industry was an important one, the war being in progress. Doubtless the rateable value of these lands has come back with a run. but even then not to the extent that makes the properties a payable proposition.

An arresting section in the Home stock papers is the large number of farm properties which are advertised for sale at values which look particularly attractive to the New Zealander. There are many reasons which enter to show that some of this attractiveness is superficial, but not all of it. A friend who recently returned from an extended trip through England and Northern Ireland, and whose work in New Zealand had brought him into close touch with farming, expressed the opinion to "Straggler" that if he were to start farming again he would make straight for England or Northern Ireland. An English stock paper just to hand records the sale of a small piece of grass land which is rather instructive. "High prices for grassland," it stated, "were paid at a sale of land situated at Barrowby, sold by auction at Northallerton. Four acres were purchased for £255, or £63 15s an acre. This was stated to be the highest price paid for land in this district for 20 years."

CLYDESDALE QUALITY

Much of the comment on the display of Clydesdales at the recent Sydney Royal Show concerned the quality of most of the.horses that competed. One Australian writer has stated that the deterioration was as marked in importations from New Zealand as in the Australian bred horses. A leading Scottish breeder, Mr Carruthers, judged the section, and so far there has been no very drastic comment from him on the matter. Possibly with characteristic national caution he is waiting until he returns to his own land before unburdening himself, and then if he does offer some strictures he will possibly be charged with attempting to boost the export of horses from his own country.

However, there has been a fair amount of importation to both the Commonwealth and the Dominion in recent years, there being no embargo to hinder the business such as in the case of other stock importations. Generally the class of stallion brought.out has been good in appearance, that is. In actual results some of them have been very much the reverse. A few have been almost completely impotent, and the importers have suffered severe monetary loss, not to mention the loss sustained by the owners of mares. In one case in Canterbury it was rumoured that the importer intended taking legal action to recover damages. If importation is to be adopted on an extended scale it would seem that buyers will have to secure some assistance, possibly from the Clydesdale Society in Scotland, to prevent this exploitation. In the case of practically untried colts this would be difficult, if not impossible, but where there is a record of non-per-formance by aged horses there should be some assistance given to the importer. Our own Clydesdale Society could possibly work in conjunction with the Scottish body to frame some scheme of protection. After the cost of purchase and importation the average breeder is likely to avoid fuither costly action through the courts to establish his case In the meantime there are evidences that the quality of our own horses is being reasonably well maintained. At a clearing sale of a registered stud in Canterbury the other day the value of fillies ranged up to lOlgs. Breeders are still prepared to pay for quality,