THE FARMERS’ YEAR

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23740, 11 September 1942, Page 6

THE FARMERS’ YEAR

SURVEY OF WOOL SEASON PYNE, GOULD, GUINNESS’ ANNUAL REVIEW The annual review issued by Pyne, Gould, Guinness, Ltd., on the farming year has been published. The review surveys in detail the pastoral, agricultural, and general productive activities of the Dominion generally and the province of Canterbury in particular, this year’s issue being more than usually interesting, because of the changes in so many sections of marketing. Discussing the wool season in Canterbury the review says that Canterbury experienced a long and trying winter in 1941. Early falls of snow and a wet, cold August had their effect on the appearance of the clip put up for the appraisement in the 1941-42 season. This was more pronounced in the high country clips, and .owners of these properties had to fact heavy, • losses in stock, and consequently reduced returns from wool. 1 The system of valuing wool by appraisement and arbitration has now been in operation for three seasons. Judging by results and lack of serious complaints by growers this method has worked satisfactorily. The actual return to growers ’ whose income is derived from fine woo! j is still somewhat unsatisfactory, and thi ; ; condition can only be alleviated by a further Increase in the price of grades i covering these classes of wool. The 15 Per Cent. Increase The review criticises the proposal propounded by the New Zealand Government that, as a means of avoiding an Inflationary tendency, a proportion of the increased price of 15 per cent, on the 194243 exported wool should be held in reserve for future disbursements to the Industry, which proposal had met with unqualified opposition from wool growers in New Zealand. No such suggestion had been made by the Governments of Australia and South Africa that any proportion of the 15 per cent, increase granted by the British Government to those countries should not be promptly paid to growers. The review adds that it is also difficult to find justification for the maintenance of the price basis fixed af the outbreak of war for wool required by local wool manufacturers. If it is right the review states, for the British taxpayer to pay a 15 per cent, increase in order to meet increased costs of production, it is surely right for the New Zealand taxpayer to pay for the same increase, A Successful Year Summarising the season as a whole In Canterbury, the review states that It has been a successful one. both from the point of view of production and monetary returns. The weather—so Important a factor In the success of farming operations—has been seasonable, although at times unsettled; but in the main farm work was not interfered with, nor growth retarded. Production has been maintained at a high level. Under war conditions, the farmer Is not faced with the possibility of over production and consequent fall in market prices. On the contrary, the call Is for more and more production of all classes of agricultural and pastoral products, and the problem facing the farmer Is the meeting of this demand with the facilities available. The fixation of prices under the commandeer allows the farmer to know precisely what he Is going to get for his products, and fixed prices were arrived at with the definite object of providing the producer with an adequate return. It will be seen, therefore, that theoretically, at least, farming must be profitable In war time. We say theoretically, for there Is many “a nigger in the woodpile." The greatest stimulus to effort Is the hope of reward and the time between effort and reward can probably provide more pitfalls In the farming industry than In other fields of endeavour. THE MEAT YEAR , HEAVY KILLINGS ,iW Ahe - annual ’ review of Pyne, Gould, Guinness, Ltd.,.in the annual survey of the meat.industry;' Says that killing in Can- ' t%«hwb) i,cdrtunenced a fortnight earlier than in 1940, and large numbers were offering right up to Christmas. By that time considerably more than twice as many sheep and lambs had been put through the works than in either of the two previous year, tne increase _ representing more than a quarter of a million head. These large killings were mainly due to the favourable season, but the entry of Japan .into the war and the consequent possibility of shipments being held up later in the season doubtless Induced many farmers to get every lamb killed as soon as possible. It was obvious, however, in view of the'decline in the Canterbury flocks and, the lower lambing percentages, that. the Increase was a somewhat fictitious one and the figures soon began to move in the’opposite direction and the season finished up with the Canterbury works showing a drop on last year of more than 200,000. This was to some extent offset by the Increase in the average weight of lambs of fully one pound a head. Another satisfactory feature of the Canterbury killings was the decline in the proportion of second quality lambs. It Is estimated that compared with last year seconds have fallen by fully 10 per cent., and* that not since 1937 has the percentage been so low. The dry season has been chiefly responsible for this whilst a contributing factor has been the very much improved position In regard to Insect pests and the consequent better feed. Dominion Killings Although at the time of writing it seems unlikely that the season’s export lamb killings will equal the 1941 record figures either In the North or South Islands, the totals already put through are the second highest ever recorded and have again reached U. 000.000 against the 1941 total of 11,240,000. Most of the estimated shortage will be in the South Island as a result of the smaller flocks and lower lambing percentages and losses through bad weather, already mentioned; but the drop In the North Island, If any, will be small. . ' . .. Another new record has been set In the , killings of ewes, and It looks as if the season’s total will not be very far short of 2,000,000, compared with the 1940 record of 1,915,000. In the last three years, an average of 1,750,000 ewes have been slaughtered each year, compared with an average of a little more than 1,000,000 In the preceding three years. As large numbers of old ewes have been sent to the works In the last two or three years It seems clear that there must have been a considerable building up of the ewe flocks from ewe lambs, and that these flocks will consequently be younger and therefore more virile as a whole than was the case say five years ago. The steady decline In the wether flocks between 1938 and 1940—a drop of 460,000— supports this view, as less lambs have been carried over, and doubtless also accounts for the falling off In wether killings In the last two seasons —an average of fewer than 700,000 each year compared with an average. of 1,375,000 in the two preylous_years.