THE WEEK

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26094, 22 April 1950, Page 5

THE WEEK

WOOL STILL WANTED Though not always a reliable indication, the speed oi the wool sale at Tirnaru last Saturday was another pointer to the very sound position of wool at present. In times of low prices, when limits are very strict, sales will often go quickly, because either there are very few buyers interested at all, or very few are able io pay above a restrictive limit. Prices at Timaru were probably higner all round than tney have ever been at a Canterbury sale, but the selling went rapidly, nevertheless. While buyers were reeling out the sale during the first catalogue se.ling was fairly slow; .and the first hour saw about 220 lots sold. The last catalogue of main lots was sold at just under 300 lots an hour, which is a smart pace, and the average for the whole sale was about 275 lots. Fairly big offerings of star lots were included, and these were sold after the main lots. Toward the end of the star lots, the usual end-of-season spirit crept in, and the pace of the sale was somewhat slowed by cortiment and barracking from the buyers’ benches, a rare departure from the usually strict attention to business.

FARM PRODUCTION FIGURES

For the year 1947-48, the value of production from New Zealand farms was 189 on a basis of 1938-39 equals 100, according to the Government Statistician. The volume of farm production was 113 for 1947-48, against the same last year. The volume of production from 1947-48 was equal to that for 1944-45, but was below the highest figure so far recorded, 116 in the 1940-41 season. In 1928-29 volume was 79. Comparing the averages for the three years before the war, with those for the three years from 1945-46 to 1947-48, volume of farm production showed a rice of 7 per cent, against a rise of 69 per cent, in value. Exports of N.Z. produce in 1948-49 showed a sterling value of 313 on a basis of 100 for 1938-39. Volume, on the same base, was 133 against 100.

YIELDS OF CEREALS

The Government Statistician estimates this year’s wheat yield at 38 bushels against the record actual average of 40.61 bushels last year. This, he says, will give a total yield of about 4,700,000 bushels against an actual yield of 5,958,026 bushels for the 1948-49 harvest. The estimate for Southland this harvest is again highest at 50. bushels. The North Island yield is exp.cted to be 42 bushels, ana the Ota|o yield 41. The figure for Canterbury is 36 bushels, and for Nelson, 32. The Marlborough yield of 29 bushels is probably a reflection of the very unfavourable season that province has had.

The estimated average for oats is 45 bushels against 47.49 last year, and the total yield is expected to be down to about 2,600,000 bushels against 3,718,597 last season. The barley yield is estimated to be 40 bushels as against 38.43 last season, and the total yield is estimated at about 2,400,000 bushels, slightly above last season’s return of 2,256,362 bushels.

ADDINGTON ON THURSDAY

Addington market is relatively frequently held on a Wednesday, but much less frequently on a Thursday, on which day it will be held in the coming week. Anzac Day will fall on Tuesday; and the market will be held on the Thursday, April 27.

« CANTERBURY’S FUTURE ”

“Erewhon” writes:—We have heard enough of Canterbury’s past. If people took as much interest ni planning for the next 100 years, we might get somewhere. Our main trouble is ignorance of what others are doing elsewhere under similar conditions.

When a neighbour like Mr H. E. Bolte, Minister of Water Supply and Conservation, comes over from Victoria with experience of a district with similar soil and climatic conditions to our own, he sees in r flash what we could do here.

Your article of April 8 on the farming page epitamises the situation in Canterbury better than anything that has appeared in “The Press” since the first sod was turned in the Rangitata Deviation Scheme. I would underline every word in it, for I, too, have had experience of many irrigation districts, both in Australia and U.S.A., and could enlarge on all nis statements. I can not do better than advise the people of Canterbury to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest all that Mr Bolte says. I would particularly emphasise the following paragraph: “If employment were found for 25,000 persons on fully irrigated land in the Mid-Can-terbury district, the population of Ashburton and Methven would increase by 25,000 and that of Christchurch by 50,000.”

If the whole of irrigable Canterbury were developed properly, and we have the water equipment and knowledge to do it, I leave you to imagine what the effect would be on Christchurch and its future. Endless developments would ensure, and an endless variety of agricultural products would be raised, and dairying would leap ahead. I would estimate that at least a quarter of Canterbury would be planted to lucerne, which would be the backbone of the development at first. If the banks of the canals were planted to lucerne, all the country watered by them would automatically become inoculated with the right bacteria. The Plains should be cut up into small irrigation farms, of a size that one man and his family could work. I would limit their size to 60 acres or so, as one man and his family cannot care for more than 40 acres of irrigated land properly. I would encourage the immigration of irrigation farmers from other lands, who will bring with them experience, which is of more value than capital, and lead to the development of other crops more payable per acre than dairying, but dairying must be the basic industry at first, on which fertility and the diversity of crops are based, and cows would enable new settlers to make a living right from the start if, sav. a quarter of every holding was graded and planted to lucerne by the Government before the settler moved in, which is done by many State irrigation schemes elsewhere.

The residents of Christchurch should take more interest in all this than the farmers of Canterbury, who are extremely conservative and desperately ignorant of the possibilities of irriga.tion. The future of Christchurch could then be planned on the supposition that every irrigable acre in Canterbury would be irrigated, as it undoubtedly will be some day, and all that that will imply to future town deve’.opment “when every acre has its man.”

If Mr Bolte is still in New Zealand it would be an excellent nlan if the Chamber of Commerce or some other body were to prevail on him to give us a lecture on our irrigational possibilities. If he has already left our shores, perhaps he could do so over the radio from Australia.

WOOL PRODUCTION AND USE

It does not appear likely that the quantity of wool produced will outpace the world requirements of it, says an Australian report. This source says that in New Zealand flocks now totalling 32,500,000 are 1,500,000 lower than in 1945, while in Australia, South Africa, Argentina and the United States totals are less than five years ago. In 1948-49 it is estimated that the quantity of wool consumed was approximately 1,966,000 bales greater than the amount grown. The deficiency was made up by utilising war-time accumulated stocks, which are now rapidly diminishing. By the end of the current season J.O. holdings are expected to be only about 600,000 bales

and the C.C.C. stock in the United States is also nearly exhausted. Discussing the consumption of ,wool in the world, the article says: “The fact remains that the number of people in the world is now about 10 per cent, greater than in 1939, in spite of the millions whose lives were lost indirectly or directly in the war.’’ More than 200 members of the Mid-land-Canterbury Jersey Cattle Club, and their friends, recently saw the films taken last year in Jersey Island, England, and Denmark, by Mr G. H. Dawick, secretary of the New Zealand Dairy Cattle Breeders’ Association. ,