VICTORIA'S DECREASING EXPORTS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 255, 21 July 1908, Page 4

VICTORIA'S DECREASING EXPORTS

3 Speaking in Melbourne recently, Mr. Swinburne, the Victorian Minister for Agriculture, that tlio official returns had given splendid figures for. the Stato up to 1906, yot 1007 showed a,' very serious sot back, and 1908 shows.:a greater sot back still, •Farmers may bo wealthy, continued .Sir. Swinburne, but that will not do. Last year wo exported £500,000 loss worth of buttor, and for the first five months of this year wo are already £220,000' behind for tho same period. Oats are down £24,000, wheat <£950,000, frozen meat and lambs £80,000,' sheepskins £170,000, tallow £54,000, and wool £100,000. That is not the worst. Wo iiro actually importing fodder to feed our stock and our people. If wo aro not up and doing wo shall bo suffering in our pocket. The peculiar paradox of the whole situation • is'that wo have laud values rising amazingly, and production steadily going down. It\is guito apparent that tho fanning community is woll off, in spitcpf reverses. I think, in connection with the';'land policy, that thoro is no doubt tho time is rapidly arriving when. a land policy which ;.will break up big estates suitable for agriculture must bo adopted, to- : gether with proper and systematic immigra-'i tion. Tho Government cannot do more thani it is doing for water conservation. Largo' owners must split up their estates, for tho" timo is rapidly arriving when all tho big squatters must look for largo areas north of tho Murray. In Western Germany 80 per cent, of tho agricultural labourers own their own freeholds; in Victoria not more than 5 per cent., occupy tho same position. :