NEW ZEALAND TOBACCO

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 215, 5 June 1919, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND TOBACCO

A PKODUCT 01' THE GUM LANDS. A suggestion that tobacco could be grown on the gum lands of North Auckland was placed before the Parliamentary Industries Committee by .Mr. A. Harris, AI.P., who produced a sample of tobacco grown in Henderson, about 12 miles from Auckland, by a settler named I'ranich, a j)almatian. This man told Mr. Harris that he had grown tobacco very successfully in his native country, and he had imported the seed from Dalinatia and planted it on his l:,nd at. Henderson, with highly saustaotory results.,

, '"('lus settler I ells me," said 11 r. Karris, "that he is an expert in tobacco culture, and that this sample is second to none in the world. The great feature is. that it is grown on what is known as poor gum land, which is not suitable for many other branches of agriculture. .Not very far from Air. Franich's farm there is a block., of land belonging to the Crown, known as the Birdwood Estate. It was formerly a'gum reserve, but" the reservation has been lifted, and the stiggestion has been made that this land should be. offered for soldier aettlenient. The land that this tobacco was grown on is identical with the land on the Birdwood Bstato and with many similar areas of land in the north. If an industry of this kind can be established on land which is not suitable for ordinary agriculture, it should have the assistance of the Government in. every possible way."

Mr. Harris suggested that an industry might be established by Government'assistance that would be available to soldiers. Partially-disabled soldiers might carry it on very well—there was no really hard work attached to the production, of tobacoo, and tlio poor land could be utilised very largely for it. Tho sample produced was a fair one of the tobacco grown by the Dalmatian settler, who had a number of different grades of tobacco, lie had stated that quality depended upon the time at which tho leaf was picked and the way in which it was picked. Mr. ■Fninich was prepared to place his knowledge at tho disposal of the Government.