NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 12, 9 October 1928, Page 10

NOTES OF THE DAY

Judging by the columns of the daily Press of the Dominion, the general election campaign is dragging a little. No doubt this is due to Parliament not yet having closed its doors, but even so the candidates in the field are making an unusually dull beginning. It is generally anticipated that the election date will be November 21, which means that six weeks will be available for campaigning. Both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition are certain to tour the Dominion in order to place the policy and claims of their respective parties before the electors at first hand; but apparently the Leader of the United Party does not propose to embark on any extensive electioneering tour. At least he has indicated that he does .not intend to go rushing about into other electorates than his own.

As a set-off to the critics who are so ready to decry the progress made in recent years in land development an article published in the Auckland Herald last week deserves attention. Between 1925 and 1927 it is recorded that the total area in crops of .all kinds and permanent pastures increased by no fewer than 339,354 acres. That is to say, in spite of the deterioration of a certain area of farm lands from various causes during the past four years, the balance on the right side is still a remarkably good one, and shows evidence of marked progress. Viewing the position from another standpoint, that of sheep farming, the writer discloses features which certainly discount much of the prejudiced criticism sometimes indulged in. In 1918, the number of sheep reached a record that stood until the present year; there were then 24,168 owners of sheep. By 1923, the number of sheep-owners had declined to 23,373, but since then there has been an annual increase until this year’s returns show a total of 25,982, or 2600 more than five years ago. In that period, the number of sheep has increased by over 4,000,000. Not less significant is the fact that the increase has been in the smaller flocks. Ten years ago there were 849 flocks exceeding 5000 sheep; in 1923 there were 738, and in 1928, only 670; those over 20,000 sheep have been reduced in the decade from 40 to 25.

These figures are decidedly interesting as bearing on the question of aggregation. They certainly indicate a gradual diminution in the number of large holdings and an increase in the number of smaller flocks. According to the statistics quoted there are now 25,244 owners of flocks below 5000 sheep, which is not only 2541 more than in 1923, but 1925 more than in 1918 when there were nearly as many sheep altogether as the present record. Part of the expansion, it is pointed out, has been at the expense of agriculture, but on balance there has been an increase of production, augmented by the more profitable returns from wool and frozen meat than from cereals. The simultaneous growth in dairying is mentioned as confirming the evidence of progress. Ten years ago there were 793,215 dairy cows: in 1923, there were 1,248,643; the latest return shows 1,312,126. The tremendous growth in the value of our exports in recent years has been due in part to the prices ruling overseas; but there is comforting evidence in such facts as are quoted above that sound progress also is being made in the growth and development of the chief branches of our primary industries.

The decision of the Agricultural Department to gradually curtail the State Experimental Farms and use the money so saved in providing experts to visit farms and conduct experiments thereon, in conjunction with the farmers, will meet with general approval. Farmers are busy men, and are unable, in consequence, to travel far to visit experimental farms. Further, conditions vary in each district. The experimental farm conducting successful experiments on one quality of soil provides no criterion that the farmer at a distance will meet with similar success on dissimilar land. The State Farm is, therefore, not very convincing. But when the experiment is carried out on the farmer’s own land or that of a near neighbour he can watch the experimentation in its successive stages. His interest is thereby kept alive, and when success is achieved he is more inclined to adopt the methods indicated by the successful experiment. Personal observation is preferred by the farmer to the reading of technical reports, no matter with what care the latter are prepared.