TRADE IN FAT LAMBS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 300, 15 September 1936, Page 6

TRADE IN FAT LAMBS

Dominion’s Supremacy Not Seriously Challenged AUSTRALIA IMPROVING STOCK While Australian sheep-farmers are improving the quality of their fat lambs, their position as yet is not such as to present a serious challenge to New Zealand’s supremacy in this trade. This is the opinion with which Mr. A. Sutherland, a prominent Wairarapa sheep-breeder, returned from Australia by the Mararna yesterday. Mr. Sutherland spent about nine weeks in Australia and during that time motored about 1500 miles, spending a good deal of his time in visiting sheep and dairy farms in Victoria. The fat lambs Mr., Sutherland saw could not be compared with New Zealand's. There was a marked difference, the Australian stock being uneven. Breeders across the Tasman were striving toward better quality, and their aim in that direction had been attended by a measure of success by the importation of New Zealand rams of sound quality. If they were to seriously challenge New Zealand’s ' preeminent position in the fat lamb trade, however, the Australian breeders would have to improve their stock by 100 per cent.

New Zealand stock imported by Australian farmers did very well, although, of course, they suffered setbacks as a result of adverse seasonal conditions. That, however, was common to all stock in the country, and generally speaking, it could be said that New Zealand stock was well suited to Australian conditions. ’

Australia was experiencing a wonderful season this year, said Mr. Sutherland. There had been an abundance of rain, and the country could go for another two or three months without any further rain. To overcome difficuities of water shortages in dry seasons some big irrigation schemes had been put in hand. One along the border of New South Wales and Victoria ran for some 200 or 300 miles, and the reservoir was stated to be so large that it was capable of carrying a greater supply of water than there is in Sydney harbour. This scheme, along with others, was only in the experimental stages, but what had been done up till now was sufficient to indicate what a salvation it would be in drought seasons.

Mr. Sutherland said he had been interested in the dairying on the southern coast of Victoria, where there had been an absence of setbacks this season. There was no doubt that they had the ground and the conditions there, but he did not think the stock was up to the quality of New Zealand’s. In ft visit to many shearing sheds he had been impressed with the fine way the wool was coming off the backs of. the sheep. Farmers were all very satisfied with the dips. They had been rather dubious as to the prospects for the selling season because of Japan’s decision, but they were now very jubilant because of the way the prices had been maintained.