THE WEATHER. DROUGHT CONTINUES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 46, 24 February 1908, Page 7

THE WEATHER. DROUGHT CONTINUES.

SERIOUS EFFECT IN AUCKLAND DISTRICT. [Br Telegraph. — Special to Tue Post.] AUCKLAND, This Day. The Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company works at Glasgow and Auckland are working at full pressure to endeavour lo put through the greatest number of lamb 3 possible before the drought renders it impossible to obtain any more supplies. So rapidly is tho feeding power of the country going down, that soon there- will be no feed left to put tho lambs into freezirig condition, and stock owners, fearing tha worst, are rushing their lambs in as fast as the works can copo with them. Some idea of how gloomy the outlook is regarded may be gained from the fact that enquiries arc already being received for quotations for cheep for boiling down. This means that owners despair of bringing tho animals to freezing condition, and are afraid that the drought will mean starvation for the stock. One of the enquirers holds some 10,000 sheep. The value of sh.eep for boiling down is practically nothing — about 2s 6ct per head — and last season thousands of sheep were being brought into the province at ffom 13s to 16s per head. Farmers in several districts have' found themselves unable to fatten for freezing more than half the lambs they expected. Last year they were losing because the floocfs and shortage of trucks prevented rapid enough disposal of the fat lambs. Stock are being drivpn six and seven miles in some .instances to water, and all over the country settlers rtre carting water for domestic use. The Public Works Department is conveying water by rail from Tauhoa to WSyby, on the North Auckland line. In many places milking cows are being fed on hay, and in others the cows have been turned out, there being no food to enablo thorn to provide milk.