FALLING BEHIND

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 34, 10 February 1925, Page 5

FALLING BEHIND

OUR SHEEP INDUSTRY

AUSTRALIAN VISITORS

DRAW SAD COMPARISONS.

(O.NTTJD PKS3S ASSOCIATION.—COPIRiaM.)

(Received 10th February, 9.30 a m ) SYDNEY, This Day. Messrs. 0. I. Lock and Maurice M'Namara, prominent men in the Victorian pastoral industry, who have recently returned from New Zealand, state that fat lambs and cattle in New Zealand are fast deteriorating. The producers are breeding too much from culls. Australia is fast gaining the world's markets for faty lambs. This was the first year when Australia had equalled Canterbury lambs.. They attributed it to better grading, and considered that tho general methods of handling the sheep industry in New Zealand were much behind those of Australia. Fat cattle were poor and cost about £5 a head more than they did in Australia.

According to a cable message ceived and published on Saturday Mr. Lock stated that New Zealand had had its best day. Land was not selling there now, and many of its young graziers, men with anything from £1000 upwards, were turning their eyes towards Australia.

Mr. M'Namara, a stock and station agent in Melbourne, agreed with this view. The message was placed before the Minister of Agriculture (Hon. W. Nosworthy, who said that in his opinion the fact that land was not selling so rapidly as hitherto was not by any means a sign of decadence. The outlook generally, "added the Minister, was never better, and the Dominion's industry and prosperity were reflected in the fact that the amount of unemployment was infinitesimal.