AUSTRALIAN FAT LAMBS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 55, 3 September 1934, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN FAT LAMBS

A natural deaire of primary producing countries to increase their range of products connotes increasing competition between such countries. A few years ago Australia took a closer look at butter, and started the Paterson Plan. Result— in 1928 Australia exported 33,582 tons of butter to Britain and in 1933 97,447 tons. In the same years New Zealand's butter export to Britain rose from 67,343 tons to 118,604 ton*. And today Britain would like to receive less butter

from everybody. In fat lambs, 100, New Zealand has specialised. While Australia stuck to wool and the merino, New Zealand left the merino, after refrigeration developments, for crossbreds. A New South Wales wool inspector who recently visited New Zealand, Mr. J. R; Mackee, stated on his returti that New Zealand sheep are 11 per cent, merino, New South Wales sheep 90 per cent, merino. But his advice to Netv South Wales is to profoundly modify this non-competitive position by coming substantially into the fat lamb trade—and this at a time when the English farmer is represented in film plays (e.g., "Song of the Plough") as selling his lambs for a song. To the extent that new technical factors (scientific and economic) can discount natural factors (such as climate and rainfall) competition at the producing end is likely to become keener in proportion as the consuming market oversea.becomes less accessible. But perhaps the natural factors will still be dominant at tho finish. Mr, Mackee says that in lamb-raising competition with Australia, New Zealand is handicapped by dearer land. Is it to maintain this handicap that protective legislation persists?