A. AND P. SOCIETY

Evening Star, Issue 20193, 5 June 1929, Page 14

A. AND P. SOCIETY

ANNUAL MEETING A SUCCESSFUL YEAR The annual meeting of the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society ivas held in the rooms of the Dunedin Jockey Club last night, when the president, Air AY. D. M'Kellar, was in the chair, » Before proceeding to the business of the evening, Mr M'Kellar said he wished to apologise for the absence of Sir John Roberts, upon whom they looked as the father of their society, and his sound judgment was always very much appreciated at their meetings. Unfortunately Sir John .had been called away to the North Island on business. ANNUAL REPORT. In moving the adoption ol the annual report and balance-sheet, the President said that, it would be noted from it that tlie financial result for the past year had been a great improvement upon that of the previous year, a profit of £7(52 Is Id being shown, as against a loss of £ll7 16s Sd lor 1927-28. The society’s total liabilities amounted to £6,860 1 is. The assets were valued in the books at £26,090 Is lOd, an excess of assets over .linbiliuies of £19,29-1 11s lOd. He cjuestioncd whether anv other agricultural and pastoral society in New Zealand was in anything like such a sound position, and credit lor this could bo given to careful management over'a. long period of years, and to the very generous response made by the public some tew years ago when the society found it necessary to appeal lor funds. The future ol the society was at the moment somewhat obscure. As all members knew, a proposal had been on foot for some, time past whereby the society was to join forces with < the Manufacturers’ Association, and jointly erect a building at Tabuna Park which would do for both winter and summer shows. One of the conditions, however; upon which members agreed to the proposal was that they must first sell the Crawford street premises. Tenders had been called for the purchase of those buildings, but no offer had been received of which the executive could possibly recommend the acceptance. If was, therefore, a little difficult to say what the next move should be. One thing was very certain, and that was the society must somehow or other obtain more space for its winter show. This year, with the kind assistance of -Messrs Dalgety and Co., they had been able to try the experiment in a small way as to whether the public would attend in two buildings. It. was somewhat early yet to say with what success, but the indications so far were favourable.

I YIELDS AND FI!ICES. I As regards yields, in the southern part ol the dominion they were well up to the average. The year 1927-28 was a bounteous year so tar as yields were concerned, and it was liardlv to be expected that they could have two as good running, but, taking everything into consideration, they had conic oil fairly well in the yields this season. Prices in some products showed a drop as compared with last year, and that ' drop was greatest in wool generally, and in line wool in particular. Fortunately, so far as they could see at present, the downward tendency in wool appeared to have been checked, although in that connection it was to be hoped the present somewhat uncertain. position regarding tlie future of the English Government would not have a disturbing effect upon the market. If it did not, the prices now ruling could not be considered other than remunerative to growers when compared with the average of wool values over a period of years. The actual drop in South Island wool prices as compared with 1927-28 season iiad been about fid per lb on the average, but in the North Island, where the wool grown was of a coarser grade, the drop was not so great. The total revenue received from wool sold in New Zealand up to the end <)!’_ March was about eleven and a-half million Ipoundis sterling. That , sum was about a million less than they received in 1927-28, and they sold 2-1,000 more bales to get it. The fluctuations that have taken place in the wool market of recent years emphasise the necessity to aim at breeding only the bc,st of sheep. In lamb and mutton the average price obtainable in the South Island for first grade lambs showed a drop this year up to the present time of rather less than Id per lb compared will, Uic 1927-28 season, and a rise of almost Id per U> compared with the 1020-27 season. Wether and cue mutton both show increases over the last two seasons, so we have nothing much to complain of. With frozen mutton aim lamb, especially the latter, they arc fortunate in that they catered for a liist-ciass trade—by that be meant Line, Hie consumers in the Did World W'.mv people to whom any reasonable rise in the cost, of the “ family joint” did not mailer a great deal, so that, provided they continue to maintain their present high (|iiality and hold that trade, it would look as though ncthing much could go wrong. In the beef export trade they were ' not, so favourably placed. Handicapped by distance, their beef bad to be frozen, and at the other end compete with the chilled product of the Argon- ! tine. That they bad unfortunately ■ found by experience it could not do, ! with the result flint the Argentine gets the first-class customer, and the consumers of New Zealand beef wore compelled by force of circumstances to be much harder buyers.

This is u point we require to keep well before us. bast season a profitable outlet was found in U.S.A. for some of our beef, but there arc at present, 1 understand, proposals to increase the tariff against us there. Whether these finally come into operation as proposed or not. it is obvious that we should miss no opportunity to explores markets in any part of I lie world where we might llnd consumers' to assist absorb any portion of our frozen beef output. Dairy produce figures did not loud themselves for comparison in so few words as did meat and wool, because of the different methods of selling. It could be stated, though, that a good year was being experienced by the producers engaged in that industry, those supplying factories who sold forward f.o.b. especially so. The price ruling in New Zealand for export butter bad been Is 5d to Is 6d per lb, and for cheese 9d to 9Jd, in both cases higher, than the previous season. It might not be. generally known that approximately 75 per cent, of New Zealand butter and 55 per cent, of the cheese graded finest grade, while everything else, except approximately 3 per cent, of the total output, graded first grade, figures which certainly gave cause lor congratulation. GRASS LANDS.

The most important development in the agricultural and pastoral industry of recent years was the question of grass pasture management, If they

took the average number of sheep in Otago and Southland lor the three years 1.920-22 and compared them with the average for the three years 1926-28, they found that the average number shorn per annum had increased by 541.000, an -increase of 14 per cent. ; and if they take one year only, 1920. against 1928, they found the increase was three-quarters of a million, or IS per cent. During the same period the number.of dairy cows in Otago and Southland had increased by nearly 15.000, whereas the numbers of other cattle—i.e , those that were mainly grazed on native pastures—showed a big decrease. MORTALITY IN LAMISS. Probably one of the most serious situations facing the A. and P. industry at the present time was the mortality in young lambs. The Agricultural Department’s officers had put in an enormous amount of research work in an endeavour to find the.cause of the trouble, but with only most baffling results. It was pleasing to record that the Government, appreciating the seriousness of the position, were arranging ' for a bacteriologist with a travelling laboratory to visit Otago next season and endeavour to-arrive at some- result that would be of use m the future. PRESIDENTIAL THANKS. Before vacating the chair Mr APKellar said lie wished to take the opportunity of expressing to members generally, and to members of the committee in particular, ids thanks for and appreciation of their good-fellowship towards him at all times during his two years of office. It had been a very great pleasure to work with men whose sole aim had ever been the advancement ol the society’s interests, and whoso opinions, when they happened to differ, wore always so reasonably put forward and so courteously expressed. _ He was proud to have been their president, and in the future would look back upon fiis I term with nothing but the most pleasant recollections. The motion was seconded by Mr Geo. Black and adopted without discussion. LIFE MEMBER, On the motion of the president. Mr 1 William Gardiner was elected an honorary- life member of the soeiely. Mi' M’Kellar saying Mr Gardiner had imI nierly been prominently associated with 1 the society, lint in recent years a grave ' disability bad prevented his attendance at their meetings. | Mr Bruce Allan briefly _ returned I thanks on behall of Air Gardiner. | OFFICE BEARERS. j The following office-bearers were I elected for the ensuing year :—Presi--1 dent, Mr M. C. Campbell: vice-presi-dent. Air James Begg; bon. treasurer. Mr George Black. ’Committee: Dunedin district —Messrs H. C. Campbell. (}• Black, T. T. Ritchie, E. Freeman; i Bruce and Clntba, Messrs R. H. Edit? 'and H. Allan; Palmerston and Wailiemo, Messrs A. Fleming and D. J. Ross; Taieri. Mr J. W. Blair; Central Otago, Mr David Andrew; Peninsula, ' Mr John Deliver. The following honorary officers were elected: —Veterinary surgeons Dr C J. Beakes, W. D. Snowball, and P. M. M‘Gregor, M.R.C.V.S.; agnieuttura! instructor. Air R. B. Tenncnfc: dairy instruelor. Air A. Afilne; orchard instructor, Air W. K. Dallas. | VOTES OF THANKS. I On the motion of Afr George Black, a cordial vote of thanks was accorded the indies and gentlemen who had acted as judges, to the class stewards for their assistance, and to the j Press. _ ■ In moving a hearty vote of thanks 1 to the retiring president, Air James Begg said that when Mr AFKelbir ■ became president they all felt that lie was the right man in the right place, for he had been mixed up with stud stock all his life. In his first year of office the society’s affairs were somewhat backward, but last year it bad redeemed itself, and it must he a great ! j Jen,sure to Air AiTvellar to know that im was leaving the society in such a I good posihon.—The motion was carried !by aeelamation, and Air AlTvcllar briefly replied. MR TOOVEY’S ADDRESS. Mr T. R. Toovey, assistant to the general manager of the Port of London Authority, was introduced by the president, and lie was heartily received. He said his object in corning 'to New Zealand was to make better known the marketing and distributing facilities which the Port of London offered to the primary pi odueers within the Empire. Ho did not wisli to run down the faeilites of other British ports, but as the representatives of other ports bad visited New Zealand I the Port of London considered it was only right to send its representatives ti let them knew what London was doing on their behalf. The Port of London was a body (bat bad authority of the whole of the tidal river—sixtynine miles—and all the, docks. The docks had enormous warehouses, cold stores, vaults, and other accommodation for the storage of goods waiting for tiic markets. In London there were great meat markets— Smitldield. for instance —where some £35,U00,00U worth of meat was sold annually. There were extensive markets for fruit —Covent Garden, Spitnlfields, the Borough. and Pudding lane. The city corporation had spent millions of pounds on these, markets in providing facilities for the sale of all classes of fruit. In November last he was present at an extenson of the Spitalficlds market, which hud been enlarged at a, cost of €1,000,000. In the Port of London the authority had accommodation for 1,000,000 tons of goods, and when he left in January last the stock on hand was 600.000 tons of goods of all varieifes from every country in the world. For produce from New Zealand the authority a few years ago spent £500,000 in providing up-to-date cold storage for meat, in giving appliances for the discharge of meat from the ships, mid in the construction of a floor for the accommodation of carcasses, prior to grading. Air Toovey proceeded to give a mini her of figures t'i show the work carried out by the anlhrity in (lie last twenty years to meet the increasing need.', of trade with Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of the world. Obviously, be added, the more business the authority did the more it was able to reduce its charges. Since 1925 it had reduced its general charges by 10 per cent., without any reduction in the cost of labour, which to-day in London was 157 per cent, above pre-war rates. ' while the authority’s charges were only from 50 to 80 per cent, above the same rates. Having spent enormous sum* on improvements, what had been the result? The authority felt that they had been more than justified, because the trade of the port had gone up by leaps and bounds. In 1909 the not register tonnage of ships entering London was 38,500,000; in 1927 it was 52,500,000. “Nowhere in Britain is there a market for Empire goods equal to the market London offers vou,” said Air ’Toovey, “ and in the long run, over an average of years, you will get better returns by shipping to London than by shipping to any other port in the United Kingdom.” On the motion of Air S. Bowman, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded Air Toovey for bis address.