The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, JUNE 18, 1901. NEW ZEALAND’S PROSPERITY.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 135, 18 June 1901, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, JUNE 18, 1901. NEW ZEALAND’S PROSPERITY.

Tiie current number of the New Zealand Trade Keview contains an interesting' article on the prosperity of this colony, and, at some longthi shows as to how far we are indobtod to the soil for this happy state of affairs. A glance through the statistics quoted respecting tho occupation of the lands of tho colony during tho years ISBS, 1890,1895, and 1900 shows that the country during those years has progressed by leaps and bounds. The total area under grain crops iu 1885 amounted to 664,540 acres, whilst five years later it rose to 826,505 acres. It went back to 560,179 acres in 1895, but in 1900 it stood at 745,685. The total area under giain and other crops in 1885 was 460,701 acres, whilst in 1890 it amounted to 513,893 acres ; in 1895, 587,686 acres; and in 1900, 796,773. Tho aroa in grass increased from 2,592,492 acres in 1895 to 4,337,594 acres in 1900. In 1885, there wore 2,666,342 acres in grass-sown land (including lands in hay) not previously ploughed, but before 1900 the acreage had increased to 6,515,708. The total of lands in grass, including lqnd in hay, in 1885 amounted to 5,258,834, whilst in 1900 it was over double that amount, 10,853,302 acres being the return given. From the first of tho above tables it will be seen that while the area under grain has been fluctuating and non-progressive, and that under green and other crops, though it has increased in fifteen years by fully 70 per cent, is not considerable, the area under grass, ploughed and unploughed, has increased in that period by over 100 per cent, and has nearly reached a total of 11,000,000 acres. Comparative tables for the two Islands show that tho bulk of tho land under cereals and other crops is found in the South Island, but that as regards the grazing lands of the colony, the increase is far larger in the North Island than in the South. Whilst the increase in fifteen years in the area of grassed land is equal to over 140 per cent, in the North Island, it is less than 70 per cept, in the South Island, and especially that in the last five-yearly period, out of a total increase of over 2,000,000 acres, as much as 1,558,000 acres is in the North Island. The larger part of these grazing lands is occupied by sheep, and it is interesting to note that for tho first time on record the North Island beats the South in the number of flocks. The figures are as follows:

From tho above table it will be seen that the flocks of tho colony, as a whole, show a substantial increase from ISBS to 1895, and only a comparatively unimportant diminution in 1596 to 1900, But that the increase must be credited entirely to the North Island. The South Island, indeed, finished in the year 1900 with a smaller total than it had in 1885, while the numbers in the North Island have been more than doubled. The exports of the chief products of the pastoral industries during the years mentioned have gone on increasing until in last year they had reached the respectable total of over twenty-two million pounds sterling, made up as follows :

From a perusal of the above figures it will be observed that the value of our exports of wool has increased by over 45 per cent, .while that of the shipments of frozen meat and dairy produce has, roughly, increased tern fold. While the total drawn from these sources during the years 18811885 amounted to £16,727,475, the fa i e products in 1896-1900 yielded £34,472,163. That is to say, the : oh ny drew from these sources in the last five years more by £17,744,688 than it did in a, similar period fifteen

years earlier. “Surely,” tlie writer of the article goes on to say, “we have here the main cause of the present prosperity and good financial position of New Zealand. It is an important feature of the productive operations of the colony as disclosed by the particulars which are submitted above that they do not tond to impoverish the soil but on the contrary they return to the land as much, practically, as they take from it. The value of the exports of grain has been, according to these figures, on the down grade throughout the period under review. "With no desire to touch on any political aspect of the subject, we may acknowledge that the assistance rendered to the dairy industry by the Agricultural Department, established by the present Ministry, has been of very substantial benefit to that branch of trade, and is likely to render it still further service. The advance made in the exports of wool and frozen moat, however, has resulted from the unaided enterprise of the colonists. Indeed, one feature of the policy of the present Ministry, the resumption of large estates for purposes of subdivision, though calculated to bo of advantage in the settlement of a larger population on the land, tends to the diminution rather than otherwise, of sheep grazing and its accompanying industries. In the above remarks we have taken account of only the leading pastoral products. There are several other items of minor importance connected with pastoral pursuits which furnish, in the aggregate, a substantial addition to our exports. Wo allude to tallow, sheepskins, hides, meat (preserved, cured, and salted), sausage skins, and live stock. In the year 1900, alone, the exports of these products reached atotal value of £889,653 against £471,246 in the year ISBS. The inclusion of these would help to give a better idea of the important position of the pastoral industry in the commercial economy of New Zealand, and would, no doubt, swell the increase shown in the value of this class of exports.” Splendid as are the results already obtained, it cannot be said that New Zealand has reached the maximum in the matter of the production of these pastoral industries. There are millions of acres yet to be brought into a state of cultivation, and it should be the aim of our legislators to see that every facility is given so that settlement might be encouraged. The outlook for New Zealand is a bright and hopeful one, and whilst we may, and undoubtedly shall, have periods of depression and slight reactions from time to time, we may rest assured that the pastoral industries of the colony will always provo its salvation.

North Island. South Island. Total. 1885 4,925,253 9,021,548 14,540,801 1890 6,58S,34G 9,527,707 10,110,113 1895 8,994,040 10,831,958 19,820,004 1900 9,998,173 9,357,022 19,355,195

Wool. Frozen Meat, £. £. 1885 ., 15,515,327 856,614 1890 17,030,027 3,382,854 1895 .. 20,700,878 5,770,524 1900 .. 22,554,619 , 8,729,860 Batter and Cheese. Grain. £. £. 1885 355,534 4,461,278 1890 879,479 3,591,827 1895 1,654,401 2,517,973 1900 3,187,634 2,473,759