PAST FARMING YEAR.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 20 May 1926, Page 4

PAST FARMING YEAR.

REiYIEW BY FARMERS’ UNION LEADER, Mr. Robert Dunn, the ex-president of the South Taranaki .Provincial.executive cf the New Zealand Farmers Union, who bps retired from office after many years’, iserviee, was called upon bo .address the twentyssdxth annual provincial conference, which was held in Hawera. yesterday. The speaker said that the season Iliad ibeen a moist unfortunate one, last whiter (being very severe, with a late spring, and a number of farmers found that they had insufficient fodder to keep thear cows in condition till the grass came on, with the result that their cowls came in in poor condition. The returns also were poor. The shipping strike held up the produce and partly upset the time-taible as arranged by the Dairy Control Board. This wa-s followed by a /’nnsideralbl© draught in South. Taranaki, this causing a further shrinkage in the farmers’ returns. The Dominion but~ \. ter-fat returns for the nine months, as compared with the same period Last 1,. year, show a decline of 6.5 per cent. . The prices for produce received last season were very good, and the indication ,so' far this year have been very encouraging on account of the strike in England, however, it was net clear how. produce prices would he affected. The speaker was of opinion that while the prices for produce were .good, farmers were not worrying about increasing rfhe volume of the output, which was capable of considerable increase. A great many dairy cows were not given enough food all the year round and it would be well if dairy farmers gave this question serious thought. Most farmers did a. certain amount of top-dressing to their pastures, but the speaker tsaid lie wondered how many knew if they were gettxg a return .to warrant the expenditure they were making. He was of opinion that every farmer .should do a certain amount of experimenting on his own land, and in a few years he would be in a position to know what manure or mixtures of manures to use.

Banking returns showed a decline in the value o,f exports for the March quarter totalling £6,073,571. Imports had increased by £3,204,761. The .balance w'as on the wrong side of the ledger. Mr. Dunn continued that he thought the Dominion president would arrive back in New Zealand within another month or six weeks, and then the question of agricultural banking would be raised again. The speaker terminated! his addreas amidst applause.