The Star. MONDAY, JUNE 15, 1914. MINOR RURAL INDUSTRIES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 15 June 1914, Page 4

The Star.

MONDAY, JUNE 15, 1914. MINOR RURAL INDUSTRIES.

Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock in, Hawera, Manaia. Normanby, Okaiawa, T-'ltbam. Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutahi. Alton, Hurleyville. Patea, Waverley.

The greater the number of prosperous rural residents a> country has, the more prosperous must be that country itself. It is this which, in addition to the aggregate wealth they produce, gives *to minor rural industries their great value. Poultry farming especially stands in this category. Yet : it is questionable whether it has, so far in New Zealand, received all the encouragement it deserves as an industry. It is true that many > intelligent people have taken it in hand, and they have amongst themselves established an as^ sociation, which has already done good work in heartening up its members, and in making common to them all valuable information, which many of them, at any rate, would be unlikely to come in contact with in their separate personal experiences. Assistance like this is invaluable to a young industry, and the example of other countries should also be of use, not only to those engaged in the industry, but to the whole country and to the Government, as showing how much may be made of the industry and how desirable it is to help it on, not only with sympathy, but that kind of practical matter-of-fact, assistance, which New Zealand Governments have, to their credit, for a long time been more or less anxious to give. Still, both individuals, associations, and the State may learn something useful 'by looking afield in this matter, and by doing so the country will probably become all the better qualified to realise one of its ideals—the multiplication of small farms, the owners and occupiers of which shall lead prosperous lives, necessitating work and intelligence,' but not incessant, ill-rewarded drudgery. For instance, in Belgium, small farming has succeeded to a remarkable extent, largely in consequence of poul-try-rearing, which, in its turn, has owed n groat deal to the united efforts of the members of the Belgian National Federation of the Poultry-rear-ing Societies, of which the number Sf branches rose from 29 to 131, and that of its members from 2108 to 6630 between 1898 and 1909. Then the Government gives an annual grant of £480 to this Association, in addition to which it provides for elementary courses of instruction in poultry farming. Belgium has made a- specialty of rearing, fowls for the table as well as of fattening for export. Th Holland, too, small farms predominate, few of them being larger than 247 acres, so that poultry farming has been similarly taken up there. The Dutch Association for tlie Rearing of Poultry ! and Rabbits, of which the headquar- ' ters are at The Hague, was started eight years ago- it now numbers 15,000 '

!'members, with 233 branch associations. During the last four years it has foimed four co-operative societies, with 8000 members for the s*ale of eggs and poultry. This industry is, however, still chiefly carried on without cooperation. The number of fowls reared in Denmark increased from 4£ millions to 113 millions between 1888 and 1909, so that there are now "439 fowls to every .100 inhabitants; the chief breeds are the native, the. Italian, and the Minorca. . Special attention, is given *to the production of choice eggs for exportation. This is carried on by associations, comprising.' 500 districts, with 40,000 members. These societies have served, as a model for the" formation of similar societies in North Germany and Ireland. It may be added that poultry rearing' in Denmark is carried on under careful Government supervision, three officials having been specially appointed to give instruction in poultry rearing in the rural districts. New Zealand is assuredly not a laggard in this connection, but the examples referred to should cheer persons engaged here in the poultry industry, and encourage the Government to do still more "to help it ahead.