NEWS OF THE DAY.

Matamata Record, Volume XI, Issue 933, 2 July 1928, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

“In contradistinction to the "wool industry, ’ ' Mr Perry continued, “our bcef-ivaring farmers have netted the following-amounts from the world’s markets: —£.1,043,871 in 1925; £511,985 in 1926; and £583,87.1 in 1927. To these should be added the receipts from the ante of calf and cattle hides overseas, viz.: £940,140 in 1925; £756,537 in 1926; and £992,825 in 1927. During the past two seasons there has been a marked increase in the export of •* bobby’’ veal. In 1925 our export of veal was worth £38,801; in 1926, £94,092; while last year it totalled £58,394. It is very pleasing to review such a satisfactory season as we have experiencec* this year. Not only have there oeen substantial advances in thp prices of our primary products, bur climatic conditions in most parts of the Dominion have been fairly favourable, with the result that when this season finally closes <?ur export figures will show a considerable advance over the preceding year.” Wool Textile Industry.

At the last London wool sales there sprinkle' granulated sugar over the surtowards tno close of the series a little more firmness was shown than at .the beginning, there was no recovery from the init al fall. < It is claimed by a .Bradford correspondent that the domination of values in the wool textile industry by the raw material has, for the present, been effectively challenged by consumers, and it has lost power to force a further upward movement of prices. Though as yet there has been no diminution in the aggregate wool consumption, it is stated, the prospect of being maintained on the present high level of values is not as good as was generally expected at the beginning of the year .and this of itself would have been sufficient to justify the resistance made by spinners, manufacturers, and purchasers of piece goods. The correspondent also states: “The boom in the German wool textile industry is on the wahe, a fact whieli is -bound to affect adversely-spinners in Bradford, in -France, and in Belgium, because last year’s largo orders for yarns were given out by the Germans to all three countries. Recently they have not been pressing for deliveries Basic Slag Popular. /

Farmers are now getting recudy for top-idressing (says a country writer in the south), and it appears that thrs will be carried out on a more exten sive scale this season than in (he past. The greatest inquiry has been for basic slag, and one small shipment has already arrived, but the main shipments are still to come, the Taranaki being due to arrive at Bluff with a heavy cargo of manures on Jpne 3u. This will probably be the principal shipment. Sales of basic slag have increased very considerably this season, and this fertiliser predominates in the farmers’ bookings to the present. This is •no doubt due in some measure to the gooid results obtained from slag in the.past and partly to the fact that farmers as a rule sow it earlier than they do superphosphate and other manures Top-Dressing. On his return from a visit to the "Victorian dairying districts, the general secretary of the Primary Producers’ Union in New South Wales declared that an outstanding feature was the attention paid to the top-dressing of pastures. Everywhere lie went he found that the carrying capacity had been- substantially increased owing to the use of superphosphate, and, dairy stock were manifestly thriving on the improved pastures. Farm Training.

Recently over 100 boys and girls left England' for Pinjarra, near Perth, "Western Australia, to start training at the Kingsley Fairbridge Farm School. At present there are 100 boys and 100 girls a c the farm, which was founded by the late Mr Kingsley Fairbridge. He started his first farm school in Western Australia in 1912 with 13 small boys. On the farm are cottages where poor law and other children

taken co Australia- under this successful scheme are housed during their period of training.