THE PIG INDUSTRY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 250, 19 September 1933, Page 7

THE PIG INDUSTRY

GROWING AND MARKETING. IMPROVED EXPORTS DESIRED. Points of production and marketing in th© p>ig industry as it related to Denmark and New Zealand, with a plea for the improvement of the New Zealand exports, were dealt with by Mr Eliot Davis, of Auckland, in an address to a well attended meeting of farmers and others in Palmerston North to-day. He also addressed himself to questions regarding butter. The chair was taken by the Mayor (Mr A. E. Mansford), who introduced th© speaker, saying that Mr Davis had been on a two years’ tour investigating marketing conditions. Mr AV. S. Carter, who later took the chair, apologised for the absence of Mr AV. E. Barber, the representative of th© Pig Marketing Association in the Manawatu district.

In his opening remarks Mr Eliot Davis said that while England’s gross imports in the last three years amounted to £2,608,000,000 her exports had been only £1,527,000,000. That left an adverse balance of £1,081,000,000. Invisible exports would possibly decrease that figure to not more than half, leaving the actual deficit at £600,000,000. But there was now a change for the better and in August imports had increased by £3,500,000 over the previous August’s figures, and the exports had risen by 2j per cent. AVool supplies had been depleted. More had now to be bought and employment was increasing. Dealing specifically with the pig industry, hlr Davis said England had imported in the last year £30,229,000 worth of bacon. Of that amount (570,000 tons) Denmark had shipped 67.4 per cent, but New Zealand had sent only 6,552 tons. New Zealand, he contended, should send a vastly greater, amount of bacon to England and the market was there for the asking. If we could send a pig anywhere near the Danish pig in quality, England would gladly take it in preference to the foreign. English bacon prices were 88s 6d per hundredweight and the Danish 59s a hundredweight. A restriction was placed on Denmark some time ago, and that country depreciated her currency. That had meant more money for less goods, and thus it balanced the loss. DENMARK’S POLICY. Total pig imports to England in the last year were £40,318,000, and total butter imports £41,481,0C0, the speaker added. Of those amounts New Zealand sent 37 per cent, in the butter and 60 per cent, in cheese, but only .7 per cent, of the bacon imports. New Zealand’s best pig carcases were quite equal to anything from Denmark, and the English traders wanted more of the type that the Danes were producing. In Denmark the farmers had co-operation right through their systems, from the schools onward. Credit systems even helped the farmer to go on the land. New Zealanders would have to • get away from the “fatty,” “lardy” pig and should send the lean only. At present New Zealand could not buy certain imported pigs owing to the stock embargo, but the speaker said he had left an open order for stock to be sent him when the embargo was lifted. Co-operation was an essential method in Denmark and had dealt with costs of production, marketing and all aspects of farming management. The people had formed co-operative societies to improve stock and farming and the societies had joined to form provincial unions and national bodies. Mass buying and mass supply had enabled the co-operative societies to gather strength, and private selling of goods was forbidden to members of the societies. There was a system of freehold small-holdings of about 15 acres. The great majority did not exceed 20 acres. They had approximately four pigs to every cow milked, and New Zealand had but one pig to every three cows. Bacon was pickled, not smoked, and was extremely even. The pig business with them was a fine art. If we were to get any of the trade we had to produce a pig like the Landrace, which was replenished by the importation of English Large White boars, Mr Davis contended. COMPARISONS OF BUTTER. Although our butter was equal in quality to the best Danish, there was a good deal of adulteration, Mr Davis asserted. The Danes sent only the best and ate the second grade themselves. They exported in barrels or kegs and the date of making was shown with each keg. A central board met each week in Copenhagen and decided on that week’s prices to the producer. A transport society took the milk to the factory and the pasteurised skimmed milk was brought back. The greater part of the Danish butter was contracted for—probably about two-tliirds of it was sold on this basis. New Zealand’s system was disorganised, Mr Davis continued. The remedy was a verv big question. Our butter was “trafficked with” in London. There were too many merchants and that was not in the best interests of the producer. There were about 50 reputable firms which were handling our butter and the number should be reduced to 20 or 30 which could fix the price. Merchants bought bills of lading before our butter arrived and those bills were sold again. If we had anything like the Danish system we would be very much better off. By the time our butter reached the shop, instead of passing through 12 or 15 hands it should pass through a cooperative system of marketing. ' Cooperation among the merchants would be of great benefit to the New Zealand farmer. A vote of thanks was passed to Mr Davis on the motion of Mr J. Boyce, seconded by Mr A. H. Honeyfiekl.