Better Quality in Dominion's Products

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6625, 11 August 1931, Page 8

Better Quality in Dominion's Products

IMPORTANCE DP RESEARCH. CHRISTCHURCH, Aug. S. “The need for improvement in tne quality of New Zealand prouucls to enable them to overcome increasing competition was emphasised by tne Prune .Minister, the rvignt non. G. VV. I’oroes, wnen opening tno \Vinter &how on touturday evening, ne mentioneu the extent to which scientinc research was joined to ministry overseas, anu inamwuned tnat tne nonunion snouiu ionow on sunuar lines in relation to both its primary and secondary industies. •‘Only to see other countries is to realise now iortunate New Zealand is m every way in its xercuity, xor exainuio, anu its cumate, said Mr. 19 “*lrum tno history or tne country we reauso tne progress mauo in tne short tune of ciViUsauon until a record production, in proportion to tne population has Deen attained, me primary producers nnd competition increasing year by year, anu the only way in wnich tney can lace it is by improving the quality oi the pioducts. As iar as the government is concorneu we endeavour, by co-operation with scientific research and instruction oi the farmers, to work toward improvement, and i think we can claim that great progress has been made. ’ “By the steady improvement of tne quality of our products and by taking in every acre of the country it will not be long before we shall be able to double our production. The vaiue oi our production in 1931 is £36,1 1 0,990. In 1930 it was £46,000,000, and in 1929 it was £55,000,000. It must bo remembered that with a smaller income we are bound to have difficult times, but there is no reason to be downhearted in a country like New Zealand, and the figures for the last ten years show what we can do. In 1931 9,829,000 carcases of frozen mutton and lamb wen exported, an increase of 30,000 over the previous season. Butter and cheese have had similar gains. In thc j butter exported was 93,734 tons, and this wear it was 97,031 tons, while 2000 tons more cheese wero exported last year than the year before. A record for fruit was established last season, when 1,293,000 cases were sent to Great Britain. “With these increases there is no reason why the country should not go on. Although the Dominion ha s to depend on its primary products, there has been a steady improvement in the quality of the products of the secondary industries. I am quite sure the progress will be maintained. T o e partment of Scientific and Industrial Research is being reorganised, and a board is being set up specially fro dea with the industries, both secondary and primarv, of the country. What struck me when I was abroad was that practically every industry had its own laboratory. Those are the lines along which we should go. We should concentrate on scientific assistance for our industries.”