RURAL INDUSTRIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18862, 10 November 1924, Page 6

RURAL INDUSTRIES.

An instructive epitome of the primary industries of New Zealand is contained in the annual statistical report on agricultural and pastoral production. This is a valuable publication, though it is far from complete. Detailed returns are given of many minor aspects of rural activity, but information on important points is wanting. There are statistics of butter made on farms, but none of butterfat produced for factory manufacture; details are given of stock slaughtered for food on farms, but none of stock fattened for home and overseas markets. Within its limitations, the report is a reliable representation of general conditions. Read in comparison with previous issues, the account of rural economy in 1923-24 is, on the whole impressively favourable. It certainly corrects the impression carelessly created of a farming community collapsing under the burden of financial and other difficulties. A decline in the area occupied is revealed; it amounts to 80,599 acres, the significance of which may be expressed in the statement that 540 acres were held in 1923-24 for every 541 acres occupied a year before. The statistician explains that the reduction is largely due to reversion of land from lease (by Europeans) to Maori communal ownership; in one county alone, this amounted to nearly 140,000 acres. As against this unfavourable movement is the notable fact that the number of holdings is steadily increasing, owing to "the marked tendency toward the subdivision of land into smaller holdings." Another instructive test is furnished by the return of persons engaged in farming, including working proprietors. The number was 145.158 last year, actually 1222 less than in the previous year, and the first reduction,for a long period. In a general classification, dairying ranks easily first with 78,145, a reduction of only 419; pastoral and unspecified account for 52,181, an increase of 2782; while agricultural farmers and employees total 14,832, a reduction of 3585. It is notable that the last class does not include temporary harvest hands, so that the heavy decline may be partly due td the transfer of recruits to dairying. Abnormally low acreages were devoted to cereal crops, and the statistician emphasises the misfortunes of the grain-growers in the observation "that the harvest of 1923-24 was the poorest for many years—probably the worst since the disastrous 1897-8 season." As against the decline in man-power engaged in rural industries it must be remembered that mechanical power is being steadily increased. Thus there were installed on farms last year various forms of motive power developing 73,000 h.p., as against 60,000 h.p. three years before. In that period, milking plants haye increased from 10,450 to 14,553; separators from 32,024 to 42,473; and shearing plants from 6354 to 5430. As compared with the previous season, there were at the last enumeration more dairy cows and more cattle generally, more sheep, and more pigs. The improvement is perhaps not spectacular, but it is evidence that the rural industries are making progress ,in spite of the adverse conditions of recent years.