WAIRARAPA A. AND. P. SOCIETY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1263, 14 May 1896, Page 29

WAIRARAPA A. AND. P. SOCIETY.

)in- Carterton correspondent write

The annual meeting, of the Wairarapa Pastoral Society was held on Saturday. Tho balauco-sbeet showed a net profit on tho year of illo'l. It was decided to build a new ptoduce shed 00 x lOUft, and now office;; for tho secretary, stewards and judges. Toward tho cost. Mr Buchanan promised a donation of £')(), and other amounts wore subscribed in tho room.

The Picsident gave a scry interesting res'ime ol tho past year's export trade in wool, frozen meat and dairy produce. Ho said tho extraordinary cheapness of produce and tho difficulty in meeting competition with tho low prices made it compulsory to bring the latest scientific knowledge to bear on production. Quoting from the report of the United States Secretary of Agriculture he read : " Each season teaches anew tho imperative necessity of more and more scientific knowledge for tho.se who are to plough and plant profitably. Tho markets of the world will finally be invaded, captured, and held by those who produce cereals and meats, vegetables and fruits at tho lowest cost, and can, therefore, most cheaply soil. Competition is fiercer every year. American inventions, improved implements and machinery for saving labour on tho farm, and for saving the fruits of that labour are exported to Africa, Europe, and South and Central America. Thus our own recipes and contrivances for

J cheap production aro used abroad to ' strengthen the abilities of foreign farmers to contend with our own in foreign markets. Information direct from Russia, Argentina and Africa tells of larger sales of agricultural implements and machinery in each country in each year." The President said, unless our produce was the best and the cheapest, we could not hold our own in competition with the world. He dealt with the low prico of beef and the condition of tho frozen meat trade. In wool the position was much more satisfactory and the prospects fairly bright. Settlers depended largely on wool, still they could not keep their population on wool alone, and they must look to other sources. In dairying he was sorry to see New Zealand was not making anything like the progress she ought to. The factories from which so much was hoped and expected had not progressed as they should havo done. New Zealand in this respect showed a marked difference in comparison with Victoria. In the latter colony the make of butter foi 1595 amounted to 3G,050,2011b5, and of cheese 4,153,1U11b5, the former being four and a half times what it was in IS9I-92, and cheese two and a half times in volume. There was also a marked improvement in tho quality and the uniform character of these Victorian products, which resulted in their commanding a ready sale at the highest prices on the Loudon market. Speaking on the difference in the price obtained in London between Wellington and Canterbury frozen mutton, the President said we could not here, for climatic reasons, compete against Canterbury. Thoro tho sheep were, mostly artificially fed, and through their freezing works being kept going all the year round they wero able to make the charges less to the farmer than in this district, where the freezing was only carrried on during the four grass months. We had much more rain hero, arid sheep would not fatten on turnips in the cold, wet weather. Ho bad been three times to England, and had given tho most of his time when there to this industry, and he could not discover a way to make the British public take the Wellington brand instead of the Canterbury frozen mutton or give as good a price for it,

The following officers were elected for the coming year, viz:—President, Mr If. 11. Beethain ; vice-presidents, Messrs J. Bidwill and J. Strang; treasurer, Mr W. Booth : assistant treasurer, Mr 11. Braithwaite; auditor, Mt F. Feist. Thofclloving names were added to the committee in the place of those retiring by rotation: — .Messrs W. C. Buchanan, MILK', 11. 11. Bunny, O. W. Doller, A. Matthews, J. Stevens, J. Donald, J. Moncrieff, A. Booth, J. Reynolds, W. 11. Beetham, N. Grace, R. Kemble and W. B. Allen. The secretary, Mr E. W. Dorset, was complimented on tho way in which ho had carried out his arduous duties.