THE SOUTH ISLAND

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16292, 27 January 1915, Page 2

THE SOUTH ISLAND

VIIOWS OF A HANK CHAIRMAN. (Fhom Oun Own CoRnKSPONniwr.) WKf.UNCTON. January 25. Mr Harold B. ; ii.<li : iin ls president'of tli<Bank of New Zealand, has ju*t returned from a flying visil, to the Soutti l>hiu<l, (Hid he made some interesting remarks on the subject of in.s observations, to a representative of the I'o.sl to day. lie .slated that eoinpelenl authorities estimate that tile vield of whmt in South Canterbury will Varv fiom 20 t<, 36 bushels per acre. lie continued, "u.s growers are reckoning on receiving not less than 7« per bushel, this will mean a handsome return to them. One funnel in a large way infoiiiud rue that lie had already been offered, and had refused, this price for his wheat. I understand that there are 23,000 more corns under cultivation in Llw dominion this .season a.s compared with last season, tvo, allowing for smaller yields ;n the other districts, the outlook both from the. consumem' and growers' standpoint, is on the whole not unsatisfactory. On the other hand oats will be in light (supply, owing to a lower yield per acre, and the fart that the average of this cereal is, I believe, 74,000 bushels less than it was in 1914. Owing to the splendid prices realised for wool, chiefly crossbreds in late sales ntChristehurch, T.mfiru, Dunedin, and Invercargill, ahecpfarmers are rejoicing. So also are the dairymen, who are now getting such line pr ces for the.r products. Their prosperity is already reflected in the bank and Post Oflico returns recently published, and these, no doubt, will make un even bettor showing at the close of the next financial quarter, say March 31." Mr Beauchamp is loud in his praises of the Mount Cook district. "Mount Cook and its adjacent peaks possess such unique attractions that they are bound to draw thither alpine climbers and lovers of mountain scenery in increasing numbers year by year. 'The Sky Piercer' has so far jiot been climbed this season—an attempt was made to do so about 10 days ago by two Sydney climbers, but after reaching the bivouac and remaining there for nearly 24 hours, they were compelled to descend owing to a heavy and persistent fall of snow. These gentlemen arc looking forward to making a successful effort next year. Amongst the visitors to the Hermitage whilst I was there were the Commonwealth Prime Minister (the Right Hon. Andrew Fisher) and his party, and they appeared to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. They intended spending nearly a week at Mount Cook and then proceeding to Queenstown by motor. Returning to Christehurch, I travelled by train to Parnassus, thence by motor to Ward, stopping a night at Kaikoura. On the journey one passes through some scenery of surpassing beauty, the run by motor between Kaikoura and the Clarence River along the shores of the sea const being particularly fine. Ihrougli not having a decent rainfall since May the greater portion of Marlborough is in a deplorable condition. The gram crops are practically ruined and pastorahsts are at their w"its end to find feed for the flocks and herds. If rain doi-s not come soon slaughter prices will have to be accepted for sheep and cattle, as the means of transportation are difficult and expensive. "From Ward to Blenheim I travelled by train, and from the last named town I proceeded to Nelson by motor. Here again, from a scerrc standpoint, embracing peaceful valleys occupied by well cultivated farms, mostly small holdings, fine stretches of seascapes in the vicinity of Havelock and Nelson, majestic mountains, more or less clothed by native bush, one finds much to admire. At Nelson I had the opportunity of inspecting one or two large apple orchards. I was much impressed with the development of this industry that has taken place, at Moutere in particular, since I visited that, locality two years ago. Mr Ralph B. Jackson has a fine property ot ™7r,n 140 O , CTCS ' on which ho ha s planted 22,500 apple trees of different varieties home of those are three and a half years old, and he expects to get a crop this year of over 2000 cases. Within the next three or four years large quantities of this fruit will be available for export, and this, no doubt, will encourage frequent visits of overseas steamers. Already Nelson merchants have more orders for apples for shipment to South America than thev can fill ' On my late tour there was 'evidence of happiness and prosperity on nearly every side, and it was difficult to imagine that our Emipre was engaged in a life and death struggle with its powerful enemy "