THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16293, 28 January 1915, Page 6

THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY

NEW ZEALAND'S PROSPECTS. MR MASSEY OPTIMISTIC. (Fboii Ocb Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, January 27, An interesting and important speech on some phases of the agricultural industry was delivered by the Prime Minister (the Right Hon. W. F. Maesey) at the Levi.i Show yesterday. Mr iVlaasey said that it was true that this was an abnormal season. We had experienced a serious drought, which had interfered with some of our important products, but in some parts of the country the season had been a good one. Though the drought would interfere with the exports in the districts affected our exports as a whole would, he believed, be larger than for the previous season in point of quantity and in point of value, and last year was a record. When he said that the drought had interfered with growth he was thinking more particularly of cereals. For the first time in history, as far as he remembered, we had had to import wheat. During the year 1915 we would have a more serious shortage still, and would have to import more wheat. This year farmers, like other people, had gone in for the growing of other things wlvich paid them better than wheat, but he hoped that in a year or two wo would be growing enough wheat for our own consumption. Regarding other products this had been a wonderfully productive season. There had been a great improvement in the past; few weeks in the export of flax. The fruit industry was progressing rapidly, and he believed that we would soon get to the stage when we would be sending away £1,000,000 worth of apples per year. For the year ending December 31, 1914, £26,261,477 worth of products was exported from New Zealand, and that was a record by a very long way. One therefore needed a very groat deal of confidence in the country and in the energy of the people to think that this season would beat the last season, and he thought it would. The values of the exports for the last season included the fol-lowing-.—Wool, over £1,000,000; butter, £2,300,000; cheese, £2,500,000; beef, over £1,000,000; lamb, £2,500,000; mutton, £2.250.000; sheepskins, £856,000; tallow, £694,000; oats, £166,000; hides, £358,000. This showed that of the £26,000,000 worth of exports, £22,000.000 worth came direct from the land, and proved that for a long time to come New Zealand would depend very largely upon its agricultural industries. Therefore. New Zealand should give every encouragement to its people to go on the land and become successful settlers.