NEW ZEALAND MATTERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2666, 19 April 1905, Page 9

NEW ZEALAND MATTERS.

(Pastoralists' Review.) —Sheep-carrying Capacity of New Zealand.—-

The sheep statistics of New Zealand have shown a decrease for two years past, and now the meat export trade is showing a consequent shortage. This has given rise to an impression that New Zealand has pretty well attained the maximum of its sheep-carrying capacity, which appears to i.s to be insufficiently grounded. The causes of the- recent stoppage in the growth of the sheep stock are well known. They consist, first, of the handing over to dairying of land formerly used for sheep ; secondly, of the excessive export of ewe lambs. The causes which are likely to lead to an inciease in the number of sheep from this time on are not far to seek. They consist ia the extension of mixed farming, or middle-class settlement, and in the improvement of farming methods, especially the latter. The present price of fat stock is acting as a strong incentive in this direction, and anyone who travels through ths" colony can hardly fail to notice how much more trouble is being taken of late with fanning. The great drawback is the cost of labour, but invention is meeting the difficulties arising from this cause, and the turnipthinning machine will alone make an immense difference, doubling the winter feed, which is the difficulty in New Zealand. We shall not be surprised if the sheep statistics for 1904-5, which are taken on the 31st of this month, show that the downward movement has already stopped, but in any case there will be a considerable increase during 1805, which will gather force as it goes on, and the meat export trade will respond next season. It is impossible to be confident about anything that is going to happen three or four years ahead in this world ; and no sensible New Zealander will dismiss lightly the danger of Australian and Argentine competition. But there is no reason in the world why New Zealand should not eventually carry twice its present sheep stock if it can find a sufficiently payable market for its specialties.

—Small Settlement. —

Small settlement is the demand of- the day throughout Australia and New Zealand, to which its apparent success in NewZealand has' given an edge. If carried out carefully, .md without injustice to present holders of land, w© believe the small settlement is the right thing. But_ it is not so easy to carry out successfully ~'as what has happened in New Zealand is a.pt to make people ihink. Over and above the general consideration that land with an assured rainfall is comparatively scarce in Australia, it has to be borne in mind that the success of small settlement in New Zealand' has been immensely assisted by a rapid increase in the value of land, or, putting the same thing in another way, by a rapid increase in its productive capacity, owing to the frczen mutton trade, and later the frozen lamb and butter trade, for the lamb trade is comparatively a recent discovery, and has added considerably to the value which the mutton trade had given to New Zealand land. "Any fool" who took up land in New Zealand the las 610 years could not help doing well — at worst he sold out at a large profit. It may be that the frozen lamb trade and the use of superphosphates are going to add similarly to the value of Australian land, and facilitate small settlement on this side of the water, but the increase has been to a large extent anticipated in Victoria and South Australia, where land even now is comparatively much dearer than in New Zealand. How in those States the Government is going to find land to offer to small settlers at values which will give the fairly incompetent a reasonable chance of success we do not quite see, and it :s the fairly incompetent whom the Government has mostly to cater for. as the competent can generally do better for themselves without resort to the Government.