THE DROUGHT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2785, 31 July 1907, Page 23

THE DROUGHT.

I The concessions which the Railway Department has extended to settlers in districts affected by drought in the" way of free return of stock which has been forwarded to Southland for depasturing purposes, and the free carriage of fodder to the districts affected, have already been taken advantage of by a few settlers, and will doubtless be largely availed of in the course of the next few days. By a typographical error it was made to appear in yesterday morning's issue that the conoeseions would come into force on Monday I next, whereas they came into operation on. Monday of this week. ITS EFFECT ON THE DAIRY INDUSTRY. The extraordinarily severe drought of last summer and its attendant disastrous Tesults , on crops of all descriptions is, as was forei casted, having a very serious effect on the ! dairy industry in general, and the prevailing dryness of the weather lias increased , the seriousness of the position. Tho lack of winter fodder has placed the dairy farmer over almost the whole of the province in a sorry plight, and heavy losses in stock have to be- faced. In the Oamaru district alone, as was intimated yesterday morning, between 4000 and 5000 head of cattle have been sent out of the district or potted. A Times reporter called at the office of the Taieri and Peninsula Milk Supply Company yesterday and elicited a few facts concerning the effects of the drought on this company's business. In the

first place, the fulfilling of British engagements is quite out of the question. The extreme shortage of supplies has simply paralysed the company's export trade. This is a serious thing for the Taieri and Peninsula Company, for it presents an opportunity to other countries, and it is only too readily availed of, to step in and secure a trade that New Zealand formerly possessed. At the present time the compny's output of butter and milk is just sufficient to cope with the local demand, and outside clients have, perforce, to go without their usual supplies of butter this season. There has been no rain to 6peak of since the severe drought of six months ago, and if there is a dry spring matters will assume a very fserious aspect. The position is in every direction a lugubrious one. The ecaroity of fodder has meant an extensive reduction in herds, and owing to the extremely high prices ruling for chaff, oats, bran, etc., turnips and mangolds have to form a large proportion, of present fodder. The quality of the butter and milk suffers in consequence. The Oamaru factory is just managing to keep local trade supplied, and has to refuse all outside orders. It is to hoped that the position will improve about the beginning of October, but that is only if there is anything like a good fall of rain in the meantime. At the present time factory butter is being retailed at Is Id per lb, but the Taieri and Peninsula. Company considers there is ample justification for a rise in this commodity. The North Island dairy farmers have had a good season, and for that reason factories there having big supplies are in a position to place butter oh the local market, and that hae a tendency to keep prices down. Had a bad season been also experienced in the North Island butter prices would have been fancy ones. At the present time the Taieri and Peninsula Company draws most of its supplies from, the Taieri down to "Kaitangata, where conditions are a little better than elsewhere. There is a noticeable falling off in supplies from the Peninsula. The Oamaru district is the most seriously affected, and this affects both factories, as the. local factory has been accustomed to draw a large portion of its supplies from Oamaru. For purposes of comparison, it may be mentioned that the quantity of milk received by the Taieri and Peninsula Company during the month of May totalled 363,480 gallons, as against 518,132 gallons for the same month of last year, showing a falling off of 154,652 gallons. During the month of June the milk supply totalled 239, 100 gallons, as against 378,679 gallons for the same month of last year, showing a falling off of 139,579 gallons.