A NORTH ISLAND TALK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3216, 3 November 1915, Page 13

A NORTH ISLAND TALK.

(From Oub Own- Correspondent.) PALMERSTON N.> October 26. Farmers arc taking notice of the increasing seriousness of tlie war news, and are responding by more generous interpretations of tneir obligat.ons. Mr A. P. Whatman, for instance, has sot the ball going in Wairarapa by initiating a movement for all sheep farmers to donate to the Allies’ Relief Fund two fleeces of wool out of every 100, and for meat-raisers and dairy farmers to contribute on similar Tines. The proceeds will go towards assisting the soldiers’ hospitals and convalescent establishments and providing comforts. The promoters are confident of getting a big Wairarapa contribution in this way. In other directions the same spirit is spreading. Mr E. Griffiths, the well-known Taranaki Jersey-breeder, gave the Patriotic Committee of New Plymouth an imported Jersey bull, Petune’s Noble, valued at £156, to be raffled for in aid of the Belgian and Wounded Soldiers’ Funds. The effort produced over £SOO. The winner was Miss Mary S. Thacker, of Okain’s Bay, Banks Peninsula. As a type of what tlie da.ry farmers are doing I may mention numerous gifts of cheese laden with coins for sale at patriotic functions, and occasional direct votes of money by suppliers’ meetings, though there is still plenty of room for an extension of the generosity in that direction. Butter-factories at present are paying out from Is to Is 2d per lb for fat, which is about 2d higher than 'was paid last season. The outlook is for an increased income of at least 10 per cent, over normal, so that each dairy farmer can easily tell his factory directors to vote 10 per cent, of the income to the war and relief funds before he needs to think he is actually beginning to give . at all. All farmers pan respond to the appeal now being made for gifts of basic slag bags for use as sand bangs in the trenches. These bags, the Defence Department is announcing, are of the right dimensions, and will be forwarded unaltered. Depots are being established at suitable spots for receiving the bags, and it is hoped the North Island will provide many thousands for protecting the lives of Now Zealanders in the ‘ trenches. THE SHEARING. Attempts have been made to push forward the shearing, but from some quarters delays are reported from wet weather and other causes. Some interest was aroused In the Wellington province lately by a faceting of shearers at Masterton resolving to ask for 25s per 100 instead of the award minimum of £l. I understand there are about 800 shearers ojierating in the district, but only a small part of those was present at the meeting, which was not officially * countenanced by the union. It appears 1 that official support by the union to such a resolution would have been equivalent to a renunciation of the award, and incurred liability to prosecution and fine. So far as I can judge, it does not seem likely that the resolution will be universally carried put, though individual applications for more ’ than the £l per 100 will probably be fairly numerous. Such an instance occurred on pne of the large Wairarapa stations, whore the men demanded 25s per 100 before they would bake their coa-U» —• wi/auiest

was refused, and the men declined to work. This, it is said, does not constitute a strike, because the men had never begun to work. Farmers who intend insisting on the award rate explain that they prefer to give their extra profits to the war funds. Some of the small farmers are, however, paying the 25s demanded. SECTIONS FOR SOLDIERS. . Not so much has hvtely been heard about the Government’s proposed allotment of land for returned soldiers. Probably enough wounded soldiers have now returned to support a ballot, and it there are any land-seekers among them they cannot rest idle if the scheme is to be deferred till the war is ended. I think the authorities will be acting unwisely if they concentrate all their plans in this direction upon fruit farms. These men are not likely to be men of large moans, able to wait several years for the income to begin. Of all the available industries, dairying is admitted to be the one which offers the quickest returns. Dairying is now booming ,and its future appears very sound. Fruit-growing, on the contrary, is an industry of chance. There are orcharclists to-day who are facing the futuiT rather gloomily. “ Apples.” said one of these, ” will soon be glutted just as peaches now are. You say the export industry will prevent that. But where are our customers ? The American markets have yet to be made; and as for England !” The shrug of his shoulders seemed to suggest that when the w r ar is finished England will be so battered that she will no longer be the rich customer she has been hitherto. Hence the lessened demand, added to the perpetual risks of deterioration in transit, i make fruit a less rosy proposition than ! dairying. The Gorton Estate at Cambridge, j now coming forward for ballot, seems a I suitable place for establishing the first j soldiers’ settlement, and it is suitable for either fruit or butter-fat. Much Waikato interest surrounds the open'ng of that estate, and I notice that the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce is asking that the ballot take place, not at Auckland, but at Cambridge, so that applicants may at the same time inspect their sections. Another estate of 1500 acres, the Mor.avale Estate, was recently acquired by the Government for closer settlement in the same • district, and will be made available later. Settlers at Matetonga, near Morrinsville, are urging the Government to buy the Maukoro Estate at Tahuna. I think the Government will be wise to get options over as many suitable estates as possible while the war is making big holders willing to sell. When the war ends there may be a strong rush for land, which would enhance prices. . There was an auction sale hold at Martinborough a week ago, wdien three sections in the Maraenui Estate ot Mr P. E. Perry were offered. They were passed in at the following figures:-—1295 acres, at £8 per acre; 1040 acres, £5 15s; 575 acres, £5 2s 6d. | FREEZING INDUSTRY. ! The Taranaki Farmers’ Meat Company (Ltd.) has allotted 8571 shares and received £7573 13s in respect of them. A sum of £1145 has been spent towards the purchase and development of the site. The current talk is about the reopening °f works in various parts of the north. The Gisborne Sheep Farmers’ Works wore to begin the now season to-day. The new Horotiu works of the Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Company are to begin early in January. I understand the completion of the machinery ,>was made possible through special concessions which the Admiralty made at the request of the Now Zealand Government. The works will have storage for 70,000 sheep. Early January will also see the opening of the new works at Westfield. Altogether 11 new freezing works are being built or’ definitely projected in New Zealand, providing storage for about 900,000 additional carcases. And the enlargement of storage at the previously existing works adds a further 900,000 capacity. At the height of the accumulation in those anxious days of last winter the stores held 2,198,000 carcases, so that shortly the total New Zealand capacity will reach the reassuring dimensions of 4,000,000 carcases. The expectations in the North Island are for large offerings of sheep and lambs in the coming season, but reduced supplies of beef. The beef herds have been steadily experiencing depletion for some years past, and this fact has been responsible for the high values reached for local consumption. The recent increase from Id to per lb in the freight on veal (which is not commandeered) ia expected to chock the exportation of this class of stock in view of the high values in prospect for the grown beef. _ Meat works are now fairly empty, shipping space is adequate, and the works authorities are expressing confidence in the freight situation for next season. The mild weather of spring has helped in the finishing of considerable numbers of beef, and this is reflected in the past week’s Now Zealand exports, which included beef to the value of nearly £IOO,OOO, while mutton and lamb exceeded that figure by only just over to oer cent

THE DAIRY OUTRUT. I heard the other day of a North Auckland factory refusing- to sell its butter output at one-sixteenth of a penny over Is per lb, and preferring to consign. From all quarters the talk is about the grand outlook. The abundance of feed, the good condition of the stock owing to the mildness of the winter, and tiro high price ruling have produced a situation that has never before been experienced. Some factories received more milk in September—which is somtimes regarded as the opening of., the season—than they did at the flush of the season last year. Several Taranaki factories, with dual plants, contemplate leaving the cheese plant idle this season, although Bgd (the price recently obtained by the Tatua Factory) is not bad for cheese. lip to and including last week’s shipments, Taranaki has exported this season 28,241 boxps of butter and 7662 crates of cheese. Auckland has exported in the same period 83,503 boxes of butter and 2402 crates of cheese, as against 55,109 boxes of butter and 461 crates of cheese at the same time last year. Auckland’s three shipments have been assessed respectively at Is 3d, Is Sgd, and Is 4d, showing a steady increase. Taking the increased quantity and price together, the total value of the shipments shows an increase of nearly 50 per cent. The Auckland buttervalues have been computed as follows for the three shipments:

Thus the two opening- months of the season have given an excess in butter value of about £150,000. Perhaps it is too much to expect a similar surplus for the next six months; 'but if it did occur, the season’s surplus in Auckland alone would be about £600,000. When one remembers the recent suggestions that all the surplus should be given to the war funds, the proposal assumes in the light of these figures very big proportions for all Now Zealand —perhaps £2,500,000 —a lump of money that would give the Gormans a very nasty smack. HAWKE’S BAY SHOW. Tire Hawke's Bay show at-Hastings opened last Wednesday in windy weather before only a fair attendance. The following are the championship results : Leicester ram, Mrs J. D. Ormond; ram under 30 months, Douglas M’Laan. Romney ram, W. Perry; ewe, G. E. Allen; under 30 months, J. Corpe. „ Southdown ram, Jas. Knight; ewe, Richmond and Fcrnie. Lincoln ram W. Perry; owe, Mrs J. D. Ormond; under 30 months, D. M'Lean. Border Leicester ram and ewe, Mrs J. D. Ormond. Shropshire ram, W. Rayner; ewe, E. J. Cooper. Shorthorn bull, D. M'Lean; bull and four females, D. M‘Loan. Polled Angus bull, A. S. G. Carlyon; cow, J. A. Macfarlane. Hereford bull and four females, E. Short. Hostein bull, W. I. Lovelock; bull, three years, W. I. Lovelock;, cow, W. I. Lovelock; heifer, W. Raymond. Hereford bull and cow, E. Short; heifer, O. A. J. Lovett. Jersey cow, F. W. Fitzpatrick; heifer, C. F. Goodrich. Berkshire boar and sow, Mrs J. Wall. Draught entire. P. C. Ward; , mare. Mrs J. D. Ormond; harness horse, I H, J. D. Clayebrook; saddle horse, W. Howard Booth. A HOLSTEIN SALE. A sale of Holsteiife at Mr W. I. Lovelock’s farm, near Palmerston North, resulted in the following prices being paid: lOOgs, 90gs, 60gs, 43gs, 42gs, 37gs, 33gs, 30gs (3), and 29gs. EXPORT OF PRODUCE. WELLINGTON, October 28. The exports of New Zealand products during the week ended Tuesday were valued as follow : Butter ... £100.845 Cheese 22,748 Frozen lamb 87,176 Frozen mutton 110,266 Frozen beef, etc ... 53,354 Gold 251,444 Hides and skins 12,414 Kauri gum ... 1,279 Flax and tow 5,818 1 Tallow ... 8,869 Timber 5.113 Wool 46,244

1915. 1914. £ £ Otaki .. 72,852 14,226 Bimutaka 101,856 70,072 Arawa . 128,893 70,005