SEED-RAISING IN OTAGO

Otago Witness, Issue 3403, 4 June 1919, Page 13

SEED-RAISING IN OTAGO

A SCHEME OF DEVELOPMENT. The following report was submitted by Mr J. Loudon at the meeting of the Dl»* triot Bepatriation, Board last weeks— I beg respectfuly to submit for the con* sidcvation of the board the above question, believing as I do that the most desirablj form our efforts hi repatriating returned men can take is to open up, wherever pot« sible reproductive and independent averiuei of employment, and particularly where sucty avenues 'are in the direction of increasing the wealth and productivity of the dominion in its primary products. Feasibility of Producing <■ High Grad* Seeds.—l have made exhaustive inquiries in many quarters during the past thre* months, and in quite a number of oases where the parties themselves have expert* mented on a limited scale. The unaol* mous verdict is that in no part of th« Empire can seeds of a higher grade anxs Duality be produced than in Central Otagoy t is unnecessary here to detail flat potential properties of the soil or climat* as these are well-known to members of th» board.

Commercial Aspect.—Similarly, olose in» I vestigations have been made as to th« • j soundness of the proposition from a oonv I meroial point of view, and from these therf seems no possible reason for doubt as to the success of such a soheme, at a wealthproducing agency. There i* a world market for high grade seeds. Ou* dominion at present holds a splendid repqr tation for the excellenoe and purity of it* , producta— a most valuable commercial asset | and one which should, and can, be main* i tained or enhanced in the production of/ j seed 3. According to the Year Book of 1915 the value of 6eeds imported ta • New Zealand was £327,590, and exported | £108,215, which included £66,172 on «v ! count of beans and peas. It will easily | bo seen if we can ourselves provide, say, I three-fourths of the importations .and increase our export appreciably what the inj dustry means to the dominion. \ Practical Proposals Suggested.—ln the I first place I should like to say that among** • others who have expressed confidence in ! the proposition are Mr R. K. Smith, of ! Tarras, Mr Charles Todd, and Mr Jarne* Horn, late of Central Otago. These gentle- ! men have an intimate knowedge of th« i capabilities of the land, and have, them- | selves, first-hand experience of seed raising, ' I am also indebted- to Mr J. H. Nimmo, j of Dunedin, for valuable information re* ! garding the commercial aapeot. Thee* 1 gentlemen have faith in the proposition, and have indicated to me personally their willingness to render any assistance or ad--1 vice in their power. I would suggest they be invited to become members of th» Industrial Development Committee of th» | Board. Their advice would be most valuable. Suitable Area of Land and Estimated Initial Outlay.—lt appear* to me that aa I area on the Westcott Settlement would bo 1 a suitable place to commence operations, the land being admirably adapted for th« purpose and capable of irrigation if necessary at a small cost. As far as I can estimate roughly the initial cost of buildings tfl| accommodate a farm manager and an expert director and, say, 10 to 15 men, together with the necessary working equip* >. ment, would amount to, between £3OOO £3500. Mr Sadd, Commissioner of Crown i Lands, has supplied me with full particularf | of the available, sections on the settlement named, and while he could not commit th« .: department, he expressed the opinion they/ would deal with our board liberally in th* matter of rent. I should like the questions of the suitability of the land and the initial outlay verified by our chairman (Mr Begg) •and Messrs Smith, C. Todd, Horn, and \ Nimmo after a personal inspection of th« property, i Management and Expert Directorship.— Two essentials required to make the ex- ! periment a success would be to have a .thor- | oughly competent farm manager to supervisf | the preparation of the land and to allot ana control the work generally; and also % practical seed-raising expert. There should ; not bo any trouble in obtaining the services. jiof a capable farm manager within the do» 'minion, but with regard to the latter ther* might be difficulty in getting a man experienced in seed-raising in all its branches. J 4 this connection Mr R. K. Smith, makes, th* suggestion that the Government should ash i the High Commissioner (Sir Thomas M'Ken* zie) to engage the services of the class ol ' officer required from one of the great British seed-growing firms. j Profit-sharing System of Working.— In order to furnish an incentive to put forth i their best efforts and to take an intelligent ', interest in the scheme, any profit mad* . should be equally divided amongst thos* engaged in the work. The proposition should*"be worked on sound lines—i.e., all management expenses, interest on initial 1 outlay, rent, wages, and working charge* should bo charged against production. I have not burdened this statement with details such as an estimated profit account, etc., because in the meantime it if uncertain as to what area may be decided) i on to deal with, and the extent to which the board and Government may be prepared to assist. I take" it the schema must first have the approval of our own board, and, secondly, trie approval of the Central Repatriation Board and the Government. > If these are given, then complete and detailed I information can be submitted before finally I embarking on the work. j Tho desire of the Repatriation Board is t<* provide wherever possible healthful occupa? tions for our returned men and a vocational! training that will lead to useful, indepeqj dent, and happy lives. T may be unduly op* timistio, but tho scheme outlined seems *0 me to fulfil these objects, besides .fosterindi

a primary industry that will be of benefit to the whole dominion. The report was received and approved, and remitted to the Industrial Development Committee, with power to act. Messrs E. F. Duthio and Hugh Mitchell (Farmers' Union) were added to the oommittee, which meets on Monday. The scheme, as outlined, subject to any amendments made by the committeo, will be submitted to the Central Repatriation Board and the Government, asking for their approval and assistance.