THE NORTH ISLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3415, 29 August 1919, Page 13

THE NORTH ISLAND.

(Fhom Uuii Own Cobhesponujsnt.) Pleasant meteorological conditions have prevailed during the past week, and' one of tne teatures has been the number of iambs vvnich nave been dropped, top far as 1 can gather from the date-rent sheep districts, tne lambing is developing weil, and providing that no cold and prolonged rains set in, there should bo a very satisiactory return. In a tour round some of the country districts during the past week I could not help noticing that there was a greater proportion than usual of ewes with pairs and triplets at foot. Most of the "big families" appeared to be doing real well, and the wooliy youngsters were as healthy as could be. Cows, too, are coming in at a satisfactory rate, and the dairy industry should soon be in full swing again. And the sooner the better, so far as butter is concerned, there being a very real shortage. Many families in the Wellington province have been on reduced rations, whilst not a few have been unable to get supplies at ail. The shortage of supplies for local consumption is apparently the result of tho long drought experienced in the summer and autumn. It is a remarkable fact. that, despite the drought, the output of the Northern Wairoa Dairy Company in the North of Auckland showed an advance of four and a-half tona over the previous year. This was exceedingly satisfactory considering the big setback dairying had as a result of the influenza and drought. The returns from the various dairy companies of the north would, of course, have shown a bigger yield had normal conditions prevailed; but, on the whole, they came through the season with advantage io suppliers, who all practically received bigger money than ever for their butter-fat. In looking over balance sheets it is noted that the deductions for cream tests are, in some cases, less than last year, and for grade almost double. It is evident from this that suppliers are only just trying to get into first grade, and the line between first and second is overstepped more frequently than formerly. Dairy companies all over the Auckland province have arrived at that conclusion. At the last conference held by the North Auckland companies and also by the South Auckland companies, it was decided that companies be recommended to pay a bonus for all cream grading over a certain standard. If this is done it will be an inducement to suppliers to take special care of their cream, and it is quite obvious that the result will show an appreciable effect upon quality in the future. GOOD PROSPECTS FOR THE COMING SEASON. Inquiries all round servo to show that the prospects for the new dairy season are considered good, especially in the Taranaki, Waikato, Thames Valley, Southern Hawke's Bay, and North Auckland. SENTIMENT GOING OVERBOARD. « As already indicated in the columns of the Witness, there is a wave of amalgamation of dairy companies at present in the Auckland province. Farmers are realising that sentiment in regard to having a factory in their neighbourhood has to go to the wall,, and it was pointed out at a North Auckland dairy meeting the other day that purchasers of farms now ask, "What was the price paid for butter-fat by your company last year?" not "How far is it to your factory?" This new process of reasoning has unquestionably been brought about by home separation. Distance to the factory in districts so affected is now nothing to the farmer, but the value of produce at his :s everything. The value of dairying land is high, and in good districts prices may go still higher. It is because of that particular view that many dairymen favour amalgamation, the argument being that the solution of a big problem is for small companies to join in with those in a better position to collect and market at a lesser cost. The new position is full of possibilities and developments arising out of amalgamation will be watched with interest. IN TARANAKI. In the Taranaki province cows are coming in fast, and though feed is not what might be called plentiful, there is sufficient to keep the herd in good condition. A good many of the cheese factories will have resumed operations before these notes are in print, most of them working on alternate days. In most of the districts several new suppliers have come forward, whilst some of the older ones have augmented their herds. In chatting with :ome of the prominent dairymen of Taranaki during the past week I gathered that a very successful season was anticipated with, in some cases, a satisfactory increase in the payment for butterfat, which, after all, is the item which counts the most with the majority. VELLS. Some of the Taranaki dairy companies are paying 4s for first-grade veils, 2s for seconds, and Is for thirds. It is understood that the manufacture of rennet in Taranaki promises to be a great success; the quality being now equal to that of the imported article. There appears to be a probability of rennet being made from lambs' veils, large quantities of which were available. Tho experiments, so far, have come up to expectations, and f the lamb's veil is accepted for manufacturing purposes, the price of rennet {should come down, in view of the supply that would be available. THE MEAT EXPORT BUSINESS. The meat export crisis is being fully discussed by the producers and the Govern ment, and a definite line of action has been decided upon. A committee haying been appointed to go into the question of a delegation to the Old Country. This was taken at Palmerston North on Thursday, when a meeting of producers, held under the auspicea of the Wellington provincial branch of the Farmers' Union, agreed upon a committee being set up to proceed to tho Old Country for the purpose of making fullest investigation into marketing, etc. At the meeting a letter was read_ from the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald urging careful consideration of the seleotion of the delegation. He considered one member from the North Island and _ one from the South Island would be sufficient, but four should be the limit. In any case a Government officer acquainted with the meat export trade should be added. ALLEGED DETERIORATION OF MEAT. The alleged deterioration of meat in the stores created some discussion at the Pal-

mcrston meeting of producers, Mr Cooper having indicated that a good deal of tiio meat in store was deteriorating. Mr Hugh Burrell, of Fcilding, disagreed, and he declared that meat in the Fcilding stores was as. good as the day it was put in. Some of it was killed in 1918. It would bo. a pity to suggest that meat was only fit for manure. The crux of the matter was shipping. The Home people wanted the New Zealand moat. The trouble was New Zealand was short of insulated space. Ships could not be built at the present ruling prices to profitably carry the New Zealand farmers' meat. A beast was kept in the Auokland works seven, years, and was all right when taken out. Mutton kept better than beef. THE DOMINION'S STOCK. A return showing the total number of sheep, horses, cattle, and pigs in the Dominion on April 30, 1919, has been issued. It is estimated that the number of sheep has decreased by 709,743 since the last census was taken. The following figures show the number of the various classes of stock in the Dominion at the end of April:

In analysing the returns it will be seen that there is a drop of 710,000 in sheep, for which the usual severity of last winter is partly responsible. Against this an increase of 150,000 in cattle. This increase shows that lie dairying industry, which has developed so rapidly in recent' years, has more than held its own during the last year, both in stock generally and jn dairy cows. It has been done so in spite of the fact that the cheese and dried milk in. dustry, which are not so favourable to calf-rearing as in butter-making, have made great strides. The tale of rapid progress in the industry told by the export statistics is repeated in these stock returns. Ten years ago the number of sheep was about 22,500,000; this year it is 25,828,000. But the number of oattle has risen from 1,773,000 to 3,000,000 in the same period. For the lover of horses a similar comparison may be melancholy. Instead of there being an increase proportionate to population and development, there are almost exactly the same number of horses in the Dominion today as there were 10 years ago. One reason is that the motor is having its effect; another is that the falling away_ in the demand for New Zealand horses in Australia has affected breeding. The returns remind one how little development there has been in New Zealand compared with the country's possibilities. Why, even the United Kingdom, .with all its immense development of urban industries, has several more million sheep than we have. We have no more than scratched the surface of the country.

April 30, L-ast 1919. Census. Sheep 25,828,554 26,538,302 Horeca 363,902 378,050 'Dairy cows 820,451 793,215 2,869,465 Total number of cattle 3,021,781 Pigs 235,222 258,694