THE NORTH ISLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3612, 5 June 1923, Page 12

THE NORTH ISLAND.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Changeable weather has prevailed during the past week, but it cannot be called other than seasonable. There was particularly heavy rain at Wellington, and over an inch fell for the 24 hours ending Monday morning. A good deal of rain fell in other parts, but it was not ct sufficient duration or heaviness to hold up any field work. The end of the dairying season having come to a number of factories the work of additions and alterations is being made. Quite a number of factories find that additional plant is required to cope with increasing supplies, and preparations are beng made to have the installation carried out. PRIMARY PRODUCTS. It has been said that New Zealand is yet in its infancy in regard to its productive capabilities, and that a-s the unoccupied lands become settled the export trade, big as it now is, will grow into proportions little dreamt of at present. There is certainly room for optimism in view of the rapid development of our primary industries during the past few years, and the export figures for the past year provides every encouragement to believe that the values will see a big increase each year For the 12 months ending March 31, 1923. the total value of exports was £45 548,817! of vouch butter, cheese, wool, frozen meat and skins made up £38.299,395. This leaves a balance of £7.249.422 for the rest of the exports, including timber, gum. and flax ru ° f woo! exported totalled fcM.u05.567, as compared with £7 669 137 the previous year. The butter sent awav f ßt £^’ 324 ’ 569 ’ " compared with im» for vear ended March 3* 1922. The combined v-lpe of butter n ud cheese exported was £15.808 986, „-hile the 'wool Wr meat, and skins were worth another £22 430.37,3

HEAVY RAILWAY FREIGHTS ON BUTTER. sitv of n e,’tb! "r Ko . vern ™ont see the necessity of either lowering the railway freights on produce or make such a tax on S, tractmn that it cannot afford to so successful ly compete against the railways. It is astoundmg tne volume of traffic now pass"VU er 16 roads ’ ! he hea 'T cost of which is being borne by the local bodies. A few days ago the question of the freight on butter between Heiensville and Auckland of IS North dered w y - a re P resen tative meeting of Northern Mairoa and Kaipara Dairy Companies, and it was contended that 21s od per tori from Heiensville to Auckland was too high compared with motor freights fhe C h,m Cre about balf th< ; Price. To send the butter over the roads instead of bv lailway would mean a big saving, as the output of the factories concerned is about T 3 ’. Ifc J ? interesting to note that wtmn the Imperial Government was paying 2s 6d tier lb tor butter, freights on the railway were increased. Prior to that the Government had carried buttter at a verv Gv' ,1° < r! ,coura S c dairying Indusi>. /it the time the rates were advanced there was a 40 percent increase in most other ones. The feeling of the meeting was that, as butter is now realising much less tnan when the freights were advanced, a reduction of railway freights should ba , \ vas agreed that the companies -houid combine and try to arrange for the carriage o- butter next season by motor trail spelt. It seems rather a pity that the Government should be so obdurate about decreasing the railway freights in such a case, particularly as other districts are similarly concerned, and it must mean the loss of thousands a year in railway revenue to the Government, apart from the increased expenditure necessary for the roads. The whole question of railway freights requires careful revision and adjustment.

WAIKATO WINTER SHOW. °ne of the most memorable events in the Waikato during the past week was tne holding of the Waikato Winter Show winch ran practically the whole week. The big exhibition was opened by the Prime Minister, and in every way the show made tresn history. I here was a record in all classes, as well as attendance, and the Waikato Winter Show can now be regarded as one of the biggest and best in the Dominion. The main feature, of course was the dairy produce exhibition, the exnibds totalling nearly 900, which constitutes not only a New Zealand but a world’s record. The results have already been published, but these were not made without the very serious consideration of the only half a point separating first and second m many instances. The educative phases of the show w-ere strengthened as far as possible. The farmer—the man behind the whole movement—was catered for most liberally by special and original exhibits and demonstrations. The district, courts of which there were four, formed a verv fine display, being, as it were, miniature exhibitions in themselves. The Agrioultural Department had a special space set, aside where scores of farmers spent a very profitable hour or two inspecting the exb!b,ts’ t th . e Waikato Winter ~how of 1923 ranks easily as the best show ever held in the Auckland province, and easily held its own with those of other parts of the Dominion. A CALF TROUBLE. It is stated that lungworm has attacked some of the calves in Taranaki this season. The trouble is believed to be due to the continued wet in the early months of the year and the rough feed they had in some places. With care, however, they will all probably throw off the trouble. TARANAKI ROOTS. An important time in the year, as far as Taranaki is concerned, is the arrival of

Uie pciiou tor the judging or roots, and lamrers oil over tne province are con»e.iueuuy snowing vuiat Nature, aiueu by luoir own eilorts, can produce in tne crops, unese, ol course, witn hay and ensilage, lorm tire main case ol tneir winter and

early spring leedmg, v, lien uie ground is nmernauug anti not yielding sumeient lor stooK requirements, and cattle, to Keep up tneir yield and to Cuiiti tneniselves up lor tne laDours 01 the season, require additional ■leedmg. According to the liuwera burr,' in south Taranaki the yields vary a good deal with the districts, tor some are more biessed than others and endowed with Uie power ot yielding better crops. That is to say, given equally good seed, as much and as good manuring and equally good cultivation in preparing the land and during the growing of tne crop, some parts will naturally yield more. 1 his is due to many causes, and is a fact that has to be accepted by the farmers. Then, too, the wet season suits some parts better than others, and what in one place is a help is in another a severe handicap. This has been shown Dy the results so far seen. The unusually wet season, though not good for any district, has alfected the coastal section less than those lands lying up towards the mountain. One feature which has been very noticeable is the number cif crops which are very close to one another in weight, and also the generally high standard of cultivation. In most cases it was good, and in some it was as nearly perfect as it was possible to be. This appears to indicate that the splendid advice concerning the value of cultivation which has been so freely given by Mr Deem (Fields Instructor of he Agricultural Department) and Mr Glasson has been widely accepted ard put to good practical use. This is surely one way in which the valuable work of demonstrating carried on by the department is making itself plain. The assembling of the farmers, too, at these competitions is in itself a capital idea, and must bear good fruit, for, apart from the social aspect of the gatherings, the conflict of opinions in the discussions that inevitably take place when farmers assemble together under such conditions and discuss the various subjects in which they are personally interested, no other than good could possibly result. NEW ZEALAND’S DAIRY INDUSTRY

The National Dairy Association has just published its 29th annual ieport of its operations, and it points out that of the dairy industry, notes that among the various countries supplying butter to Britain during 1922 New Zealand took second place, and that among those supplying cheese it took ti'st place. The Dominion’s contribution in butter made 26 per cent, of the total quantity imported into Britain, and its contribution in cheese 48 per cent. In terms of butter-fat, New Zealand supplies to Great Britain more dairy produce than any other country in the world, Denmark coming next.

“We have again to record a largely-in-creased production,” say 3 the report. “Up to April 30 the quantities of butter and cheese graded for the season give an increase over the quantities for the previous season of 39g per cent, in butter, and a decrease of 64 per cent, in cheese. On a butter fat basis this represents an increase of 22 1-3 per cent, over the figures for the previous season. The quantities graded was as follow:

1923. 1922. Tons. Tons. Butter .. .. 63,963 46,820 Cheese .. .. 55,883 59,633 The period is from August 1 to April 30. “The dairy producers of New Zealand have every reason to be proud of the place taken by the Dominion in the supply of butter and cheese to Great Britain. The British imports for 12 months ended December 31 are as follow for the last three

‘lt is. worthy of note, that the centre of gravity, so far as imports of dairy produce into Great Brite-m was concerned, is changing. In 1912, of the total importations into Britain, 25 per cent, of the butter and ap per cent, of the cheese came from the Southern Hemisphe e. In the year ending March 31, 1923, 55 per cent, of the butter arc 53 per cent, of the cheese came from the Southern Hemisphere. This alteration in the source of supply must of necessity play an important part in the marketmg of our produce, and it may become necessary to arrange so that a portion is delivered on the British market during the English summer, not only to secure the high piices which may eventually rule during that period, but to avoid an over-supply market during the English winter. “Mention should be made of a sale to New York of 1 59,000 boxes of butler for shipment in December and January which would certainly have given some relief to the over-supply in London during those months, but, unfortunately, the American buyers, with the firming of the English prices, and anticipating a larger profit, shipped the greater proportion of it tr> England This quantity played an important part in the very rapid fall in prices which later took place.” GENERAL.

Good Jersey hefers (coloured) are fetching up to £l4 in Taranaki, with every indication of a further rise. The Mas tor ton Dairy Company has de flided to store all surplus butter now in hand, for the local winter supply. It is stated that owing to the heavy de miand coining from the Waikato there is a prospect of dairy heifers being in short supply ' j ho Daleficld Dairy Company made an advance of Is 3d per lb of butter-fat last >veek, the payment being for butter-fat supplied during April. A line of 239 fat, bullocks- —said to bo the finest that has over loft the Wairarapa —were purchased by a Palmerston North buyer The Turakina Co-operative Dairy Company has been advised of (he sale of its consignment of choose per Armagh at 90s 6d per owt.

DAIRY PRODUCE CONTROL.

TO TUB EDITOR. Slß,—Time and again last year, and now again at hi ratiord on Thursday, May Z 4, various members oi the Pool “clique” have teen asked tor definite liitoniiauon as to finance under the seneme. Whilst everything is so Hopelessly vague all concerned should have a perfectly clear assurance of the de.iinte system oi finance and oi just hovv they are to he certain of getting their monthly cheques. Practically every one ot the Pool promoters have replied at one time or another “rhere would be no trouble about finance,” and on request lor something more definite that “details could not be given until the Act was passed and the Hoard had got to work.” Now and again on in.-istance for particulars a Pool promoter has ventured upon something more definite as did Mr Corrican, M.P., at Stratford, on Thursday, when fie said, “The Dome merchants woulu establish ciedits with the Board as they did now with the individual factories, and the Board would also establish credit with each factory which would make safe advance to suppliers as at present. Now t-nero is certainly something definite about this and that is its completeness as a sample of the lack of knowledge of even the elements of the basis of our finance. On the 25tn April last year, Mr Corrigan, a. Hawera, made the following statement wiien seconding the motion in favour of the tool: “That it was certain if they could concentrate their produce on the English market they could save the £IOO,OOO a year t.iey wore now paying the agents,” meaning the local representatives of the Britisii firms. Mr Corrigan is only one of the many who have made similar statemeats, and also statements that the eliminatl< n: ■ ble l cca ' agents would alone be sufficient warrant for the Bill. The whoie basis of the poolites scheme is absolute control the produce is to become the property (in trust) of the Control Board o s ip, and sell, and the local agents are to cease to exist. To establish a LX w l ° Put It: crudely—which would be eftec ive a , now to provide funds for paymtnt of monthly cheques before the produce has even left the factory perhaps and certainly before it is far on its journey havT’ rLi rm PU V ing up th(l "edit must cither- ' r!S ' ht “'I" the produce, : n f , purchaser or then as consignee, fact have tne title deeds as it were and also it would be necessary to have a ocal representative. How 'under the control scheme can a factory’s produce or “ y hSr~ )0t ■ P'od-ce be I "purchased oi held on consignment by any British merchant, none of whom are to have representatives in the Dominion? How can a bU fi ° !1 , co, ‘ Bi gifinont from the Control Board until the produce is made , b L, the Gontrol Board for pure cnase. Ih e Control Board, with the object and e of U fi g *"PP'y. on British market bflitv f L'l PnCe ’ prevcnts the possiiiUy of defixiite connection (which is ZTli U bll r lcing the way sug nrn T™ .P ron I loters > with the firms until the produce is released for sale Mr U?L( ldS ’* 9 lairman the Pool Council, stated at the meeting held in New Plymouth on tbo 6th October, 1922 • “Prices must be arranged with the selling agent in ing sUted m r h Comiett tbe meet the Council states, “Control takesfiling hands 6 ” Pr 'u UCe l° l!t the , dairy companies' 5 ' ca onlv lL 'ih' tha u the of prices an only be done when the produce is from Ol Sr'v Ar r d lt JS e i iually dear that apart nor be madc.^ce^to of the P^du’cerTt^pSe/unfri^: whlt Th aCU ’ a r? ° n the London mare mu u l he tUHlity is of the produce the C su,mK- be v held , back for regulating credit out he A ° mercha , nt will Put up I credit out here or anywhere else for proquality 0 o7 y fi" 6Ver ri n(>t hmow P he quanty of, does not know the price of and the price -of which when fixed may Price' 0 The fact n?ay tl jl t d Tn '° h ° the ,narket fhl l lh f tIS that th c proposals under mmentr a L° U !'T? d aS to regulation of shipments, as to taking power of sale out tne hands of the factories, and as to price fixing would, if carried,’ be fate! to the system of finance which has been such an enormous factor in the great prosperity and rapid progress of our industry. ‘ Our tions™ f* S ° ne ot , makin g minimum deduccan?tel f n°u m 7 enrn - m * « contribution to capita and maximum credits on produce immediately it has been manufactured The revolutionary changes promised under com tioi will reverse the posiHon, by making necessary heavy contributions to "capital and to reserve and minimum advances* on produce Our industry, the most prosper" 3 ur and premier one in the Dominion doubtless has its faults, but beware of rash experiments under powers which once given cannot, in practice, be recalled—l am, etc., an™, x E. Maxwell, Opunake.

MEAT PRICES.

rri -M- r/ , June 1 The New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board t'Tzyt'; 1923 following prices were offered Auckland wethers, 611 b and under. 5Jd; prone woolly lambs. 42!b and under. BJd Poverty Bay.-Wetbers, 641 b and under 8?d- ; ribTu ’t mbs - 421 b under, 7j d ; jlb d over ’ '* d ! second quality lambs, xa? aWb !-' S Bay '7i'' Ve ! hp,S ' 64,b and under, 9d d ’sm T Wf> ° y J lambs ’ 431 b ar -d finder 9d, 531 b and over, 8d; second quality lambs, Wanganui—Wethers, 64)b and under, 6?d; prime woolly lambs, 421 b and under, 9d; 431 b and over, 8d ; second quality lambs, Bd. Wellington,-Wothers. Glib and under s}d • prime woolly lambs. 421 b and under. 9d; 4 !lb and over, 8d; secoiid quality lambs, ’ Bd. Canterbury.—Prime woolly lambs, 421 b and under, 9}d to 9;d; second quality lambs, Oyb* to O^Cl. Southland—Wethers, 561 b and under 6d; prime woolly lamlvs, 421 b and under’ 9d; second quality lambs, BJd. ’

years:— BUTTER. From Australia New Zealand Canada Argentine Denmark Other sources .. 1920 1921. Cwt. Cwt. 223,609 928,006 275,106 709,318 32,140 43,138 138,862 401,354 817,268 1,250,176 214,918 191,921 1922. Cwt. 901,507 1,103,444 154,532 356,ro8 1 423,796 329,124 Totals 1,702,203 3,523,976 CHEESE. 4,268,561 From Australia New Zealand Canada Other sources 1920. 1921. Cwt. Cwt. 63,439 83,622 1,260,642 1,302,766 1,129,758 1,195,661 296,421 235,416 1922. Cwt. 99,720 1,294.779 949,162 315,803 Totals 2,750,260 2,817,465 2,659,464