THE NORTH ISLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3783, 14 September 1926, Page 21

THE NORTH ISLAND.

(From Ocr Own Cobbespondent.) The past week’s weather has not been quite so nice and enjoyable. On both coasts colder conditions have prevailed, and young lambs have been affected. The mortality so far, however, has been quite normal, and if the weather does not get any worse, the wool industry should turn out w'ell this season. The fine winter sheep enjoyed has been reflected in the quality of the wool and the length of staple-sheep being in quite condition. Wool growers have been pleased with the more optimistic tone of the market, particularly those who have flocks of crossbreds, thiEit class of wool showing in Australia an advance of about Ad per lb. This is good news, and if the New Zealand sales open up well Dominion growers may pick up a little of v.'liat they lost last season. DAIRYING IN WOODVILLE.

At a meeting of suppliers to the United Dairy Factory congratulations were extended to Mr Edgar Hardingon his appointment as chairman of the New Zealand Marketing Association. The chairman traversed the company’s operations for the year. The manufacture had been carried out well, but h urged more care on the part of suppliers in the matter of milk and cream. The advance on butterfat for the reason was nearly Is sd, and the directors recommend paying a 5 per cent, dividend,. £d per lb butter-fat to milk suppliers and Ad per lb butter-fat to the whole of the suppliers for the season. BLACKBERRY PEST.

The inspection of properties infested with noxious weeds appears to be a halftime job, according t Mr W. G. Jarvis. The eradication of blackberry was being considered by the Hawke’s Bay River Board during the week, when Mr Jarvis asserted that the hieat inspectors were the men who dealt with noxious weeds, and they only carried out the duty of inspection when the freezing works were closed down. The question of blackberry cutting had arisen in correspondence relating to a sub-lease, the board’s solicitors stating that there was no need to enforce the cutting of these M'eeds before giving consent to the sub-lease. Mi' H. R. Clark referred to the increase in blackberries everywhere, and said that the board should enforce the clearing clause more vigorously. The board should clear the blackberries on its own reserves first, and then enforce the regulation regarding the cutting of them on the lands let to tenants The Chairman said the board had been in communication with the inspector, but apparently he had not turned up yet. Mr W. W. Smart moved that the overseer be instructed to make a report on all the board’s lands tha+ Mere infested with blackberry. . Mr . Jarvis said that notices to clear blackberry were served in the M'inter; the occupiers did not see the inspector again till the folloM'ing year, and nothing was done. A clause was going through Pariament giving local bodies authority to appoint their own inspectors. Mr G. Latham said that, in the case of a friend of his, if it had not been tor goats his land Mould not have been worth having. The speaker had asked him if it was not possible to run sheep and goats at the same time, and his f riend assured him that the goats ate blackberries in preference to grass, after the grass had passed the young and tender stage oi growth. The land would not pay for the eradication of blackberry by hand labour. Mr Smart said that the question as affecting poor land was not so serious, but where the blackberry was encroaching on good land the position Mas becoming serious. Quite a number of holders had just M’inked at the notices and done nothing. , Mr J. A. Miller said that the Meeds were coming down on to the board s rivers. The board might have interests in riverside lands that were not leased, and he wanted it seen to that all the lands that Mere not leased M r ere cleared. I hen they could have a report on the tenants lands. It was resolved that a report be obtained as to the prevalence of blackberry both on lands that are leased and those that are not leased. ROYAL SHOW.

The Auckland A. and P. Association and the province generally are rising to the occasion in connection M'ith the Royal Show, and every preparation is being made to make the Auckland exhibition an outstanding one. Every service likely to bring the public to the show, and every attraction that can be thought of is being developed, and given fine weather the Royal Show, to be held at Auckland, will probably be the best that has yet taken place, providing, of course, that southern breeders accord their patronage. Mr D. Walters, who has' accepted the position of judge of the Jerseys, is manager of Sir Samuel Hordern’s “Retford Park" Stud at Bowral, N.S.W. He is considered one of the best judges in New South Wales.

One question that may be very seriously considered by southern breeders is that of cattle tick. It is well known that cattle tick has spread in the North Island, and. stock owners are not likely to take any risks with their prize stock, unless some kind of guarantee is given that there is no danger from this dreadful menace. The live stock division of the Department of Agriculture, however, proposes to deal with this matter in a complete manned. All animals from infected areas will be dipped and inspected before leaving their districts, and they will again be examined on arrival at the show grounds before being allowed to mix with other animals. A special* competent officer of the department will also be in attendance during the show for inspection purposes. All southern stock will be carefully inspected before leaving, and all trucka will be thoroughly disinfected. Competent authorities state that there is

little fear of infection amongst show stock. Not one single tick has yet made its appearance at any Auckland show. The following Australian judges have accepted the society’s invitation to act as judges: Messrs W. G. Wilkinson, Victoria (Clydesdales); G. L. Wilson, Victoria (Ayrshires); and D. Walters, New' South Wales (Jerseys). Endeavours are being made to secure competent judges fiom Australia for Friesian cattle and Pi^s. Senor Roverano, of Buenos Ayres, who has been asked to judge the Shorthorns and milking Shorthorns, keeps a separate stud of each of the above breeds. He has won many championships at the great Argentinian show at Palermo, and has also acted as judge at these stock exhibitions. BUTTER WEIGHTS RECONSIDERED. The New Zealand Dairy Produce Board advises that the question of butter weights has been reconsidered, and in view of what has evidently become the established practice of a large number of butter-produciug companies, the standard weight will be 561 b 6oz, instead of 561 b Boz, as indicated previously. FROM BAY OF PLENTY TO FEILDING. The Cheltenham Dairy Company, operating in the Oroua district, has appointed "L.M Donald, manager of the Bay of Plenty Dairy Association at Te Puke for some years, as manager of the Makino factory at Feilding. Mr McDonald lias splendid credentials, and w'on the Weddel Cup on two occasions for the factory scoring highest average points for grading in the Auckland province. THE HONEY MARKET. Mr J. Rentoul, chairman of the New Zealand Honey Export Control Board; A v, Bates ’ of Kaponga, a director of the New Zealand Honey Producers’ Association; and • Mr Robinson, Government apiary instructor, were visitors to South Wairarapa during the week, and they addressed a meeting of beekeepers at Featlierston on matters dealing with the export of honey. It Mas pointed out that during the discussion on the present state of the hoflfey market in the United Kingdom that comparing the prices with those of California, Canada, Jamaica, and other countries, New Zealand Mas ahead by 2d to 3d per lb. It Mas claimed that this was due to a large extent to the advertising and propaganda work of the New Zealand Honey Producers’ Association. It was explained that an effort had some time ago been made in the Wairarapa to form an active branch of the National Beekeepers’ Association, but that Mas found to be impossible owing to the beekeepers being so M'idely separated. IN SOUTHERN HAWKE’S BAY.

A pleasing report on the operations of the Tamaki Dairy Company for the past season was presented to the annual meeting of suppliers, held at Dannevirke on Monday. The chairman of directors said the report and balance sheet disclosed one of the most successful seasons in the history of the company; not only had the prices received for their produce been very satisfactory, but the conditions under which they had M'orked had been somewhat extraordinary. The season had not been a good one from the production point of view—their production had loM’ered considerably compared M'ith the previous season, being something like 17 per cent, less—and under the circumstances the prices received must be considered most satisfactory. A very gt>od figure was received for the cheese disposed of in the first half of the season, while that received for the latter portion on consignment M as also satisfactory, being not less than 87s. Anyone who had followed the markets very closely must recognise that the price received M'as most satisfactory, especially when it M'as remembered that the market had ranged as low as 82s. The question of the handling of manures was discussed, and it M-as decided that the company procure manures for the suppliers. • According to all accounts the outlook for some of the dairymen in southern Hawke’s Bay is not too good. Cows come to profit in very poor condition, and it will be some time before they are able to stand the strain of a heavy milking season. There has been a good deal of mortality among herds. DAIRYING IN THE WAIKATO. A very optimistic view of the prospects for the dairying industry in the Waikato this season is taken by officials 6f the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, who state that the outlook is very bright, although the state of the market is not at all encouraging from that point of view. It is considered that suppliers may look forward with confidence to the new season from a productive point of view. All the factories of the New Zealand Dairy Company are handling almost a full output, which so far this season is much heavier than for the corresponding period of last year, the biggest increases being recorded in the Hauraki Plains and Matamata districts. Given favourable > conditions, a record output is anticipated. A high standard of production is being maintained, and the quality of the produce is reported to be excellent, Clevedoti leading in that respect. While the light frosts experienced lately are likely to retard the growth made by grass should they become severe, they tend to improve the*quality of the milk and cream.

Improved farming methods are in a large measure responsible for the increase in output, assisted by good climatic conditions. Stock have been kept in better condition, and never has so much fertiliser been used in the Waikato for distribution on dairying lands as during last autumn and early winter. The increased popularity of herd-testing, enabled farmers to cull unprofitable cows and confine their attention to payable animals which have wintered better and are giving a greater yield. Good results are already evident from the Government’s compulsory grading scheme. This is an extension of the method employed by the company for many years, and it is expected that the universal adoption of the system will place the company in a stronger position than ever.

Good progress is being made, with the company’s new 1500-ton butter factory at Morrinsville. The factory is being

erected in close proximity to the rail* way station, and should be ready for operation next month. Although the Morrinsville Co-operative Dairy Com* pany has been formed and a factory built in the toM'n, the New Zealand Company has sufficient cream offering in the district to warrant the new enterprise. Surplus cream form the Waharoa factory, which was formerly sent to Frankton and NgaruaM-ahia factories, necessitating long journeys in railway will in future be handled at Morrinsville. THE DROP IN VALUE. The drop in value of dairy produce hap been the subject of considerable comment; but it is quite apparent that holders of stored butter are anxious to quit before the new season’s produce arrives. Moreover, another unfavourable factor, jjo far as New Zealand is com cerned, is the splendid productive season experienced in the northern hemisphere. MEAT AND WOOL. A very interesting review of the frozen meat and wool markets was given by Mr M. A. Elliott at Palmerston North Rotary Club. “It should be manifest that the freezing companies in New Zealand and other exporters cannot sustain the losses experienced during the last two seasons.. The producers have scored with good prices, but they are not satisfied. There Mill have to be a drop in the prices at this end of the market," said Mr Elliott.. In dealing M'ith frozen meat, the speaker said that since the first export in 1881 the industry had become one of the leading pursuits in this country. However, from 1911 to 1926 there had been no increase in the number of sheep in the country, and this could be accounted for by there being no profit in the industry, or because of there being sufficient revenue from present products,. He thought the latter M'as the case,. Also, in 1925 there had been a considerable drop in the number of carcases in the country, which disclosed a disquieting position. In the early days the animals had been reared merely for the M’ool, the carcases being considered of no Value, and after shearing the sheep had in some cases been driven into the sea.

The speaker next discussed the grOM'tk of the frozen meat industry since its inception, depending as it did upon the slender rod of the refrigerating machine. Were it not for this the towns of New Zealand would now be little more than back-block settlements, and would have few progressive boroughs, such as Palmerston North. There had been many trials and tribulations connected M'ith the first shipment of frozen meat, although when it reached the Home market it had been declared as perfect as any shipment could be. The meat had brought 6Jd per lb, the cost attached thereto being 3d, which gave a return of £1 Is 9d a head—--100 per cent, profit. “It must have required considerable pluck to plunge into such a venture in those early times," ra marked the speaker. In reviewing the last tM*o years in the industry, he said that in 1924 it M'as prophesied that in 1925 prices would be higher than those ruling at the time, and this seemed fully justified. When the 1925 season opened prospects Mere good, but a decline occurred after a few weeks, with the result that at the end of the season there were large stocks on hand, M'ith prices 25 per cent, lower than those ruling in January. The fall in wool M'as an instance of conflict betM'een two commodities, and the seamen’s strike in September and October caused a false rice in the prices for both mutton and wool. Now the country Mas faced M’ith an enormous net drop of 50 per cent. In 1926 the season opened with large old season stocks on hand, M'ith a steady decline to B£d, strikes no doubt accounting to a large degree for the position.

As regarded wool, had it not been for the forcing up of prices on the supposition of shortage of supplies, the community M'ould be selling at 16d, instead of at 12d, as M'as the case at present. He mentioned a series of articles in the Dominion, which had shown that only 14d per lb for wool would provide the producer M'ith sufficient to meet outgoings. This proved, said the speaker, that the average cost of production M'as too high, and insufficient to pay for anything beyond bare necessities.

LONDON MEAT STORAGE RATES.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —As I notice references have again been made to the storage charges for meat in Great Britain, will you spare me space for the following facts:— The storage charges in London for meat amount to less than id per lb, while the charges for subsequent months are on a sliding clown scale, and therefore amount to considerably less. However, most of the meat which is imported into London never goes into cold store at all, but goes direct into consumption, being passer over the Authority 4 quays at a wharfage rate of 9s 3d per ton plus 2s per ton port rates. As regards barging, in the Thames, there is no need for barges at all. The Port of London Authority is prepared to receive all frozen meat direct from ship into, their refrigerated stores at the Royal Victoria and Albert Docks: from there in refrigerated cars in' a short time to any centre in Great Britain, i •—I am, etc., A. W. Pbarrk. /

Representative for Port of London Authority in Australia and New Zealand. Sydney, September 2.