Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News. TUESDAY, MARCH, 2,1909 AGRICULTURAL RETURNS.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4380, 2 March 1909, Page 2

Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News.

TUESDAY, MARCH, 2,1909 AGRICULTURAL RETURNS.

7 his above all—to thine own self be true , \ni 1 1 must follow as the night the day Thou canst not then be false to any man Shakespeare.

In the Supplementry Gazette published in Wellington last Thursday we have clear evidence of the general advance of agriculture during the last twelve months. We append the statistics given : Wheat for threshing, 1908-9, 252,391 acres; 1907-8, 193,031; increase, 59,360. For chaffing, 1908-9, 838 acres; 1907-8, 858; decrease, 20. Oats for threshing, 1908-9, 407,037 acres; 1907-8, 386,890; increase, 20,147. For chaffing, 1908 9, 339,683 acres ; 1907-8, 294,638 ; increase, 45,045. Barley . for threshing, 1908-9, 48,853 acres; 1907-8, 36,177; increase,l2,676. For feeding down 1908 9, 3713 acres ; 1907-8, 3058; decrease, 1345.

Following are tabulated results for the year of some of the crops, with a comparison of the areas sown the previous year :

1907- 1903-9 Acres Acres Wheat .. 193,889 253,229 Oats .. .. <531,528 74(5,720 Barley .. .. 41.235 52,5(56 Bye .. 4,339 6,709 Maize .. .. 10,967 14,093 Potatoes .. 27,154 30,039 Sown grasses .. 8,170,072 8,868,205 Vineyards .. 621 663 The following table shows the number of stock in the Dominion : 1908- 1907-8 Horses.. .. 363,778 353,257 Increase, 10,521 Oattle .. .. 1,773,326 1,816,299 Decrease, 42.973 » Swine .. 245,092 241,128 Increase, 3,964 . Angora goats .. 2,494 April 30, 1908. April 30, 1907. Sheep .. 22,440,053 20,983,772 Increase, 1,465.281 . hrom the substantial increase in the acreage under cultivation, as well as from the increase in sheep,- pigs, I horses, and goats, and in spite of the decrease in cattle it is to be seen, how steadily the farmer is holding on his way. It is encourageing to note also that the outlook for the ] Canterbury wheat yield is of such < a character that it promises to be i

the best for many years We hope that this promise will be liberally redeemed, for we should be glad to

see the reverses wh : ch the South suffered from the fallen wool market of last year made good to some extent by a better wheat yield than usual. And whilst on the subject of the development of our agriculture we cannot but draw attention to the most intimate connection between agricultural advancement and the railway system. Hon. J. R. Millar, (Minister for Railways) has recently been reminding us of the continued need for caution in all departments of Governmental expenditure ; that though wool has risen, and the outlook for the harvest is good, and though the money market is easier, we atill require to exercise caution in Government expenditure. This we must and do concede, but we should like to add, and thrifty good judgement also. Let us have caution and scrupulous economy by all , means, but let the Railway Department be among the last to feel the pinch. Next to the facilitation of the production of the raw material ranks its conveyance to our centres, and the conveyance from our centres of machinery and all the where withal required for its production. To cite what is to Te Arohans a very important example of the restriction imposed upon the relation of the agriculturalist to his centre; there is no morning train to Te Arohafrom Matamata, although as a mere matter of business convenience, and by no means as a luxury one is needed. And, turning from agriculture, to that kindred industry mining, look at the perpetuated state of affairs at Huntly, where employers and men sustain a j heavy annual loss through the want ! of sufficient trucks to carry away the I coal. | To give an idea of how extremely ; important a part the railways play in America for instance we quote a passage from “ The World’s Work” for January “ The prime cause in [ such a trade revival as seems • imminent, ia'jbf i course the buyer. , * * He n ay be any one of 1 a thousand different classes * * * but it is always the buyer . * Thelbiggest buyer of. manufactured goods in this country .is the railroad • * * Out

of the eighteen million tons of iron and steel produced in the United States in 1907 the railroads bought nearly ten million * * The railroad is the biggest buyer, measure as one will * * Now, at the turn of the year, the railroads are buying freely. Most of all they buy labour. ” We would quote at much greater length if space allowed, but in pointing out this one fact that the “ railroad is the biggest buyer ” in the United States we would draw this inference: that means of conveyance is of paramount importance, that -it. must keep well ahead in the development of a country’s resources, that a sufficiency of railway equipment facilitates production and distribution just as a free circulation of capital does, and that if we have to suffer in our railways, the hand of indefinite arrest is laid upon our whole development.