FARMERS' UNION.

Colonist, Volume LV, Issue 13775, 16 July 1913, Page 7

FARMERS' UNION.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN

WELLINGTON

PRESIDENT'S CONGRATULATORY

ADDRESS

Press. Association.3

Wellington, July 15. The annual conference of the New Zealand Farmers' Union commenced today. The president (Mr. J. G. Wilson), in a lengthy address, congratulated tho, conference on the" attainment of the freehold, for which they had fought so long. During the year New Zealand had experienced a very fine season on tbc. whole. There had been a drought in the north of Auckland, and crops in the South Island had not hw.i us good as usual, but stock liad done remarkably well in most parts. . . Dairying had made such strides in the last few years that the export value of tho prc-duVe .of this industry was jn-eater than that of the frozen meat trade for -uhu iirst time. This year .s frozen meat returned £3,850,648, whereas dairy produce was entered at 1:3,915,794. There seemed a likelihood of still further'expansion in tho near future. With tho high pnocs ot the last live years for dairy produce, land had rissn very much in value. In arc^-S suitable for carrying about 25 cows £/ o per acre was paid for. land "in tho best dairying districts. Most people wount say'that this price was rar-beyond its value but thoro wore those who held that it is not too 'high, and basel that statement on the iact that even at ; those prices'men were making a comfortable living from 2o cows. Sheep farmers, had also had a very .satisfactory year. In a stateinon- ha had made ten years ago he .had saicl that they could double their experts from the land. He now found that they had nearly achieved, that result In 1903 the exports of agricultural products were of the value ot ,£ll,^<V 101 ; in 1913 the value was •■£18,96/,098. Butter had risen from £1,268,69 to £2,058,615; cheese fro™ tJJ iS £ £1,859,177; wool from £3,924,484 ,to £8 065,945. Frozen meat had shown only a slight increase of a few hundred thousand pounds.