The Taranaki Herald. (DAILY EVENING.) THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 1914. A PROSPEROUS PROVINCE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 144360, 26 March 1914, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. (DAILY EVENING.) THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 1914. A PROSPEROUS PROVINCE.

Time was when Taranaki had to endure the reproach of being styled the little Benjamin among the provinces of New Zealand, the spoiled child which received many favours and gave little in return. This was partly due to the Maori troubles, which necessitated extraordinary Government expenditure, but Taranaki suffered rather than gained thereby. The Native difficulty hindered the development of the district in a manner which no Government expenditure could possibly compensate. During the last thirty years the district has certainly received no exceptional treatment, at the hands of the Government—unless it has been exceptionally bad—but, left to itself and freed from the Native disturbances, it lias developed in a remarkable manner and proved itself to he the most fertile district in the Dominion. The annual report of the Department of Agriculture furnishes evidence of this. Of the whole area of occupied land in the Dominion, Taranaki has only 3.37 per cent., while it supports 5.18 per cent, of the total population, and the holdings of over one acre in area are 7.34 per cent, of the whole. Hawke’s Bay, with two and a half times as much land under occupation, has less holdings and a smaller population. Auckland, with nearly six times the area, has less than four times the holdings. Canterbury, with five times the area, has about twice ns many holdings. Turning to live slock, it is found (but Taranaki has 31 jier cent, of the dairy cows in the whole Dominion and nearly 15 per cent, of all the cattle. H possesses tit pc: - cent, of all the horses and about 14 per cent, of all the pigs. Its sheep country is as yet little developed, yet it carries about 81 per cent, of the total sheep in the Dominion, or just a little above its percentage of occupied land. Nor is cropping altogether neglected, though cereals arc not much grown, for of the total area under root and green crops in the Dominion Taranaki has nearly 34 per cent., also just over its percentage of occupied land. Besides supplying its own needs and contributing to the needs of other parts of tho Dominion it exports over 34 per

cent, of the whole of the dairy produce sent ivwuy from New Zealand. Its exports of frozen heel constituted nearly a third of all sent away from the Dominion. In frozen mutton and lamb it docs not make so pood a showing, but even here it contributes about 3jr per cent, of the whole exports from the Dominion. The wool exports do not seem to be complete, lor they give no credit to Patea, but its production of this staple may bo estimated from the number of sheep the district carries at something like the same percentage of the whole as Cue area of occupied land in the (listrir-i holds in proportion to the area in the Dominion. It will thus he seen that Taranaki, with by fur, the smallest (except Westland) area of occupied land, carries proportionately more people and more stock and exports proportionately more produce than (he rest of the Dominion. It is safe to say that there is no similar area in New Zealand so fertile nr so productive, or, excluding the large centres of population, so closely peopled. Something like two-fifths of the provincial district has yet to be brought under occupation, but there are very great possibilities of increase of production in the three-fifths already occupied. A few farmers are demonstrating that by good treatment and cultivation the land will produce two or three times as much as it has done. Better farming and better attention to the breeding, testing, and culling of the herds will add enormously to our production and export of butter and cheese. Every ton of basic slag and other fertilisers used will repay its cost over and over again, while by subdivision of the larger holdings not only will the land carry more stock and a greater, population, but it will bring greater comforts to the people and make country life more attractive.