The Timaru Herald.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 6059, 19 September 1894, Page 2

The Timaru Herald.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1894. At the meeting of shareholders m the Farmer. Co-operative Association last Saturday the ohairman, Mr Talbot, made seine remarks upon the prospects of the agricultural industry, remarks the pesiimißtic tone of which was unfortunately too well justified by the f&ots is view. Mr Talbat put aside as too abstruse for the general comprehension, tie theory accepted and recently stated and descanted upon by Mr Booth, chairman of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, that low prices for agricultural produce, as for other commodities, are due to scarcity of gold ourrenoy. A more simply comprehended cause, one ! lying nearer the surface, is, he said, I over production, brought about by improvements m machinery, and the opening np of new countries, the consequence being production m excess of ourrent consumption. This over production snd resulting low prices capped by deficient crops the last year or two, would slmost account for the depression m agriculture m tbis country. The way to avoid the results of over production, Mr Talbot pointed out, was to adjust their production to the require- | ments of the market, to take up other forms of production than those they had been used to. Farmers had always looked upon grain growing as their chief industry ; . they must give up that idea, and other products must be put m the first position, such as dairying and'' pork raising. It is now coming to be generally admitted that grain growing for export has become unprofitable, and indeed South Canterbury farmers would have been m a sorry plight before this had not the freezing. of mutton given anew value to their grasses. But the mischief of over production is already becoming apparent iv this branch of the farmers' industry, Faperß received from London on the same day that Mr Talbot was deploring over production m the matter of grain, brought reports of a large meeting of those interested m the frozen meat trade m London, convened by Mr Nelson, (he person who m London is the moßt interested m this business. That the condition of the frozen meat trade is bad was admitted by all present, and there were only two opinions as to the cause of that. A minority considered that it was due to a falling off m the quality of the meal sent Home, but the majority of the speakers appear to agree m saying that the cause is excessive supply —over production. Mr Nelson had no doubt importations were increasing too fasti for ihe capacity for absorption ; the market amply could not take any more. The co -Burners who can give a good prioe for meat are comparatively few, and the Bupply of inferior meat, it was said, is equal to the demand. New Zeilanders of course do not wish their 1 mutton to compete with the inferior Home

grown ; though a comparison of prices seeme. to indicate that this is what it iB doing. For some yeara past our agriculturists have had two Btrings to their bows, wheat and mutton, the former of these is practically worn out, and the other shows signs of wear ; it ia high time to be looking ont, as Mr Talbot suggested, for forms of production I more eagerly demanded m the worldmarket. The self-same advice has been given for years, and South Canterbury I farmers do not accept it. This may be a cause for satisfaction, or even for some degree of pride, rather than the reverse. Grain growing and sheep raising are easy and pleasant methods of making a living compared with dairying and feeding pigs, and it may well be that South Canterbury farmers should be congratulated on the fact that so far they have not met with adversity enough to drive them out of the ancient and honoured and easy lines, and stimulate them to seek for new fields for the employment of their energies and capital. If gluts m markets and unremunerative prices continue to prevail, some changes must be made, but among the last, rather than among the first, things to be changed will be the practice of farming as by long custom established. The older generation will be slow to move, and the younger one comes into action slowly, and is then hampered by the inertia of its older neighbours.