FARM PRODUCTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21085, 11 July 1938, Page 6

FARM PRODUCTS

Keener Australian Competition More Attention Given to Pastures By Telegraph— Press Association DUNEDIN. July 10 Mr S. C. Sutherland, manager of a local stock and station agency, who has just returned from a visit to Australia, , stated that the observations he had made during hi.s trip had convinced ! him that in the near future Australia ' would be a formidable competitor in ; I foodstuffs with New Zealand. While i in the past Australian farmers had not i paid attention to pastures and topdressing to the extent that the New ! Zealand farmers had done, it was now : evident that they were beginning to ■ realise the advantage to be gained from I adopting these methods. Australia suffered periodically from : droughts, Mr Sutherland said, and was at the present time, especially in New South Wales, experiencing one of the worst on record, but there were large areas around the sea coast, particularly in Victoria and South Australia, that had an adequate rainfall, and it was ; this country that would produce fat I lambs and dairy produce in large ; quantities for export in competition ' ' with New Zealand. It was, therefore, , essential that our producers should I endeavour to improve, where possible. I I the quality of their products, as this j would to some extent combat quanta- j tive competition. Australian farmers also had an } advantage over ours. Mr Sutherland j stated, as their costs of production ( were considerably lower, while super- ; phosphate lor top-dressing was subsi- I dised by the Federal Government to the | extent of 10 - a ton. Generally speak- ! ing, the Governments there realised ! the necessity of doing everything possible to assist and encourage the man 1 on the land. Warning to Stud Sheep Breeders As far as he could gather, the ' quantity of wool available for sale this | year would be approximately the same ! as last season. While New South Wales particularly had suffered considerably ' from a disastrous drought, which had ! not yet broken, what with the carry- i over from last year of 200.000 bales and an increase of 100.000 in Western Australia, the number of bales avail- | able for disposal would be in the | vicintiy of last year's offering. Mr Sutherland said he would like to give a warning to the stud sheep I breeders of New Zealand. Complaints had been made to him, on several ! occasions during his visit, concerning j inferior stud sheep being sent over irom New Zealand, and one recent shipment' had done this country a considerable amount of harm. There was a splendid market over there for Corriedales, Southdowns, Border Leicester, and Romney sheep but unless the breed societies saw to it that only sheep that would be a credit to New Zealand were I sent forward to fill orders trade with Australia in this direction would undoubtedly suffer. Drought Conditions Mr Sutherland cove-red a wide extent of country in Australia, chiefly by air and motor car. He motored from Melbourne to Hay. in New South Wales, and looked over the famous Riverina sheep country, which, however, at the present time was suffering one of the most disastrous droughts on record. Some rain had recently fallen there, but not nearly sufficient to break the drought. He then flew to Mildura and Broken Hill, the latter town being situated in New South Wales, and about miles from Adelaide. A motoring trip of over 2000 miles through sheep country followed, the | visitor obtaining a wonderfully fine first-hand impression of the agricultural industry during hi.s jour-ney. One of the stations at which Mr Sutherland stayed was the Kak bity Station, in South Australia. This station comprises 1000 square miles, and carries some 30.000 merino sheep, mostly stud.