The Star. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 1925. PRODUCTION & PROSPERITY

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16942, 17 January 1923, Page 6

The Star. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 1925. PRODUCTION & PROSPERITY

The fierce controversy that has raged over the question of lamb's kidneys is only a slight indication of the importance of the meat freezing industry to New Zealand. One is inclined to adopt too complacent an attitude in regard to this industry, and it has been left- for the Lucerne Campaign Committee to attempt to stir the Dominiou from its complacency. The committee maintains, with substantial arguments to back it up, that the freezing industry is faced with very serious competition from other countries particularly in regard to lamb. The contention is that instead of getting aJI of the lambs away as milk lambs, a course that would be possible by putting the ewe with its lamb on to lucerne immediately, the practice in the Dominion is to wait to see if the rape will grow to fatten off the lambs. This entails a loss of time, and puts too heavy a carcase on the market; whereas in the Argentine, Patagonia and Chili tho lamb is fattened on lucerne and the graziev gets early milk lambs of the best weight. This, of course is merely one phase of a very big subject, which is inseparably allied to the land question, it has been reiterated acl nauseam that national prosperity and the survival of bad times lies along the road to increased production, particularly cf the primary products. xiie Lucerne Campaign is approaching the point oi demonstrating mat this increased production is not only possible but necessary if the primary products arc to hold their place 1:1 me world's markets. It may look like an illusory short cut to success, but nobody has challenged the accuracy of the committee’s contention that tho growing of lucerne will raise the value of poor land and stabilise the value of other lands. The underlying aim is the more intensive culture of the lands already occupied. Everybody admits that vast areas of land lying close to the railways and the centres of population are “ occupied ” rather than farmed. Lucerne growing would vastly increase the number of farmers on light land and eliminate, for the time being, at any rate, the costly process of opening up new land and placing new settlers on a precarious tenure in their battle with back blocks problems. The advantages of lucerne growing are not exhausted with sheep or lambs, for the dairyfarmer may make sufficient lucerne hay to keep up the milking of liis cattle throughout the winter months as ,’f they'were on grass; while there is no animal known to do better on lucerne than the pig. The Lucerne Committee lias planned a field day for Friday to sliqw the Minister of Agriculture and a few others the actual work that is being accomplished in lucerne growing, and its relation to the productivity of the province. Undoubtedly, the problem is of special interest to Canterbury by .leason of the light- river-flat lands that are awaiting development, and everybody must wish the committee well in its disinterested efforts to promote the prosperity of Canterbury.