“GOOD BUTTER IN N.Z. BUT RICE IS POOR.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18985, 3 February 1930, Page 3

“GOOD BUTTER IN N.Z. BUT RICE IS POOR.”

LOCAL MEDICAL OFFICER TELLS OF FOOD VALUES.

When Dr T. F. Telford, Medical Officer of Health in Christchurch, came to New Zealand, he was impressed by two facts. One was the very good butter used-. • The other was the very poor rice. In a lecture on-food supplies to the sanitary officers’ refresher course to-day, he said that New Zealand imported Burmese rice, at wholesale prices from £l6 to £l9 a ton. The higher grade rices, such as those from Central America, Mexico, and the United States, ■were £26 to £32 a ton. He showed samples of rice which, he said, would not be seen on sale here.

Referring to maize in New Zealand, Dr Telford said that in the United States it grew very well, reaching a height of 14 feet. The conditions were suitable there, on account of the deciduous tills, which provided much leaf mould, and on account of rivers like the Mississippi, which brought down great deposits. In Africa maize grew well, but not as well as in the United States. In South Africa he had seen maize from 10 feet to 12 feet high, but not 14 feet high. Dr Telford said that meat most readily replaced tissue waste from the body. It was a reflection on the United Kingdom that it had to draw to a great extent upon many countries for its meat supplies, including Canada, the United States, Argentine, Australia and New Zealand. It had been stated that there was something radically wrong when, in 1922, the United Kingdom had to import pig products valued at £55,360,000, bacon from Denmark representing £16,666.616, and fresh pork from Denmark £2,410,921. Referring to the toheroa, he said that as far as he knew, it was found in New Zealand alone. In this Dominion there were three species of oysters. The Stewart Island oyster, which provided the largest oyster industry here, the rock oyster, found in the Auckland province, and the mangrove oyster. New Zealand was not the only country where oysters lived on mangrove trees; they followed the same practice in the Gulf of Mexico and in Jamaica. In 1922, the United Kingdom imported 1,639,400.000 eggs—“some egg bill.” Of those, 688.100.000 came from Denmark, 151,200,000 from Egypt, 126,800,000 from China, 78,000,000 from the Netherlands, 59,500.000 from Canada, 40,500.000 from the United States, 38.300,000 from France, 38,300,000 from Italy, 2,800.000 from Germany, and 415,900.000 from other countries. Brazil was the biggest coffee-produc-ing country in the world, Dr Telford said, supplying no less than 50 per cent, but the best coffee came from Java.