A PROSPEROUS SEASON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14207, 9 February 1915, Page 5

A PROSPEROUS SEASON.

STATEMENT BY ME MASSE Y.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, Monday. "Considering that the 33mpire is afc war," said, the Prime Minister in an interview, "the present prosperity of the Dominion is simply wonderful. Owing to the increase in the prices of our principal exports, which, of course, it has been impossible to avoid, the country has hardly felt the pinch so far, Th e year 1914 furnished a record to the Dominion in respect to the 'value of our exports, the total being over £26,----000,000, and there is every probability that this total will be exceeded during the current year." In regard totho drought, Mr Massey said the districts that had suffered Houth of Auckland were Poverty Bay, Hawke's Hay, and the Wainirapa districts ]n the North Island, and. Canterbury, Nelson and M.'irlborough in the. South Island. Tho fruit crop in Nelson, however, v/aa a satisfactory one. Taranaki, Otago and Southland, and the West Coast of the South Island, had not been affeci>ed. Generally speaking, tho rainfall had been greater on the west coast of both islands than on the east coast.

"As far as this month at least is concerned, there "will be no shortage of ships to convey our produce to th» Old Country," added Mr Massey. "Up to the. present the position in regard to frozen menfc has been relieved to somfo extent by recent rainfalls, which, of course, will rentier it unnecessary io hasten killing operations to such an extent, as would have been tin avoidable hail the liry weather been further prolonged. Unfortunately, however, the* recent rain has not been sufficiently general to give relief in all the meatprodueing districts. ,.