SUGAR-BEET CULTURE IN WAIKATO.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1944, 20 December 1884, Page 2

SUGAR-BEET CULTURE IN WAIKATO.

A MKKriNO of gentlemen interested in the culture of biigar-beet and the manufacture of sugar in Waikato, was held at The Waikato Times Buildings, yesterday. Tlie meeting was convened by ciicular signed by Mr W. A. Graham, and there was a good attendance. Mr S. T. Seddon u .is voted to the chair, and called on Mr Grahani to explain the object of the meeting. Mr Giaham said his object in calling those piesent together was not so much to lay his views before them a» to elicit an enquiry into the whole bubject. He h.vd been working steadily in the matter foi aonie years, and Ins opinions, given orally, in numerous letters, and in pamphlet form, were by tliib time pretty well known. What he now proposed to do was to invite questions from the gentlemen present, and he would endeavour to give answeis fioui printed papers. He wished to heai fioui practical men any objections that might be urged against the culMue of beet. He was a thorough believer in the industry, and tin 1 moie he studied the subject, the stronger grew his belief th.it it was second to none in the oniony. The Waikato was a country .singularly \\\;ll adapted for small fanneis and the growth of beetroot, and as there was a good inaiket for nil the sugar they could pioduce tie great essentials to the establishment of I'io industry were to hand. The value of tie sugar consumed in the colony alone w.is £800,000, and he believed they would h.ivo no difficulty in hnding outside maiUet.: As the result of a meeting held at Tain ihere in ISBL, a committee went into tie question of the cost of raising the units, and this committee, composed entirely of practical men, reported that the roots could be laid down «it the mill foi 14i pei to-i. Mr Graham then lead some coirespondonou which passed between liim and -some friends in Hamburg four yeaisago, from which it appeared that those friends were v llling to take the matter up, send out the plant and take one-thud interest in the enterpu-e. But owing to the apathy .shown by the farmers here, lie had been compelled to cable to Germany cancelling the whole arrangement. Lately he had endeavouied to get the Government to make piovi.swn for lending money to sugar coinpann.--, but the difficulties m the \\ay was too great, though the act passed last hession offered substantial inducement to the pioducers of the beet. He could not say whether his Germ m fiiend-) would bo prepaiod to iepe.it tlu-n offer of four years ago, but negotiations with them could be le-opened. Tlie Ohairm.in said it appealed to him that the whole difficulty lay in the qu"stion of haulage. It had boon proved th it sugar beet could be gtowu successfully m the district, but the coat of hauling the loots to tho mill would piove a difficulty. Within a radius of three miles he did not think tlie hauling would be done for less th.vi 4s per ton. Jt had been said tli.it Us per ton would pay, but the cobt of hauling would have to be a kled to this. The subject was involved in the question of tlie cost of labour. In the cultivation of mangels they applied hoise labour, whereas hand labour would bo lequired in beet cuHuie. Mr Gillett said it seemed to him tint they were endeavoiuing to hit the wedgi* on the point instead of on the head. Fanneis were wont befoie tlu\v went into any new enterprise to consider whether it would pay. Now if they thought that this industry was likely to become a profitable one, they should go for it, leaving the details to be considered aftoiwaid-. They must not expect to get a big piofit straight away. When he and others commenced t > grow wheat m Canterbury it actually cost more for labour and seed &c. than they could get for it, but not on that account did they give it up. It brought a large amount of money into circulation which they had not been before, and it would have been strange if a pound or two had not .stuck to their fingers. The land on which the wheat was grown had lain idle before, and gave them no 1 etui n at all, und the same ttnng applied with regard to the Waikato. Hundreds of acres of Innd, befoie giving no return, were, since the establishment of the, cftw/«J factai <cv, yheldutg something. Tin ee thousand pounds could not ciiculate in the district of Hamilton without doing some good (Heai). And this was. the amount realised List year out of grass- 1 that returned veiy little befoie the factory statted. The effect of <a sugar factory would be bimilar to this. Mr Pfunrose thought it was necessary, in the fiist place, to show the fanners that beet could be grown at a piofit. He did not think anybody would caie to grow it at a lot>s. Mr J. Brooks pointed out that the cultivation of the beet improved the lauds foi succeeding crops, a ciicumstance that .should not be lost sight of. Tt was w oithy of notice that beet was cultivated in eveiy civilised country in Europe ; it would soon be giown extensively in England. In America it was btated on the best authoiity that beet could be grown for H2 50c, or 0^ pei ton, while S3 would pay handsomely. Mi Barugh teuiaiked that these figuics wcie \eiv enenm aging, as tho pi ice of labour in America was as high as m the colonies Homo discussion hcic took place as to whether beet had been .successfully giowu in the .State-., and seveial gentleman stated on authoi ity that such was the case. Regarding the cost of production Mr Graham said he believed they would have to pay 19s or 20s for the loots in the hist instance, but thi.s would be speedily 10duced. He quote figures to show how greatly the pi ice of fencing &c, had fallen mcoubpquenceof the advance of settlement. Mr Gillett said it used to cost £8 to grow and take to inaiket an acre of wheat, but lie saw by the patters that a contract had iccently been taken in Otago to do the whole of the work— ploughing the land, sowing the seed, leaping, threshing and cai ting to market — for 2% per acre. Concerning tho haulage of the beets, ho wished to point out that since the Co-operative Association staited he trot con 1 carted to his place from Hamilton — three m iles — for 2s per ton, .and why should not tlie beet roots be carried ai cheap? A large pioductiou of beet would soon cause the pi ice of haulage to fall. Mr Swarbrick said that dm ing a residence of ten years in tho Continent ho had learned a great deal about the beet-sugar industry. The subject must be considered from three standpoints. First of all there was the national view, the effect on tho country, secondly, the farmers' aspect, and thiidly, the view taken by the capitalist. Concerning the fiist, it was evident that the creation of a new industry would be of immense advantage to the country. As to the farmers' view, he would point oi > that on the Continent the agricultmistb did not. as was the case in New Zealand, confine their attention to one crop, but cultivated twenty. In order to get the capitalists' assistance it must be shown that the industry would pay. Outside capital was necessary. Concerning the cost of production, the tanner here was not so heavily handicapped by tho high price of labour as might be supposed, as the greater part of tho work was peformed by machinery, and if they wanted manual labour he could tell them that the British was the best. In answer to Mr Swarbrick, Mr Graham said the roots analysed by Mr Pond wei c fair samples of the crops grown in Waikato. The percentage of sugar was 12$, and as 22 J j per cent, remained in the pulp, they might reckon on 10 per cent, which was a higher percentage than that obtained in Germany. Mr Swarbrick explained at some length the system under which the sugar was grown on the Continent. The beet-sugar was protected by customs duties, and a bonus was allowed on all sugar sent out of the country, so that French sugar was actually sold in London for less money than it brought in France. Mr Graham quoted statistics to show that so far from a bonus being given in Germany a very large revenue was raised in excise duties. Mr Swarbrick said it was quite reasonable that there should be both customs and excise duties. If Mr Graham was not prepared with a scheme, he would suggest that they get out from Belgium a couple of men, one acquainted with the cultivation of the beet, and the other versed in the manufacture of sugar. Under the direction of these men a full and gomplete test could be made. He described the process of converting the beet into sugar at some ' length. % G-Ffttiam said it waa for the getters

to formulate a scheme. His Ncheme had failed. He refeired to the vUt of the late Mr Wieler, who came out from Hiunlmig fully prepared to initiate the industry, at his (the speaker's) request, but he had met with no ciicoui.ißotupHt, and, unfoitimately, died at Auckland. His idea was to appoint a committee to enquire into the whole question thoioughly. Mr IJiooks quoted fnnii the New Zealand Industrial (x.izotte portions of a lecture deliveredjby DrCuil, at Wanganui, containing facts of a uioifc encouraging 1 ziatute. One company in Anicuca had «eali*ed a profit of 50 per cent, on a capital of £GO,OOO. Mr Graham .said he w<i" satisfied that fclie meiefactof exp-nting 1000 t<ius of bugui from Waikato would give back fourfold the money invested in the bliaies of the bufjar company. Mi Burngh lem.ukt'd th.it it had lti.st occuned to him that one reason why biigar beet had not been giown in Kugland w.b that farmers*, iv tlio majority of canes, were not allowed t.i sell loots off the land. After boine further di^cu^sion of a conveisational character, a committee was appointed to make full enquiries and repoit at a future meeting. The committee will meet on Tuesday.