9

H.—lsa

business. We beg to forward you also a case of assorted fruits and jams we have just canned. We may state that our Mr. Masefield has been in the district for over twenty years, and our Captain Galbraith has recently made a tour over the whole of it; consequently we are in a position to speak with some knowledge of the subject. We have, &c, The Hon. Eobert Stout. Masefield and Sons.

No. 6. MANUFACTUBE OF GHEE. Mbmoeandum by the Hon. W. Beeves, M.L.C. The attention of the public is just now largely attracted by proposals to increase the wealth- . producing power of this colony by adding new varieties to our somewhat scanty list of saleable exports. New markets are also being anxiously sought for existing products. During the late session of the Assembly Sir Julius Vogel started the idea that British India might afford a suitable field for the consumption of our frozen meat. The replies received from Sir James Fergusson were not more encouraging than might reasonably have been expected, when it is remembered that our meat would not be touched by the great mass of the native population on account of religious prejudices, and that the European inhabitants are few in number, and already sufficiently supplied with a fair quality of meat. But, though India may not afford a market for meat, it does not follow that a trade in other kinds- of our produce may not be profitably opened up with that country. It will be admitted generally that one of our most promising industries in the future is dairying. A large part of our land in both Islands is especially suited for the dairy, and our climate is even more suitable than the land. Ghee—mother words, rancid butter—is an article of almost universal use in many parts of British India. It is used externally and internally by millions of our Indian fellowsubjects, and is gradually becoming dearer as population increases and the land is taken up more exclusively for agricultural purposes. A very recent work (1884) on India, by Miss Gordon Cumming, contains the following information on this subject: " The annual consumption of ghee in British India (exclusive of Native States) is estimated at considerably over five million hundredweights, the value of which is about fourteen million pounds sterling. Its price varies from sd. to Is. per lb., but is gradually rising, owing to the continuous decrease of grazing land, consequent on the increase of cultivation. To meet the ever-increasing demand, the Indian Government have now invited the dairy-farmers of Australia to commence gheemaking on a large scale, offering to send Hindoo ghee-makers to instruct them in the art. As milk yields a larger proportion of ghee than of butter, and neither time nor distance will injure this unfragrant produce, it is probable that Australian farmers may be glad to avail themselves of this never-failing market." Whether Miss Gordon Cumming is correct about the price—which some Indian friends with whom I have spoken seem to doubt—it is certain that the rest of the information is substantially correct. Ghee, it may be explained, is made by boiling, curdling, and churning milk till it becomes rancid, when it is packed in jars, The process could easily be taught, as suggested in Miss Cumming's book, by Hindoos brought over for the purpose. That the market is most extensive is shown by the quantity used in British India alone, and that it must be a rapidly-increasing quantity can also be shown by the fact that, under the benign influence of British rule, the population of Bengal has trebled in the last century, and that if the Indian population goes on increasing at its present rate there will be twenty-five million more hungry mouths to be fed ten years hence than there are at the present moment. The manufacture of ghee would seem to have these advantages over making butter for export by our farmers: First, the produce per gallon of milk is larger; second, the risk of damage by keep, travel, and change of temperature can hardly be said to exist; third, the return to the exporter would, on the average —if the price quoted is near the mark—be better than is obtained from butter sent to London, always taking into account the advantages already mentioned. I think a sufficient case is here made out for further inquiry. The Government, the Pastoral and Agricultural Society, and merchants with correspondents in India, might well inquire into the facts of the case, and see if Miss Gordon Cumming's statements are borne out by facts so far as to submit to the crucial test of pounds, shillings, and pence. If so, we may hope before long to see a new and payable industry grow up and flourish through the colony. I have, &c, The Hon. Sir Julius Vogel, K.C.M.G. W. Beeves.

No. 7. SALT-WOEKS. Mr. Edwaed H. Gibbon to the Hon. Sir Julius Vogel, K.C.M.G. Sib, — Pompallier Terrace, Ponsonby, Auckland, 11th February, 1885. In the event of a salt factory being established in Auckland, would the Government be likely to give a bonus for the first two or three hundred tons, and would they impose a protective tax of, say, one farthing per pound on the imported article ? The conditions for the establishment of such a factory in the vicinity of Auckland are all that could be desired, and I am certain it would be worked to very great advantage at a very small cost, and with a very little encouragement at the start. I should be glad of a reply at as early a date as possible, so that I may give all the possible information to those interested. I have, &c, The Hon. Sir Julius Vogel, K.C.M.G. Edward H. Gibbon, 2— H. 15a.