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A plentiful supply of cheap grains to supplement our home-produced animal proteins, our magnificent grazing and climate, would enable our poultry industry to get on to an export basis. Adding pig and poultry products on a large scale to our present export list would, besides largely increasing the volume and value of our exports, spread our risk over a larger number of lines and thus even out the effect of fluctuations in market values. The additional number of people thus engaged in primary production, and the further numbers that would be employed in preparing the goods for market, transport, &c., would create employment for the usual proportion required to care for their wants. This addition to our population and consequent enlarging of our home market would increase our home industries in a greater ratio than the increased population, because the wider home market would make many lines of manufacture, by reason of the increased volume of output, economically possible that cannot be undertaken now except at undue cost. The increase in our population and our exports to Great Britain would further react to the benefit of Great Britain itself, because we in New Zealand take payment for what we sell to Great Britain and in return purchase from her to a much greater extent than other countries, particularly non-British countries. In 1928 every New-Zealander purchased goods from Great Britain to the extent of £13 ss. 5d., while every Dane purchased from her only to the value of £2 15s. lOd. As a buyer from Great Britain a New-Zealander is worth nearly five Danes. The Committee's recommendation is that all duties on stock-foods should be removed. In making this recommendation the Committee desires to again point out that it does not wish in any way to interfere with the protection given to grain grown for human consumption. Methods can easily be devised to keep grain imported for human food separate from grain imported for stock-food. Grain grown locally for human food, but which may turn out to be too low in quality for this purpose and will consequently have to find a market as stock-food, will, of course, suffer ; but if a man growing grain for human consumption cannot keep his quality up he should put up with the consequence. Carrying out the recommendations of the Committee will not affect those grain-growers who are growing grain for human consumption, except any grains not up to human-consumption standard. Neither will it require any financial assistance from the State. The removal of the stock-food duties will put all stock-raisers in a position to develop their industry further. Obtaining cheap grains to supplement and balance stock rations will enable better use to be made of stock-foods now produced on our farms. The first to take advantage of the cheap foods will be the raisers of poultry and pigs. Later, we feel satisfied, grains will be used as part of the feed for dairy cows. A small quantity of grain fed at milking-time to dairy cows to balance and supplement their farm-grown foods makes a great addition to their production. This has been proved in this country by breeders of purebred dairy cattle who put some of their cows under the semi-official test conducted by the Department of Agriculture. Even sheep-men, if they can get cheap grain, will find a little given to hoggets during autumn and winter months of great assistance. Pigs and poultry in conjunction with dairying will give greater production per acre than obtains at present. This will mean that one-man farms can be successful on smaller areas than at present, and larger farms will employ more labour and produce more than they do now. More production of export products from the farms of the Dominion will energize and stimulate every industry in the country. In the New Zealand Journal of Agriculture dated the 20th July, 1929, page 54, the following remarks appear:— In far too many cases no attempt is made to balance the cow's winter ration on account of a shortage of concentrates, but, where available, a small daily ration of a concentrate rich in protein, such as some of the recognized cattle-cakes, should be used. From experiments it has been shown that the extra return in milk-yield from cows receiving a concentrate ration has more than paid for the increased cost of feeding. There is also the satisfaction that an attempt is being made to balance a ration which is otherwise much too bulky, with an excess of water and starches. It is a noteworthy fact, also, that in town-supply herds, where concentrate feeding in winter is necessary to maintain the milk-supply, many troubles to which dairy cows are prone are not so prevalent. (Ill) Homes for Workers adjacent to Centres of Employment. In the Committee's first report we dealt with the question of homes for country workers, and pointed out the assistance it would be to these workers if they had homes that they could make their own with a moderate area of land attached thereto upon which they could be profitably employed during the period of seasonal unemployment and which could be looked after in the workers' spare time and by the workers' families during periods of full employment. The Committee pointed out that a small area of land efficiently worked would not only help to materially reduce the cost of living, but would also raise the standard of living by providing the home with a variety and quantity of homegrown produce that would be beyond the capacity of a wage-earner to purchase. A large number of town workers must always be subject to irregular employment. Much of the work on our waterfronts, in our freezing-works, wool-stores, in the building trades, public works, and in many other lines is of a seasonal or intermittent nature. A large reservoir of labour must always be available to enable the class of work mentioned to be carried out, and in seasons and periods of slackness a portion of this labour is without employment. If these workers could be provided with homes at a moderate cost on the outskirts of our cities, having sufficient land attached thereto for a garden, it would reduce their cost of living and provide profitable home-work during periods of en-

3—H. 11b.

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