The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 1887. THE CANNING INDUSTRY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1455, 13 January 1887, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 1887. THE CANNING INDUSTRY.

American enterprise affords not a few useful hints to New Zealanders as to the possibility of opening up fresh channels for industry, and new methods of turning the .productiveness of our soil and the genial nature of our climate to good commercial account. It is only by watching for openings, and utilising our opportunities, that we shall ever succeed m achieving that prosperous condition which is the hope of all, and m order to do this the sooner we disabuse ourselves of the idea that our one end and aim should be to raise as much wheat, oats, wool and meat as possible the better. For while these are all great sources of natural wealth, there are many others which it is possible to develope into large proportions, but which are at present almost altogether neglected. Our go-ahead American cousins are wiser m their gcncidiion, and m no particular is this better exemplified than m the remarkable progress of the American trade m canned goods of all descriptions. Writing of this industry the Australasian and South American says : -~" The canning business has grown within a few years into one of the most important industries of the United States ; and yet there is every reason to believe that even now it is but m its infancy. Maryland and California are so far the principal canning Status. In Maryland alone there are 60,000 hands employed, principally m fruits and oysters. One esnblishment m Frederick City puts' up 25,000,000 cans of corn a year. In Hartford county alone 24,000,000 cans of tomatoes are put up and 12,000,000 cans of corn. Of oysters, about 50,000,000 cans are put up annually. The total for the States is 150,000,000 cans. In California the principal canning is fruit and salmon, the average number of cases of salmon canned on the Pacific coast being close upon toOjOoo. While Maryland and Virginia have been doing a heavy canning business for years, the other southern States have only latterly gone into the business. Around New Orleans, both m Louisiana and Mississippi, a number of c?nneries have been established during the last few years, which have shipped north and west a large number of the delicacies, oysters, shrimps, preserved oranges, and similar products of this region." And the demand for these goods m all parts of the world is enormous, the Australian Colonies and New Zealand being excellent customers of the American producers. Surely, as regards some of these things, we should ourselves produce much more than sufficient for our own consumption. New Zealand is capable of producing all kinds of fruits and vegetables, while her seas, m many localities, swarm with fish of excellent quality, and there is no reason, therefore, why canned fruit, canned tomatoes, and canned fish should not be transferred from the list of our imports to those of our exports. The extract we have given shows conclusively what can be done, what is done m America, and like success doubtless awaits enter prise and energy on our own part.