The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th, 1940. NEW ZEALAND PRODUCTION.

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 213, 16 September 1940, Page 4

The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th, 1940. NEW ZEALAND PRODUCTION.

THE production for export in this Dominion may be said to be maintaining its position in a highly gratifying manner. That it is able to do so in time of war, when the people of Great Britain and her army have to be assured of ample food products, is a matter for congratulation,, as also is the acknowledged fact that through the strength of the British Navy safe conduct for transport shipping to England is still practically assured. As a highly producing country New Zealand will play a truly great part in winning the war, which means so much to the English speaking nations, her Allies and those countries which are desperately anxious to escape the rule of Nazi Germany. In exportable'* dairy products New Zealand's record for the past year has been highly commendable., for the increases registered, despite the decrease in farm labour due to the enrolment of so many workers in the military forces, clearly places this Dominion on a high plane under the heading of production, a,nd establishes it as one of the best in the British Empire for consistency of output. In tonnage of butter and cheese it has for : mapy years ranked as one of the leading exporters to British markets,, and now that Denmark is in enemy hands this country will be depended upon to export even larger quantities than before. But there are other lines that have also assumed very large proportions, notably beef and mutton, the high quality of which; has for years redounded to the credit of New Zealand. That the meat trade has for years been an increasing proposition was plainly shown by the figures quoted last week by the Minister of Agriculture: ''Last season's meat production was an all-time reqprd, reaching the truly amazing total of 13,000,000 freight carcases, thus exceeding the previous year's record production by 2,000,000 carcases. Against this production the Marketing Department has already paid to the industry £16,000,000 on meat shipped, and a further £3,500,000 would be paid on meat in store, a total of £19,500,000, a figure never previously reached." As to the quantity of meat the Dominion was likely to sell under this year's agreement, the Minister said muqh would depend on the estimates of production, and on the*amount of refrigerated space which the United Kingdom could make available,, and finally on the; storage position in Britain itself. The .Minister of Marketing had already announced that so far as the farmers were concerned they need not worry about this phase, because the Government would purchase all that was produqecl. It will be generally acknowledged that the export season this year has opened under very favourable conditions, an early spring conducing to good results in production* Farmers have been assured that large quantities of export foodstuffs are urgently required in the United Kingdom; the response from "the man on the land" will naturally be highly satisfactory; the importers in Great Britain will have full confidence in the successful efforts of New Zealand farmers,, and the Dominion wil] have cause for gratification in the fact .that the increased revenue will serve the country in good stead in . time of stress,, . which is attended by increased taxation brought about largely by the expenditure incurred in this country's war contributions.