PIG PROBLEMS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 398, 6 January 1909, Page 5

PIG PROBLEMS.

FEUDING DIFFICULTY SOLVED. AN OUTSIDER DOES IT, Shall Feilding go into tho bacon business? The question was put (with only a forlorn hope ot a solution) to a gentleman famed for his invariable possession of a working acquaintance with most matters. "BaconI" he exclaimed. His tone showed ho was in fighting humour (just as the Foilding people are at this moment). And when ho spoke it waß with the speech of the injured citizen. "What do they sell us for bacon m New Zealand? Why, it's just pig flesh of the most mfer<or mongrels, that are made to hunt for thoir living all their lives and are then killed in bad condition, carelessly salted, covered with a concoction they call smoke varnish, and sold as prime bacon. Faugh I" At a shilling a pound. "Do you know what they feed them on? You are going to say on tuberculous skim milk "Why, do you know the Irish pig breeders would throw skim milk down into tho gutters rather than feed it to their pigs. It makes bad bacon 'In my opinion, tho Irish bacon is tho best m the world, but * that doesn't matter. Why, I know a famous British, bacon firm—Harris's—winch stipulates with its suppliers to feed their pigs on a certain formula, and then to ' bring-him all their pigs at a certain ago at a certain price Ho takes them all, and has no difficulty in selling all the he can produce. Skim milk forsooth I" 'Isn't skim milk a part of his formula? ,"No" /, , What do you suggest tho dairy farmers should do with their skim milk? "Sell it for tho manufacture of gum for envelopes, glaze for paper, false ivory for billiard balls, imitation vulcanite for telephones—anything, except pig feed Farmers should grow abundant crops of pig feed on thcr farms, and bo independent of skim milk. Then they needn't starve them." Starve them! "My dear fellow, if you go on to a farm where pigs are kept, what do you find ?, They all run after you as if they are going to eat you. They are absolutely hungry. And after all, you know what sort of stuff the Auckland prosecutions showed that pigs are fed on. Why it is a notorious fact that not one of tho meat inspectors in New Zealand will allow'a bit of pork or bacon to come into his house." y This man's allegations would have taken a - whole meeting of Feilding "suppliers" to grapple with. One could only feebly enquire— ' "How does all this help Foilding?" "If'tho Feilding farmers will produce a decent sort of pork or bacon" (he answered), "have it properly cured by their'own cooperative'factory, market it straight to the consumers ,to the town butchers,' at a price that will encourage trade—then they will have a limitless maTtet open befoio them and a thriving industry to cultivate for all time. But they'll quarrel among themselves right oft. You see Every man who takes up a pound share will want to be a director. That rock has split many a co-operative concern that ought to have succeeded. Have there not been bacon' factories m New Zealand already that'.havb died in that way?" _ Feilding already'hits its co-operative dairy factory, on which to,establish tho now movement. v . , "Good. Then let's hope that somo day we'll have somo good bacon, and not the stuff that, even when cut into rashers as thin as paper, eats like'indiarubber.'' ANOTHER' SIDE. A gentlomai conversant with the. meat industry in Wellington takes rathe'ra different view. _He said lie could buy hams m Wellington" at Sd.'per pound. If,~as was stated, the price paid' by-- factories for the»live pigs was reduced to.* about 4d. per pound, tho difference of foUfpence between live cost*and retail , pnco"w aS not too big to allow. , Howt(he was asked) can joU explain the leakage, of fourpenco per pound m the journey fiom the farmer's cart to the consumer ?|i "The price paid to the farmer covers offal and everything And there is this important fact to be considered, that the factory has to bear the loss incurred over pigs condomncd for tuberculosis. The margin is none too great." •