HOME OF THE SMALL SETTLER

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 861, 6 July 1910, Page 10

HOME OF THE SMALL SETTLER

!. PROGRESS OF SOUTHLAND

Speaking to a Dominion reporter yesiefciay, Mr. J. C. Thomson, M.P- for Wallace, declared that there were how abundant signs of progress in all parts '..of .Southland. The dairy industry (he continued) Was in particular showing .'.remarkable'.growth. Just now .several co-operative dairy factories were in cburso of erection, and others were .: niopted. Southland might be called : ."thc home of the small setter," and ■' the dairying industry-was proving of great advantage to'the province. Of course, one. effect of the 1 extension of this industry would be an increase in \laiid value, and no doubt further subdivisions. Now that dairying had become such-an important industry, attention would, Mr. Thomson said, have to be devoted to improving the dairy herds. Apropos of ; this question, ho was ;'strongly of opinion that the good dairy, stock which the State "proposed to import -should be equally divided among the principal dairying districts of the Dominion. In. the absence of any State farms, that southern portion of New Zealand was, he felt, justly entitled to consideration in this matter.

'There was also a great improvement in regard to the sheep industry. The : Southland Frozen Meat Company were ..erecting .very commodious and uprtodate ■; works at Makarewa, four miles .from the site of , their 'present works. Some time ago; also a movement was started to establish freezing works at Balclutka, and. now the farmers jn tho lliversdale'. district were discussing the .question of having freezing works, despite the- fact that 1 there- is' a--simi-lar works at Mataura. In regard to horse-breeding, Southland was- worthily upholding its reputation as "the home of the Clydesdale." Of late -a largo number of horses had left, Southland for the North Island, but tho Taieri was her.best customer. In this connection.it was worthy of note that Mr. Harding', of Hawke's Bay,' had expressed himself,as being delighted with (recent acquisitions.from Southland. It imight - also bo noted that' although ' so' many valuable mares went from South-' laid to' the Taieri every' year,- Southland breeders could whip ill comers at the .southern shows,, including' the Otago Winter Show. The western district, in particular, was especially noted for,the fine quality of tho horses which it produced. In conclusion, - Mr. Thomson pointed .'out-.-that. Crown lauds were ; rapidly being taken up, but the area offering was not nearly sufficient to'meet the demands. Recently only one property had been acquired in' Southland by the. Government,for subdivision, and all, tho new. settlers, who. were a . . splendid stamp of farmers, intended to go in for dairying. What was wanted was rthat a lot of the cut-out timber areas 'in the province 7 should be subdivided as soon as possible. Sawmilling - in Southland was fairly brisk, whilst mining was '.normal. Tho great progress 'which Southland was.now making was, Mr. Thomson added, reflected ;in the irapid strides which , Invercargill, the capital of the. province, was making. !At the present time, contracts. . for, ibuildings worth, many - thousands '■;, /.of pounds had been let, and other-large buildings were - mooted. In addition,electric tramways, 'which would cost £75,000, were about; to be installed.-