A BIG BEET SCHEME.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 905, 26 August 1910, Page 8

A BIG BEET SCHEME.

:-',-•-:' J-'- SERIOUSLY CONSIDEEED,v' : -::T - :.,'; (By Telegraph.—Special •. '.■■.- : -;';:'." Wanganui, August; 25. ..A- representative .gathering..'6f/,.farmers 'and citizens; at a meeting held-yesterday "afternoon,, considered' the .'possibility.' of Jestablishing- the beet sugar "in" . 0r... near - Wanganui.,.- .;',.,:,'' .:■'■' - ■-;■ •:'. The.Mayo.f,4swho',, presided,. after,*referfriug ,to theinuinber of .flourishing.'indnsjiries;.already. :established here, .went on.- : .ijto comment on the ■ of establishing the sugar .industry,' which, ho" be-.-''Sieved, would' become, as successful as the" {others.; .To ; keep a factory going some 2000 mores, of, beet would have to. be'gibwn annually,: and'he-thought that such : atf (amount of land "could !be easily "'devoted Jio-a.c'rop in this district. : The:'capital, toutlay would, probably be about •^100,000 : i—not much more than:had been sent but. bf the town during the gold boom;': He, : (moved: -'; "That ; the.: meeting. : form • itself gnto a committee to make inquiries,';'aiid,'' pt deemed .expedient,; to promote the esthe. sugar beet industry'in. iSVangamiL" ■" •'•-'.■'"''.". - .''■'■''■'■ I. In; the' discussion which/followed some (of. the' farmers"; took "the pessimistic note, ,pot,-with regard:to";the capability of tho Sand to grow, beet, but- with regard to fthe ; labour, problem.'' : '-.: •'■ . ..','. I "Mr. J. B.; Murray said that the .industry succeeded.in Germany.' only because fwomen and .children, worked .15' hours "a Sday. at it, and' he would ■ be sorry. to .see' (It established here'.under such conditions.

Mr. W.' Ritchie, another' well-known [fanner, spoke similarly, denouncing ,the jßcheme as ; a. wild-cat one, and advising fthe farmers'to; stick-to" butter-fat. . I The Mayor retorted'that,, so 'far as ichild labour '• was" concerned, no industry was.worse in this respect than dairySng,- and beet growing -would give the a second stringjto. their.-,bows.'; i ;.'Mr. W. G. Bassettsaid that, if. they, prere forestalled'by another town, they jwould probably be sorry for themselves. .Speaking -from, personal; knowledgeo£\ the cane, fields,: he said that the •isugar \. industry ■- still thrived': there, - ; in gpite ;of: the ' abolition:;o£ ' cheap'■'Kanakaflabour.-,''- •:;;:"; '. : '.-':. '■•'■' An offer was received from a Brunswick [farmer. (Mr. 6. Campbell), who already ftas made satisfactory experiments in beetigrowing, expressing his willingness \to icondnct further" experiments for. the information of.farmers. . .-' - After, several' other's ;had spoken,. the SMayoiPs motion was carried unanimously, and .also a-motion that his Worship and jafr.T.fi. "Williams be a committee,i,with jpower.to add;to their number, to"interfldew. the Hon. T. Mackenzie' to-morrow, pith a; view to obtaining a visit from an expert of,the Agricultural Department.