BEFORE 1877 AND AFTER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1085, 25 March 1911, Page 7

BEFORE 1877 AND AFTER.

A GREAT LEAF IN OUR HISTORY. (By Telegraph— Spcrial Correspondent.) Gliristchurcli, March 24. Speaking at the annual meeting of tho Canterbury A. and I'. Association, Sir. M. Murphy drew attention to a mortgage of £41/00 on the grounds account, and to the fact that tho jubilee of tho association would take place in 1913. This would be a fitting occasion for. making a supremo effort towards wiping off the burden which had been hampering the operations of the associ- ■ ation. Ho thought that he could make out a good reason why the association might ask the farming community to lend substantial aid in helping to clear off the debt. Some of them would remember tho deplorable condition of the agricultural and pastoral industry previous to 1877. There was then no opening for their surplus sheep except tho try-pot. ' The export of wheat was not_ considered practicable without kiln drying. Butter was hardly saleable at id. per lb., and farmers' accounts were, as a rule, on the wrong side of the banker's ledger. At last a few progressive rhen, chief amongst them being the lato Mr. John Grigg (Canterbury), Mr. Brydono (Otago), the Hon. M. Holmes, and Mr. John Reid (Oamaru), and a few others, determined to mako an effort to save the position. They resolved to start freezing factories, with a view of shipping the surplus stock of tho country to tho English markets. He remembered well discussing the question with the late Mr. Grigg, when that gentleman had declared, in his usual emphatic manner, "Tho project must succeed or New Zealand must go under." The cool chambc e nnd scientific methods led to the successful establishment of butter and cheese factories throughout the land, thus bringing relifff and prosperity in their train to the farming community. Let them consider what all these innovations led up to. The value of sheep and lambs' increased by leaps and bounds. Wheat rapidly rose in price. Butter rose fron; 4d. to Is. per lb. Hams and bacon participated in the general improvement in (Prices, and land went up from 50 to 100 per cent, in prico in loss than ten years. Many farmers had tho great satisfaction of finding their country rapidly bcconie a largo exporter of agricultural and pastoral products, raising the Dominion of New Zealand to a conspicuous position in their great Empire. The / Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association had played an important part in fostering tho breeding of all kinds of farm stock —far more so than was generally supposed. Surely no moro fitting qccasion than their jubilee year could bo chosen by the farmers and pastoralists of Canterbury for showing their appreciation of the prosperity which had tome upon them than by placing'their association in a position of greater nsofulness.