AGRICULTURE IN BRITAIN.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1381, 6 March 1912, Page 8

AGRICULTURE IN BRITAIN.

A NEW ZEALANDER'S OBSERVATIONS. VALUE OF THE FREEHOLD. A few matters connected with agriculture in Great Britain formed the subject of an address by Mr. John Grigg, before the meeting of the Ashbnrton A. and P. Association on Saturday last. Question of Land Tenure, Mr. Grigg, who has recently returned from a trip to the Old Country, said he thought the question of land tenure might safely be placed first as the question, all over the world, of tho most importance to a solid foundation of prosperous farming, for without the freehold tenure no co-operation was possible. But how cuuld the farmers in England co-operate (as everyone is advising them to do) unless they owned the land? Any creameries or factories put up added to tho value of the land. The landlords in England were the most liberal in the world; still it would be to the great advantage of the landlords to sell, and better in tho U-r-g run for the tenants to become owners of the land. One block of 20,000 acres war Thorney, and not far from Peterborough, was sold by auction by the Duke of Bedford, who lent two-thirds of his money on the land at -1J per cent, if the buyer v anted it. About 19,000 acres out of the 20,000 acres was bought by the tenants, , and several paid cash. As sdou as a man owned the land, intense culture was the rule, and ho had a home to leave to Vis children. Land was going up in England now, and nothing would increase its value so much as tho man on the,land owning it; together with co-operation nud good farming, Look what co-operation was doing for Ireland, where nine iU*lkin acres out of eighteen million fit to cultivate wero owned now by the man working the land. Peace reigned with tho freehold, and he did not think these men in their hearts wanted even Home Rule now. The land had been sold to the farmers in Ireland on so many vea-s' purchase, according to tho value of the land. Mr. Grigg said ho saw a valley in Kerry just over. the boundary from Cork which had the reputation of having had more landlords, bailiffs, and policemen shot in it a few years ago than aiiy other valley in Ireland. Now with the freehold tenure it was peaceful, and dotted over with creameries, t and the iuterest on the money still owing" was paid ffost punctually.

The Wyndham Act. The .Wyndham Land Purchase Act had been, and was, a good law for Irela-ul. What every nation wanted was every aero to produce the most possible under good (arming, ami the freehold tenure secured that and reared a more patriotic race at the same time. Denmark, Holland, and England were giving the freehold to the man working tho land, where possible, and even Russia was now convinced that this was the cure for many evils. Vet we J n Kew Zealand, under the influence or tho town population, were tryin* to go in for leasehold. What of land values here.- . He thought they were, in the main, safe, as we had so many strings to our bow in such a fine climate, but at the same time he considered sonio of the verv light land had gone high enough where it had changed hands lately, as this class ot land had only two strings to its bow. He admitted that tho two strings-fat lambs and wool—were two of the strongest strings, but they might not play a much higher tune than at present. Although he thought wool the safest of all, still a man ought not to discount his labour altogether, or rather anticipate the price of his work by paying too high a price for the land, as artificial manures and shipping freights might go up in price.

N.Z. Meat and Butter at Home. The amalgamation and grouping of large shipping companies, farming combines," was much in evidence today. This was no doubt with the object of reducing competition, and ultimately putting up freights. X.?w Zealand was. favoured to-day with moderate rates of freight on wool, meat, butter, and cheese, but if farmers were to continue in this state, they must keep wide awake, and combine to keep these freights reasonable, as this was the. crux of the country's prosperity. They must keep up their standards of quality; then the rich man would buy thoir produce in whatever part of the world he might he; and he believed in a few years' time that Canada would take a large portion of Xew Zealand's butter.

Mr. Grigg went on to say:—"l saw samples of New Zealand butter and cheese, and was many times in Smithfield, to see our meat, and I was dfJHited to see how well it had carried, and it all ate well. As fresh-killed meat decreases in the large centres of population in the Old 'World (and it is decreasing fast), first quality frozen meat will bo moro and more sought for. Other countries besides England must take it, and I am sure it would be money well spent if our High Commissioner 'in London offered to pay all expenses of experts if France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy would agree to send delegates out hero to inspect our freezing works, and see the class of stock and how rigid the inspection is hero. These countries would then, I believe, do away with restrictions now in force, such as, that certain parts of the inside of animals must enme with tho carcass, for inspection. The moro they see of this country and its rood riuality of produce, tho better for u=. Personally, I think tho general prospects of this country, as a whole, are so bright that there is only one ropo which can hang us, and that is public and privato extravagance. If this happens, we, as farmers, havo only ourselves to blame, as this lovely country will carry people thick on the land, and the votes of mm on the land should go into one ballotbox. There is no loss in spending money well in a young country, but s.jMndin'i? it badly, or extravagantly, is a debt for all time."