FARMING CONDITIONS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1440, 15 May 1912, Page 10

FARMING CONDITIONS.

LABOUR DEPARTMENT HEPOHT. The report of the Labour .Department oil the condition of I'lw industries of the Dominion for the month of April contains n number of references to agricultural and kindred matters. Heports from Nanier state that meat-freezing was slack, the work casing off considerably. Fclllnongery and wool-icouring are normal. The supply of labour for agricultural operations was in excess of the demand, niul married couples and farm hands were seeking employment. There Mas no ik-iiinnd for agricultural labour about Hastings. The reports from New Plymouth state that the tannin;,', currying, and fcllmongeriiift trades have been very active during the month, aud ;irc likely to continue so until the end of the season. In slaughtering, freezing, and preserving, trade has been very busy. Thero is every pro.-pect of a very satisfactory season. I'arming has been rather quiet around Patea. The niilk,-supply is keeping up very well considering the lateness of the season, but dairy factories are slackening off, and the season will soon be ended.

I'rom Wanganui come reports that in tanning, currying, and fellmongering employment has been regular throughout I'or slaughtering, freezing, and preserving, the past month-has been the busiest of the season, but a falliiigoff from now to the- end of the season is anticipated. Iu the Jlastertou district farming operations havn been rather slack, and ploughing had not commenced. Dairying in connection with the making of butter and chepso was also slackening considerably. During the season there has been nn abundance of i'eed throughout this dis-' trict; stock has kept in excellent condition, and good prices have bcpn maintained. Drovers have experienced a fairly busy time.

The outlook throughout the country is very good for farming, dairying, ore. (says the Nelson report), and the favourable weather has enabled farmers to harvest a"U crops in good condition. Prices for, centals are very firm, • whilst hopgrowprs arc jubilant at Hie figures obtained, se/eral large parcels having been sold at Is. Bd. per pound. Orchardisrs have also obtained good prices for late apples. Considerable-interest has bpeii taken in various ■displays of fruit taken olf young orchards. This is likely to bc'com!e';oiic of the leading industries of the Nelson district, as , considerable areas of land 'are ibeing put- down .in. fruit-trees.

THE PRICE OF BUTTER. , REVIEW OF THE SITUATION. WJicn the figures of the amount of butter in cool store ou April 30 were made public, tne opinion was freely expressed that ijricea would .come' down Id. per lb. Wo are'now in the middle of Hay, however, and no move lias been made in the above direction.

From inquiries made yesterday, it was loarnert in one quarter that the factories lvero firmer in their ideas of value now than they had been for some weeks past, and, it is ..said, that it is impossible for merchants to buy any first-grade butter under. Is./.per-lb. f.o.b. af nearest port. It was pointed out that when this price .referred to Taranaki butter, for instance, it meant coastal freight to or the raising of the price to 12Jd. In view of this, asked one merchant, could anyone say that the local price of 13d. was exorbitant. The merchant in question contended that tho price could be reduced Id. per lb. if makers based their values upon what they could receive for their butter by exporting it., It appeared, however, that makers were not going to do this, but rather, aimed, at establishing: a market price by holding the butter until they can get the price they are asking. :- '■ -"■ ■ 'One..wholesale dealer was of opinion that the present price would hold, and that the surplus iu the cool stores at the end of, the winter would be shipped to London in the early spring, the holders taking the risk as to the price offering theii. ■■

. It appears, from what those most interested in the business say that the greatest factor in making butter factories stand firm on their present idea of values is the price that the chee-e factories in their respective vicinities are paying out for butter-fat, l-'or instance, when cheese factories in Taranaki nre paying Is. 2d. to Is." 3d. per lb. for butter-fat, the butter-makers in the immediate vicinity are in a peculiar position, the actual value of butter being about lid. to Hid. This makes the payment for butter-fat lised for butter-making purposes not more than lid. to ind.'ut the outside. The position is a delicate and serious one for the butter-mukers concerned, as the price for butter-fat must ba paid if the suppliers aro to be retained. The consumer, apparently, is paying indirectly for the high cheese prices.