FARMING OUTLOOK.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1931, 13 December 1913, Page 10

FARMING OUTLOOK.

OPTIMISTIC REMARKS. A bright outlook'for the future was forecasted for the farmers of New Zealand by Mr. J. ti., Wilson, president of the Farmers' Union, when addressing ■shareholders of. 'tho New. Zealand Farmers' -Cooperative Distributing Company, Ltd., at; tlio annual luncheon held yesterday at Godber's Rooms, Courtenay Place.'•

Mr. Wilson first commented on tho fact that the company was started ten years ago for tho benefit of the farmers, and because it was thought there was room for such a cqmpany. It had experienced tho many difficulties inseparable from tho early stages 61' co-opera-tivo concerns, but had now established . itself, and lie was pleased to say they anticipated this year to pay a dividend. All they had to do jiow was to get- further capital for extension, and they Lad the right- to expect tho confidence of tlio fanners. Last- year he predicted that tho season was going to bo a' very profitable one for the fanner, and so it turned out, despite the fact that they had to faco a slaughtermen's strike. This year they seemed to have even better prospects for some branches of their industry. Certainly wool was down a little. A curious phase of things was occurring now, thoy were growing too much line wool. Formerly a great deal of Lincoln had been grown; but farmers now seemed to be turning their attention to Itomuey, a much liner wool, and there was too much of the Romney wool going into tho London market. As far as.incrinos were concerned they were diminishing very rapidly. It was rather unfortunate,'- because merino was tho basis of the. best sheep, and the question of keeping up tho supply of ewes was of great importance. The'priccs for fat stock'were higher than for any year iii- his recollection, tho companies offering las. and 16s. for lambs, a very highprico for this particular timo of the'year. It was questionable, however, if the weight was npt too largo, as the London buyer liked light sheep. Coining to agriculturo Mr. Wilson commented on tho peculiar position which had arisen in New Zealand. They had been constantly saying that labour tioubles meant they were going to reduce their agricultural work. This year there had been a very marked reduction,'.and it seemed that unless the crop 3 .wore very heavy they would not grow enough wheat for New Zealand.' This was a very serious matter. Thero .was 'only one thing causing this,, the difficulty of labour, and the question was how were they to solve it? Tho agricultural farmer therefore did not seem to have such a favourable prospect before him so far as grain was concerned, but perhaps ho would be. able to pick" up by growing root crops for fattening. -

• The season liatl been a very. remarkable one,, and .juo.w' everybody was crying out against the-rain. The dairy farmer was..going to-liave.almost a record season, so'far as tho yield was concerned. Tho .prices 'were not so ' good, one time Jast year, particularly as regards cheese, it looked as if" tho market was going to collapse. The market eventually took a turn for the better, when Canadian cheese did not 1 eomo up to expectations: There was no doubt that the butter and cheese industry bad been more, threatened'-' by the recent strike than ;any 'other--industry. Wool prices; as affected by the American tariff, were touched on by the speaker. Nobody, lis said, seemed to know what would be the result on .prices. One jpsult had been, so far, that the Americans, had bought up stocks and stored in bond, This had just been released, so that perhaps American buyers would not need to operate this year. There was no doubt that the tariff must be beneficial, however. Tho population in America was increasing, and tho climato made necessary large purchases of wool, but tho belief was that it would "have a larger effect upon coarser than, upon light wool. " x