PRIMARY PRODUCTS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 223, 14 June 1919, Page 12

PRIMARY PRODUCTS

OUTLOOK REVIEWED

I fDETELOPMENT OF DAIRY \ t ••' INDUSTRY'

■ tThe'c'hainnan of directors of the BauX of New Zealand (Mr. H. Bcauchampjmade some references to the present and prospective prices of primary, products at the meeting of the bank's shareholders yesterday. He said that when ti;« Imperial ..commandeer- : -expired,'■ as it would about the middle of next year, it was probable that the - priee3 of wool, meat, butter and cheese would decline, partly through the stress of competition. ' but mainly because customers,..being imDoverished by the war, would be unable to'pay high-prices.' A fall in prices would, affect the prosperity New Zealand was now enjoying, because it would involve a'reduction in income, and this -coulij be recovered only by increased production. The Dominion must bring more land into profitable occupation, aud farm oh-scientific'lines. s . Vln the dairy industry, ,laudable efforts were being -made to 'increase the nuni-. teri-of .products j'in other words, to eliminate waste: and these efforts should be'encouraged-by tho authorities. . Oμ mainifacture'of "dried milk, sugar ot milk, casein, etc., wa= already undertaken on a fomewhat extensive scale, and steps were' being taken to substantially increase' the ouhnit of these manufactures. Some of. Hie Waikato dairy companies sent to .America, some months, ago, a!:-deputation consisting, of threfi experts, to'-look into .the method of dned-mi.k manufacture; and as'the result of their 'investigations, thw dried-milk factories were to 1)e-orected,-in,tho l ,^,aikato'district to dear with the skimmed 'iinlKot - not fewer" then 20,flf>0 cow?. Tara-nalci and other-'dairying districts were followin" suit.'-iind wevo proposing-to fiend-two competent, men to America and elsewhere to inquire into the manufactuie.oi■■.dairy by-producte. '.j : : - ',■':_' • As regarded casein, added "11r... Beauchamp, tho manufacturers- of.' that-' article in New Zealand would not need to again enter into contracts with' German, firms. nsVthcro was every/prospect, 'expanding; trade being done..witli Britain. Birmingham/'rTwas stated, had: worked up an .extensive trade in articles made'tfrom casein. Tho • casein '-was ch'emicnljy treated and solidified, arid issues from the. factory.; in- 'sheets;and rods of varying thickness. .The- development of s-tlie - -British'-dye; .industry -. had made it-'-possiblo'. to {impart ;-a:'rich-.:di-; veTsity of colours to the' material, "and.! ae the manufacturers jliad secret of/.'polisliink it to a fine gleaming surface, its adaptability'for conversion into nicbiacke '.was -unlimited. . The manufacturers-' had- overcome all the ,' technicalidifflculties and were now sending out,.,iri large quantities!.; v a great .variety of articles made. 1 from-casein. It was' alsi? being carriage and -motor-car' vfittingß,,..a'n'd -/-was ; eaid ,to- ; bo ■ proviiig'vefy'-'usefuVas''an" ; insulatoriMnaeroplane construction. The goods Birmingham was making were-,, claimed to ' be euperior to anything Germany ever ,- uroduced, and it had taken tho iuan'u-

faoturers only-two., years to make casein ' £a:-'Businessr;propositic.ii,. . .. .- respect to meat,", said •Mγ. ' Benaciianip,''"the British' Government '.'•Mat Committee is considering w-ays and \ Weans of increasing tho imports'of meat ;irom Australasia, and good results from t.the efforts of this committee may be es- . •"•pe'eted. The principal, if not the only, ''menace to the meat trade ia the great / ,','imerican Beef Trust. It has spread ,'i'it? tentacles over Britain, and ia quietly ;;jdolnp the same in Australasia. - Apart - ( -'-from this, we must expect to,meet with vkeeri competition from South America, land perhaps front South Africa also. /TDjlrinjj tho war frozen meat (including Vnfeat from New Zealand) was ■ used in ± (fiance and Italy, and- some frozen lamb kiwis'sold in New York. It is the opin|J3p)l of some that there will be a permanent demand for frozen meat from |ihe Continent of Europe; but some of ijthe leading meat firms/are inclined'to . ;.believe that the prices will debar the tjPrencli and other -impoverished Continental nations from largely increasing the Consumption Howeccr, there is no 'Tdoubt that New Zealand can make sure ',pf;a. srooi market for all the meat that ■'j.caii be shipped. The question is rather Jorie of increased production." ■ <i.'\With respect to wool, there was every l :Tf#son_ to believe that the market would /'remain' , favourable for many'years. The -population needing wool was increosinq ..iir more rapidly than the flocks; indeed, - it; was a question whether the fiheep in . }.he world had not materially decreased ' diirinj; the past five years. Prices . : JTiicrlit not be as high as they were to- :•'■•. i'day: but they would certarnly.be at a . ■ profitable level for sheep men "who know their bnsiness. •