TOBACCO GROWING

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 130, 4 June 1919, Page 8

TOBACCO GROWING

ON NORTHERN GUM LANDS.

Tho Parliamentary Industries Committee, which has been taking evidence throughout tho country, resumed its sittings in Wellington this morning. Those present were: Messrs. C. A. Wilkinson (in the chair), J. Craigie, G. Forbes, J. T. M. Homsby, H. Poland, W. A. Veitch, and T. K. Sidey, M.P.'s. AN M.P.'S EVIDENCE. The evidenco of Mr. A. Harris, M.P., on the subject of tobacco-growing in the Far North, taken on 2nd Juno, was read. The witness produced a sample of tobacco which was grown in Henderson, about 12 miles from Auckland, by a settler named Franich —a Dalmatian. Franich told witness that he had grown tobacco ! very successfully in his native country, and he had imported the seed from Dali matia and planted it on his land, at Henderson, with highly satisfactory results. He told him that he was an expert in tobacco culture, and that the sample produced was second to none in the world. The great feature was that it was grown on, what was known as poor gum land, which was not suitable for many other branches of agriculture. Not very far from Mr. Franich's farm there was a block of land' belonging to the Crown, known as the Birdwood Estate. It was formerly a gum reserve, but the reservation had been lifted, and the suggestion had been mad© that this land should be offered for soldier settlement. The land that the sample of tobacco was grownon was identical with the land on the Birdwood Estate, and with any similar areas o! land in the North. If an industry of this kind could be established on land which was not suitable for ordinary agriculture it should have the assistance o? the Government in every possible way. He wished it understood that he was only giving the opinion of the grower' of the tobacco, who assured him there was no better tobacco grown anywhere. If that was so, an industry might be j established by Government assistance, that would be available to soldiers. Par-tially-disabled soldiers might carry it-on very well; there was no really hard work attached to the industry, and the poor land could be utilised very largely for it. To Mr. Homsby: Mr. Franich cured j the tobacco simply by drying it.. He had a number of different grades of tobacco. He told him it depended entirely _ upon the time at which the leaf was picked, and the way in which it was picked. To Mr. Forbes: As far as he knew, Mr. Franich had not submitted the tobacco to any tobacco people, to get a report on it; but he told him he had no difficulty in selling any he could produce. I (Proceeding.) ,