FOOD-ABSORBING CAPACITY OF MARKETS.

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 59, 7 September 1926, Page 11

FOOD-ABSORBING CAPACITY OF MARKETS.

Mr .T Rentoul, who has taken an active, part 'in the affairs of the Honey Producers Association told a meeting of bee-keepers at Hastings the other day that 1925 was New Zealand's best export year, 780 tons beingexported; in 1026, the export was 530 tons. Mr. Rentoul said that one bee-keeper could manage 250 colonies, which, if worked properly, should average 601b of honey per colony. He considered that if the bee-keeper could net 4%d to 5d per lb this would be a payable price- New Zealand consumed 21b of honey per head of the population, and Canada l'/ilb, while the United Kingdom only worked out at Ulb per head. This Bhowed, said Sir. Kentoul, that the export of honey had still a long way to go before the United Kingdom people consumed as much honey as New Zealand. , Compare with these comparative honey-eat-ing figures the statement of the Imporial Economic Committee that the British population eats 16 pounds of butter per head per year, the Canadian population eats 28 pounds, the Australian 27 pounds. „._... •', „ Two things stand out: (1) That the relative importance, to Dominion producers, of their home markets, is very great, is increasingly great, and cannot be assessed by merely counting heads; (2) that an- ear of prosperity .in Britain will mean prosperity in New Zealand, if New Zealand producers can produce on acompetitive level.