The Fielding Star. SATURDAY, SEPT. 30, 1882. DUNEDIN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 31, 30 September 1882, Page 2

The Fielding Star. SATURDAY, SEPT. 30, 1882. DUNEDIN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

We are in receipt of the annual report of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, for the year ending August last. TLe information contained in the President's address is very valuaMe, and we propose to offer a lew of the most salient points for the considers- , Lion of our readers. He suggests ] that an Associated Chamber of Com- < uerce should be formed for the whole ' Colony ; its n eetings to be held j periodical y in oue or other of the t

chief cities in the North or Pouth Island. Such on institution would lie productive of sound and bene'icial results ro th< j commerce of the country in which we live. Its meetings and deliberations would a>sist to bridge over the insular separation of the commercial interests between the two greater islands. On t c subject of the refrigerating works he continues — *' It is a pleasure to report that our refrigerating- works are now in full operation, and doing- good work. Members, I hope, will excuse n c in sp°aking in the p ssessive sense of these works, as I cannot, forget that they count one of the useful undertaking's which have been initiated by this Chamber during- the last two years. As f told you on a former occasion, commencement of this modern industry would open up a prosperous era for New Ze-iland, and en. brace in its fruitful Jesuits many classes of pursuits and trades, ft must not be supposed that, by adding to the value, of live stock and dair} 1 produce, we are only directly benefitting the land owner. I think, like theschoolmaster, the economist has been abroad in this Colony sufficiently, already, to have taught our people sounder politics. Jfwe can enhance the sellingvalues of the products of our lands, there need be no fear of the future of New Zealand — where nature has been bountiful, both in soil and climate. In connection with the pastoral interests of the Colony I am glad to point, for the first tune, to a marked improvement in the number of sheep. We have added during- the year one million to our flocks; this I think may be accounted for mainly by the improved condition of much of the grazing lands through the continuous ar.d wholesale destruction of rabbits, and partly by new settlements of small holdings Agriculture lists not been neglected by ourcoloni tsduringthe past year, and while the increase of acreage put under wheat appears only to the extent of 40,7^2 acres, making a total of 365,715 acres producing- that cereal, and growing- an average per acre of 22| bushe s. A very large falling off is apparent in the acre under oat crop- -nearly one-half compared to the quantity sown during the previous year of 1880-81. The acreage of land sown in oats appears 243,H87, yielding 1 an average of 28£ bushels per acre. In barley we had nearly 30,000 acres under crop, giving an average of 2C£ bushels per acre, while the potato crop for the year covered 22,540 acres, and yielded the excellent average of nearly 5^ tons per acre. With the exception of the iast-named crop the yieio per acre has been somewhat diminished, attributable partly to the fickleness of the seasons, but chiefly, I am disposed to think, to indifferent husbandry. Compared, however, with our Australian sister Colonies, which have in the past year, as in many preceding ones, suffered severely from dry seasons, we have reason to be thankful ihat although our national debt is large, it is easily borne, whi c our climate shuus a much greater enemy to the progress of any country in the shape of devastating periodical droughts. New Zealand must therefore continue to offer much greater salutary benefits to the bona fide settler than any other colony in 'Southern Asia. Before we separate I wish to refer to another industry, and one in which I think we should take an early interest : I allude to co-operative dairyfarming. There can be no doubt that the advantages to be offered by the refrig^ratin» system to the dairy farmer promise equally well in his direction as they appear to do for the cattle and sheep breeder. During the year 1880 the estimated total value of cheese and butter produced in America exceed £72,000,000, and of this large production 45,000 tons ol cbee.se and 38,000 tons of butter were ex ported from that country. Then why should New Zealand not make a respectable show of such commodities among her exports? The process only requires to be carefully initiated and properly established throughout the Colony to ensure its success."