CANTERBURY PROGRESS LEAGUE.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 September 1920, Page 4

CANTERBURY PROGRESS LEAGUE.

Paper-read by Air C. H. Juchl, before tho Canterbury Progress League, concerning his recent visit to the West Coast, as a, member of the Canterbury Delegation.

Having accompanied the Delegation of the Canterbury Progress Le&gue toi Westland, I presuhie I aim expected to give an account of the impressions I have formed from an agriculturist’s point of view. To commence with, it appeared to me to be a country completely tlie reverse of that which obtains in Canterbury where [ lrave resided for the past, forty years. In West land they have precipitous forest-clad mountains, deep lakes and valleys, copious rainfall and swift-running mountain torrents and rivers, whilst wo have our broad, open plains, neat, well-tilled farms, and a comparatively dry climate.

The primary industries of the. West Coast arc coal and gold mining and sawmilling; grazing and dairying takes second place, and agriculture—as applied to grain growing—almost negligible, and from what I gathered from reliable sources will always remain so, on account of tho climatic conditions.

In regard to coal-mining, I should iipagino that immense possibilites are in store" for the" AVest Coast. Given sufficient transport facilities, ah unlimited supply of the best coal in the world could be obtained to satisfy tho needs of tho whole Dominion for an indefinite' period, and to that end the Buller Gorge railway should he completed so as to connect with the Alidland Railway at Stillwater Junction. We, in Canterbury, should then be able to obtain the best Westport Steam Coal approximately at 4.0 s per ton, Reef ton Coal at 35s per ton and lignite of the most excellent quality at 18s per ton delivered. It will bo easily recognised what this means to the Canterbury consumers to have direct rail communication to these coal-mining districts.

I did not'go into the prices of timber but I am assured that we should be able to get our building timber much cheaper than at present. We should also bo able to get an abundant supply of fencing posts and stakes of. much better quality and cheaper than those lirocurable here, in fact good lastirg posts and stakes are almost unprocurable, and farmers have to use the blue gum for fejieing which is much inferior to tlie brown and black birch, silver pine, yellow pine and totara which is in .abundance on the Coast going to waste for want of transport.

Grazing and dairying, once practically neglected, are now becoming an industry of importance. Cattle and sheep are being successfully raised to supply local requirements, with a surplus for export. When the large tracts of the rich bush land become cleared or partially cleared, immense herds of cattle will be raised and fattened. Sheep arc and will he confined to the Romney and Border Leicester breeds on account of the excessive moisture, and in years to come will occupy a large area of tlie open well-drained country. In one or two instances I saw some of the Down breeds which looked very miserable, apparently not suited for tlie climate.

In regard to Agriculture, only in curtain restricted areas would, in my opinion ,tlie country be suitable for intense fanning, as understood by the Canterbury farmers. Good agricultural land is patchy and isolated; large expenditure of capital and labour would be required to develop this class of land to give immediate returns. Lacking that it will have to be a gradual evolution by felling, burning and the sowing of suitable grasses, then a period of grazing. When the stumps have sufficiently rotted, the land could be brought under cultivation by means of the plough. To clear this class of land by felling, burning and stumping right away, would be too costly and beyond the means of the ordinary settler.

Stretches of good open country are to be seen in various localities such as Kokatahi and Koiterangi, also at Wataroa, La Fontaine, Hari Hari and several other places, where rich alluvial soil resting upon a sand and shingle sub-soil, giving good drainage, where rich feed is in abundance and the stock looking extreiilely well. Very small areas are devoted to the growing of turnips, excepting on farms between Reefton aiid Ngaliere. I saw no mangolds or lucerne and cannot understand why the settlers have not.expefimeritecl with these two very profitable commodities, knowing that tlie cultivation of which would considerably increase the carrying capacity of their farm's. Westland should be a, great field for the agricultural scientist wherein to experiment with the growing of root crops—lucerne particularly, aiid grasses most suitable for Its soil and climate.

Not one farmer could tell me the best graasSs to sow; cocksfoot is principally, sown, but it only lasts three years through the depreciations of the grass grub. I should think such grasses as timothy, prairie grass, poa nemorales and the fescues would lie most suitable. I saw small areas of oats and Italian grass for spring feeding which were looking remarkably well; none sown for white crop. I was shown a sheaf of oats grown at Koiterangi good enough for “A” grade chaff yielding two tons per acre. This was harvested under exceptionally favourable weather for the West Coast. As a general rule small lots might be harvested for chaff, say enough for local requirements hut none for export. Grain and food stuffs,-with, the exception, of meat, will always have to he imported, just the same, as Canterbury will always have to import coal and timber. I was informed that there, are some good agricultural farms in the Karainea district ,but we had no opportunity of visiting there.

From obsefvaton I should think that no other Province in the Dominion has cost the Government so much, to dove-, lop as Westland and on the other hand in no other Province lias there been less expended by private enterprise in developing the surface of the land, notwithstanding tlie fact that untold wealth lias been taken from below the surface, consequently one is disappointed at the primitive state of the agricultural anu pastoral lands, especially in the South,l In conclusion let me express my admiration for the manner in-which our business manager, Mr Climie, organised and carried out the tour. Much valuable information has been gathered which I am sure will be used to tho

mutual advantage of tlic people of both Coaßts. The parity was a happy one all through and the Westland folk treated us right royally.

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