PORK AND BACON.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 December 1924, Page 4

PORK AND BACON.

I’I’OSIM'X'TS OF KXI’OJ’T TKADF. A t’C.'K LAX I), December it. “ The board lias on several occasions brought before New Zealand growers tbe importance of developing: export of pork and bacon from the Dominion,” said .\fr David .Jones, chairman of the -Meat Producers’ Hoard on his return Iroin Furope. The local price of most of our animal products was seriously fiuctuntiug and on the whole unsatisfactory until the export trade was established. This was particularly so with meat and dairy produce. The bacon industry has never been in a satisfactory position, f’ics multiply fast and high prices have always caused a "lut in the supply aiid low prices.-

‘•it is interestin'" to follow development iii othdf lands, lii (ireat Hritain the number of pigs iu I <7-'l was 2.odd,ooo to-day, it is a hour i-lm same, dermany had 7,124,0dd pigs in 1577. but in 1012 her total was 21.02-1,001/. France had 1,847,401 in 188:i, the earliest figures available, and in 1010, 7,000,570 Denmark’s total in 187.0 was 412,000 and in 1012. 1,704,000. The illlllihor of sheep iu all these countries has materially decreased while pigs have increased rapidly. There arc sound economic reasons for these changes. Take Denmark as a basis of comparison, because she is New Zealand’s greatest competitor in dairy produce, and is in many respects similarly situated. She has an area of 1(5,004 square miles and Do per cent of the boldines are under fifty acres. Twenty five acres is regarded as quite a good-sized farm. I was surprised to see a large proportion oi these holdings giveii up to gl'uill and roots, but Ihe expansion iu dairy products ban not been made at the expense id corn crops. The area under cereals in 1871 was 2,0X7,000 acres, iu 1001. 2,807.00!) acres and iu 1021, 2,(5X7.000 acres. The area under roots, however, has expanded from Hi,B/0 acres in 1871 to 8:1.1.000 acres in 1021.

The Danish farmer lias shown he can "row the food needed lor his pigs vorv largely on bis own farm, lie lias developed a pi" industry that exported last year over 0,000,000 pigs. valued at C 10,000,001 as compared with dairy exports valued at C 1.7.08 1.001. The pi" slauglitorics are nearly all eo operative, and co-operation in Denmark is very binding. One ol the slaughtories I visited had fi\e thousand suppliers, who entered into a guarantee for a number of years to supply it with every pi" they fattened. excluding those for household needs, leach slaughtery has a weekly killing of about two thousand pigs, and is equipped with many labour-sav-ing devices, enabling killing to lie done cheaply oil the chain system. Hu tellers d„ any other work about the factories when not slaughtering. .Most ol the bacon from the slaugliteries is sent direct to the Hritish retailer. '• Denmark has many advantages,

over us, especially iu closeness to rnaiket,” said .Mr Jones in comparing the two countries, “but our climate is much superior and our foodstuffs are not dearer. Iu the freight contract just concluded a freight rate of ;d a pound for pork and Id a pound for bacon lias been arranged, which should assist the New Zealand pi" industry very much. The freezing companies should give every encouragement to develop this trade. If we could do ball the trade Denmark is doing it would largely solve the freezing works problem in this country by adding to their annual turnover.”