WELLINGTON NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 24 June 1927, Page 4

WELLINGTON NEWS

MULTIPLYING Pl{ 1M Alf Y ! NDUSTRIES. (Special to " Guardian.”) WELLINGTON. June 22. 'I rnde depressions are never very pleasant, lieeau.se of the real tragedies they firing in their wake, nevertheless they have a stimulating eli'eet. for they force the community to look round for now methods of improving conditions. In the eighties of the last eenuirv following u]ion the Vogel Public Works policy which involved the expenditure of huge sums of borrowed money which created an unwholesome prosperity, the slumji was severe. A\ 00l and wheat, tallow from the boning down plant* scattered about the country, hides and skins and a little hemp -were till that we had to rely upon in the way of exports, to carry the burden of debt. In those critical years the freezing industry saw its birth. I here was no subsidy. Paterson plan or other ol the new-fangled schemes which seem so necessary now to "encourage” production or establish a new industry or reestablish a moribund one. I lie freezing industry was established ami developed by enterprising patriotic men, many of whom lost a great deal ol money in fostering the industry. There were no research laboratories, mi men experienced in I rooming industry to help those who were seeking to establish Lliis new industry, hut grit and determination anil a woiulerltti optimism was brought to hoar, and so another primary industry was estab-

lished. Later, in the early 'nineties, the cream separator came into the country and enterprise soon turned it to account. In was in fact a Chinaman who showed the country what toiiltl he done. Ihe tali* Mr ( hew Chong, of Taranaki, had a very well planned Inttlcr laelorv near St ratlord.

ami at the Dunedin and South Sens Exhibition, which was run by Mr Twopenny, a ton ol butler I ruin Mr Chew Chong’s factory was awarded the first prize. The dairy industry soon began to make strides after that, with the facilities provided by the dairy division of tlie Agricultural Department which was set uti. Again there were no Paterson plans or subsidies, or embargoes to establish this new industry. It was established and progressed on its merits, which is the only sate method of setting up a new primary industry.

'The present slump which is more directly affecting tile the primary producers is certain to load to new indus-

tries being established. To-day. however, we have to deal with a new gen oration of farmers who retptire to be “ encouraged ” with Paterson plans or Government nursing or control hoards to get a move on towards establishing new primary industries. A case in point is the pig industry. .Efforts are now to be made to develop this industry. A preliminary movement in this direction has been made in Manawatu. and the Paterson plan and a control hoard are among the suggestions lor “encouraging” the development ol

the industry. Last year the Dominion derived an income ot CIO 1.0 111 Irom the export of pigs and [jig products. There was exported (iO.ftblcwt ot trozeu pork valued at £.'270,1)18, and ol this 87.181ewt valued at 2258.82-> went to the United Kingdom. Of bacon New Zealand exported 70.711011> valued at C 11 • > I. Fiji being our best customer, taking

19. jDtm» valued tit 22911. Western Samoa came next with I.T, 1071 b valued at 2712. As a matter of I'aet most of the bacon exported by the Dominion last year went to islands in the Pacific. There was a substantia! export, of hams in 1926 for there was shipped -181,8831 b

valued at 227,255, and ol this Australia took III).-ID-11 b. worth .22L1L8. Apart from the export ol a compara-

lively Mniiii (|U;intity of frozen pork to

Hie United Kingdom our export trade in lion products K dependent mainly upon the Faci.ie Islands, mid our prin-'r-i! 'si'unor is Australia. Dot steps re Ijeiu"- t“'ir-n in the Commonwealth ' • p’g industry, amt ■ i tails of a comprehensive Federal , heme lia\e been prepared. r lhis involves the estahlishmeiit of a Central Federal Couneil and its functions will include ti e organisation of the industry on economic lines, raisins the standard of pioduetion and the promolion of Austialian and overseas trade. \V. nuiv take it for granted that a prohibitive duty will' >e plaied on Now Zealand hams and haeou as well as butter, sincl the Austrolisni mnfleet Avill

be lost to us. The island trade is of .small at count, and not likely to show any great expansion. We must therefore concentrate on the export o! frozen pork to the United Kingdom, which '•oiintrv will take ail that we can semi and pay a reasonable price for quality. For pig products the local market must 'he relied on to a large extent, and the local consumption would he very much greater than it, is were the prices more reasonable. Ham and haeou are luxuries, and they ought to lie the cheapest of meats.