GREAT BRITAIN’S BURDEN

Hokitika Guardian, 19 December 1929, Page 7

GREAT BRITAIN’S BURDEN

STAGGERING UNDER WAR DEBT After a seven month’s tour of Giea Britain, Franco, Belgium, Germany ami Switzerland, Mr S. _ C. Sutherland, manager fur Wright, Stephenson and Co., has returned to Dimedin. While abroad lie made & dose study of the agricultural and pastoral development 'of various countries. “Although a tremendously wealthy country, Great Britain is staggering under an enormous load of debt, and her recovery to pre-war prosperity is, in my opinion, going to take a very long time,” said Mr Sutherland. “The general opinion at Home is that Mr Baldwin made too liberal a settlement with America, and that he could have made a much more satisfactory settlement so far as Great Britain was concerned. When a New Zealander considers that Great Britain practically all our meat, butter and cheese and 50 per cent of our wool, it is /lot difficult to realise that the prosperity of this country is almost entirely dependent on that of Britain. ' “Our produce has a particularly good name with consumers at Home, and the quality of our butter, cheese and lamb was very favourably commented on by those in the trade. The North Island and the southern portion of the South Tsalnd have improved the quality of their fat lamb to a very great extent during the last year or so, while Canterbury farmers wish to retain the good name their lamb has enjoyed, they wifi have to pay more attention to breeding, and so produce a carcase suitable for the Home market.”

Mr Sutherland was impressed by the manner in which New Zealand’s butter and chee'se were advertised. Visits were paid by Mr Sutherland to two famous Royal shows, the English show at Harrogate and the Highland show at Alloa. After carefully studying the stock displayed, he was of the opinion that Home breeders could heat New Zealand producers only in beef cattle and Aryshire dairy cattle fthe latter being bigger then the New Zealand breed), and in Southdown sheep. Home Romneys were too big, plain bodied sheep, and would not be at all suited for the breeding of lambs for export from the Dominion. Ihe French were getting right down to pinduction. Country on the battlefields was re-instated and the people were exceedingly industrious. As the visitor motored along the roads in the evening he would see whole French families toiling in the harvest fields.

Belgium was undergoing very intensive cultivation, not an inch of ground being wasted, said Mr Sutherland. Belgians' worked long hours, from dawn to dusk.

The outlook for France and Belgium from an agricultural viewpoint was very good. No one could help being struck by the way in which the Hermans are settling down, said Mr Sutherland. Everybody in Germany seemed to be happy and contented. The Germans were very desirious of enomirncnug tourist traffic, and they gave Britishers ‘a wonderful hearing.”