Farming Column

Hokitika Guardian, 28 May 1932, Page 8

Farming Column

ARGENTINA’S POSITION

PRODUCTS ESCAPE TAXATION

“Argentina is particularly interested in tile production and export of meat to England, and producers in that country can consider themselves singularly fortunate in -not leaving to bear a tax, particularly as they have not been called upon to give reciprocal or preferential treatment to British manufactured goods. 1 think that at least lamb and mutton should have been taxed”. This statement is contained in a letter from the Australian Trade Com missionerj Mr C. P. G. McCann, to .the chairman of the Australian Meat Export Board, • Mir G. A. W. Pope, dated February 25.

•Mr McCann said the week’s operations showed a slight improvement in demand for meat, with little or no alteration in the price. Chilled beef shippers were having a. bad time Now that Argentina exchange had been greatly reduced, mid prices were receding, shippers were barely covering cost. The decision of the British Government to leave meat on the free list was being contested by the farmers’ orgar motions of the United Kingdom, headed by Lord Beaverbrook. A long debate took place in the House of Commons on the qrestini. Despite vigorous protests from members representing agrarian interests and speakers from Canada, the Government decided to adhere to its original deckion to exempt meat and maise, deterring further consideration to the Otta-

wa Con ference. “T realise,” says Mr McCann. “tha+ n 0 matter what tariff privileges are extended to Australia, she could never hope to compete with Argentine as a beef producer. Some preferential treatment over that country would give breeders of cattle in Australia some encouragement to purchase imported bu’ls to improve the standard of their herds, anff thereby reduce the time they now take to produce matured beef. | “Although the imposition..of a beef tax may be debatable, there is no reason why lamb and mutton should' b<exempt. Australia- and New Zealand arccapable of producing much larger quan tities if a satisfactory market is obtain ed. Australia and New Zealand arcjust as well adapted to produce lam! and mutton as Argentine is to pro duce beef, with the notable exception that they are apnroxim aMv 40 (layaway from the United Kingdom, as against Uruguay and 'Argentine, 18 and 19 days respectively, plus charge-, and working costs,”

ANOTHER TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR DAIRYMEN.

I—Thy cowshed and yards shall be lvcpt clean at all times, and bad odour, shall not persist therein, so that the milk inspector shall say to the neigh hours, “Surely, this man is. a dairy man.”

2. —Thy manservant shall lie health’ and shall be clean ( in all respects con cerning his work. Yea, cleanliness i‘ next to godliness. 3. —.The milk thou sellest shall be cooled at once after it is drawn fron the cow.

4.—Thou slialt keep thy plmt clem in all respects; the ceiling, walls and floor shall bear testimony concern ini thy work.

5. —Thy product shall he fresh and well flavoured. Verily, old age is to lv respected, but old milk will not be tolerated.

6. —Daily thou slialt labour washim and sterilising thy utensils and equipment so that it may be said this mar is worthy of his hire.

7. —Use thine own milk bottles am cans lost some man rise up again*: thee and say “Thou thief." 8. —Pasteurise properly all milk purchased from other dairymen, because thou dost not know what care has beer taken in producing it. shalfc not sell dirty millnor milk that has been produced in ar unclean place. Dirt.shall be kept out oi milk not strained out. Yea, dirt in milk is an abomination to mankind. 10. —Thou shalt not water thv milk hut slmll sell a. good, clean, well flavoured, healthful product, which slial' cause thv customers to rise as one

and bless thee.” —American Agriculturist

PIGS AND BEEF. EXPERIENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA

Germany, the greatest sausage-pro-ducing nation in the world, has *38.000,000 pigs, and the Government affords every assistance to her pigbreeders. According to the Southern Rhodesia Commissioner in London .six million c-uarters of heel are im ported annually to Great Britain, ( d which 00 per (C"t. arc from tie Argentine and the balance from Brazil and Uruguay. Respecting some recent O-cis in Rhodesia to disclose whether chilled meat could safely he conv v ed to England, it would appear thtd consideration might he given to the slaughtering of the animals at Durban or f'aretmvn prior to export. The Government pre-cooling stores at these ports i-boold he unit" ader,n;it» I'.vthe chilling ef the eaiaais -s ; end- n rattle t-rucks o!' the South American type are not in list* either in Rlie-des’a e- I'm /Union, hut donhtless they would he provided should the industry do' elop ; there an- anode eTa-ing; grounds in the vieinitv of D'irItan and Capetown In - rest the animals after their Imig rad >'u--lint a [irohahk 1 dra v b'u-l: 1 . t Lit 1 rattle accustomed pi hi-dt veld ing might not take kindiy to tiip ddt

ferent type of grazing at the coast. The main query of the Southern Rhodesia Commissioner, namely“ls the stock of the required type suffie'eut in numbers to maintain regular seasoik'i! shipments?” i-s not so easy to.answer; but if The ' Union‘ fanners would take part in such a scheme, there should be little difficulty in inaugurating experimental shipments, o\ ei a reason of 15 to 20 weeks, and gradually increasing them until u regular and good export trade is built up. Frozen meat is still being exported from the Union to Italy- but it- i- not -so remunerative as th. chilled product. Union exporters have been unable to secure recent contracts for the French Navy and the Belgian army, the latter -having been awarded to Uruguay at 2jd per |lb. f°r 'S'des and 3fd per lb. for -hind-quarters, ov the sterling basis.

A REAL MILKING MACHINE. RECORD OF AMERICAN COW

May de Kol Francy, a mature Holstein cow in the herd of Mr E. Pa-rm-alee Prentice, of Massachusetts, U.S.A , may be described as nothing more or less than a machine for producing milk. “The Prairie Farmer” says that she holds the best milk record in the past-four years, and the best butter-fat record of any cow of any breed completed in the last two years.

According to the Holstein-Friesian Association of America, she has produced 34.4481 b. (16,000 quarts) milk containing 1,1201 b. fat, in 365 days. This is more than 44 quarts of milk and 3'b. fat each day in the year, and is enough to supply 22 families with two quarts of milk daily, or-seven average families with all of their dairy needs for one year. Francy is the 160th Holstein and the 201st cow on the national list of any breed to exceed I,ooolb, fat i ll one year, and ranks 16tjh"' for ■ fati amongst her breed sisters. She is the 120th Holstein to exceed 34,000-1). milk in one year, and rank’s seventh for milk in the nation. Her average daily ration included 161 b lucerne ha.v, 41b dried beet pulp, 201 b mangels (October to March 21), 211 b. silage (September 10 to 30), and 261 b grain mixture, consisting of oats 9 parts, bran 6 parts, corn meal 5 parts, distillers grains 6, parts, ground barley 4 parts, bone meat two-fifths part, and salt two-fifths part. She was not- on pasture, but green feed was provided for 84 days of the test.

PUSHING THE SALE OF (EMPIRE BUTTER.

USEFUL EFFORTS AT HOME

Since there is no -hope of the proposed butter marking order becoming operative in Great Britain before imxt spring—the delay being rlu-e to -the intervention of the General Election—those who have so consistently emphasised the -need for -such an order are leaving no stone unturned to give practical effect to the manifest desire of a large section of the public to buy Home or Empire butter, states a circular from the Empire Dairy Council, elated December 23, 1931. At a meeting of the council in London, for example, a resolution — moved by Sir Archibald INeigall, an ex-Governor of -South Australia, and seconded by Mr H. E. Davis. the London manager of the New Zealand Dairy Produce Board—was passed urging the Ministry of Agriculture and the Empire Marketing Board:—‘To take immediate step- to induce distributors of dairy produce, pending the operation of the order, voluntarily to p-irk butter with an indication of origin, and to persuade the public of tile urgent necessity of insisting upon having their butter purchases so marked,”

Meanwhile active steps have been taken to probe the mystery of an irruption of “Buy British Butter” advertising in t»he trade Press, which has -not, in all case'p been accompanied by parallel advertising to the public or by guarantees on the labels used by the packers responsible for those patriotic -slogans. -Sir William Wayland, M.P., chairman of the Empire Dairy Council, has issued to housewives throughout the land through the medium of the Pres'-', « warning against, the possibly of being mis'ed by English-sounding nameis and pretty rural pictures on butter-wrap-pers. 'He advises them to put- categorical question t-p the packers of f-ho-S' 1 '‘mystery” butters which sugge-t (in everything save written guarantee) a Home or Empire origin : (1) Are the contents of this wmnper (a) regularly and permanent,v the produce of Great Britain (b) r'gularlv permanently a combiu-ation '■! the overseas Empire? (<•) regularly r"d permanently a combination ot the p"o----duce of Great Britain and the oversea-- 1 Empire ?

/ * (2) If tho answer 1 to either (a) I'd or (c) is in ike -matis fh-re any practical reason why the I'-ei should not be indicated on the wrapper?