SUGGESTED NEW INDUSTRY FOR FOXTON.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4474, 5 July 1930, Page 3

SUGGESTED NEW INDUSTRY FOR FOXTON.

CULTIVATION OF TOBACCO

A panacea for Foxton’s financial troubles was advanced at the. monthly meeting of the Foxton Chamber of Commerce on Thursday evening by Mr. D. Christie who suggested that tobacco growing should be taken up locally. Foxton is not progressing ,as quickly as we would like it to, be said, and if a place is not going forward it is going back. The rate notices for this year are not yet out and possibly a number of people will not be too pleased with them when they are issued. As efteryibody knows, there are a number of unimproved sections in the borough and unfortunately there are also a number on which the rates are uncollectable. If these sections could be made to produce something, not only to enable the owners to pay their rates, hut to help them financially, then Foxton would benefit to' a very grqaf (extent. Mir. Christie then went on to say (hat he understood Foxton was suitable for tobacco growing. One local resident had successfully grown the plant, cultivated it, cured the leaf and smoked the tobacco. The demand for New Zealand tobacco was increasing yearly and if tobacco could be grown on the empty sections wit-hid the borough the cultivation of the plant would bring in not hundreds but thousands of pounds annually. Possibly, if the conditions were proved favourable, a company could be formed to take over some of the larger holdings and erect a kiln for drying the leaf. For three months of the year mill employees were out of work and during that time they could get their holdings ready for tobacco planting. He suggested that the Chamber obtain samples of soil from various parts of the borough and send them to the Agricultural Department to ascertain if the local soil was suitable for the cultivation of the tobacco plant. The president (Mr. J. K. Hornblow) stated that only last week end lie bad smoked a cigar made from Havana leaf grown, cultivated and cured in Levin and the article was quite good. Mr. Christie said that apparently tobacco plants did not require first-class soil as it grew prolifically at Rotorua.

Mr. D. R. Barron said that for two years Mr. Ncame at Baiiiesse cultivated tobacco but he was not successful as the frosts cut the plants back each winter.

Mr. J. Ross said that frosts would be the only trouble locally.

It was decided however, to write to the Fields Division oil the matter sending samples of soil along and asking for a report as to the suitability of the local climate for ihe growing of tobacco.