NEW AVENUES OF WEALTH FOR NEW ZEALAND.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4501, 6 September 1930, Page 4

NEW AVENUES OF WEALTH FOR NEW ZEALAND.

(Concluded from page 3). new country entering any market has to go through the stages of getting its products established, said the speaker. The same thing happened with our mutton, lamb, butter and cheese in the early stages of our export trade. It was not until we got our exports on a large enough scale to have a standardised product and have it ‘known on the market that we were able to get into it properly. With modern systems of refrigerating the distance from the markets was not a handicap, and sea carriage was comparatively cheap. PROGRESS IN DENMARK.

Britain spoilt in 1327 more on pig products than on the beef, mutton, and lamb that was sent them —a fact which showed the huge market a waiting the-Dominion there. Nor very many years ago, Denmark’s dairy export was its principal trade. In a few years its pig products began to grow, until in 19*27 the following export figures were shown. —-Pig, poultry and other meat-, £25,000,000; butter, cheese, milk and cream, £2-5,800,000. What would he the effect in New Zealand if, in a few years, the same development- took place. 'I here would he a revenue from pig ami poultry efpial to the dairy revenue. There was no reason why that should not occur. In New Zealand there was a duty of -10 per cent, on animal foods from foreign countries and 20 per cent, .on those imported from within the Empire. These levies were most elleciually sufficient to -prevent this country from competing with Denmark. Tim latter was a country that in some inspects resembled New Zealand, in that it could not produce the grain required for its own use. In 1027 Denmark imported £17,000,000 worth of grain and sent mil £30,000,000 worth of pigs and poultry products. NEW ZEALAND’S HANDICAP.

The great handicap we are under in New Zealand at present is the •high cost of poultry feed, said Mr. Newman, and we cannot enter the export trade until this is a mend“ml. All that was necessary to amend it was to take -off the duties qn stock foods, and thus permit New Zealand poultry and pig farmers to obtain the necessary stock grain foods at world's parity priCM.

With regard to the statement that had ilieen made that the poultry we had in New Zealand was not suitable l'or export as table birds, tliis was probably quite' true, but poultry multiplied so rapidly that it was the easiest thing in the world to establish new breeds in a very short time. In the early stages of the mutton and Jamb export trade, the bulk of the sheep in the South Island of New Zealand was Merinos and in the North Island Lincolns, neither, of which was the best for the meat trade. These breeds were quickly changed, however, to suit the requirements of the export trade. Breeds of poultry and pigs could be changed much more quickly than 'breeds of sheep. The statement that maize could be landed in New Zealand at 3/- per bushel free of duty has been mentioned. There is no doubt whatever that this could be done at the present time if an order could be given in sufficiently large quantities, that is for cargo joads said the speaker. At present- the freights charged on small quantities that came here were excessive, but if they could be got in in cargo loads, freights would be much cheaper. ,A-1 the present time Argentine maize was quoted at 2/8f per bushel e.i.f. Britain or Danish ports. We could- buy -maize in cargo loads at. a price that would work out at less than 3/- per bushel, buf’~with the duty nobody would dream of buying- a cargo load. The maize growing industry in New Zealand was a very small one. It only reached about half a million bushels a year, but this would not be lost to the country, because when once the farmers learnt how to feed grain and saw its value, the probability was that- any farmer who could grow maize on his own farm for his own consumption would do so, hut they would not grow maize for sale as grain. When once the value of grain feeding was recognised and people went in for it on a large scale the local production of grain would increase . enormously. In Denmark although . they imported such enormous quantities of grain, they grew and consumed on their own farms almost as much a.s they imported. The cost of grain when it- was consumed on the farm was very much less than when it. had to be transported and marketed. In any case the land that was growing maize would not lie wasted as it is probably the richest land in New Zealand, and could be classed amoagst the finest fattening end dairying land in the country. There was more maize grown in the world for stock food than any other

"rain, but most of it was consumed the farms on which it was ■ rowa. Notwithstanding this maize enters more into the world’s ex,,,,,.1 and import trade than any other grain excepting wheat, which was chiefly used for human consumption. The total exports of maize from the various countries in the world last year were approximately eight million tons. In countries where the conditions are suitable for growing and harvesting maize, ii was the cheapest grown grain that existed. Touching on the efforts that were being made to solve the unemployment problem, Mr. Newman said that New Zealand should take a lesson from those closely settled countries, France and Denmark. He would probably be. accused of urging close settlement on land whicli was held by people legitimately and rightly. He had been a landowner for many years in New Zealand, and would be .the last to do injustice to any section of the community. There were many ways ~£ bringing about closer settlement other than by patting on taxation that was more than people could bear. There were ways of making .-'loser settlement to the interest of i |,e person who owned land in large areas. His experience had been ibut there was very little done lo assist anyone who wanted to cut up iand at present, either by the Government or the local bodies. He was not reHeeiing on the local body ni: this district; but anyone who i ried to cut up land would ibid, as rule, that the local body would o-ive him very little assistance indeed and the Government would , ; ivo him less. Closer settlement eight be brought: about without any injustice io those who owned ihe land. New Zealand had a duty to the Mother tb/pntry, which purchased our goods and >v)ppdd assist her in the settlement of her people, 1,1,1 under the present condition a. consider-ab]/' ■amount of capital was required to place f). man on the laud. If, however, the pig and poultry industries were encouraged small holdings and il small amount of capital were required and quick icl urns resulted. To do this the duties mi feed had to be removed. Ii -had been estimated by competent authorities that the revenue of i bis country could ihe increased by . tmni £15,000,000 o £20,000,000 per I ann,inn if the duties were removed aiid these industries encouraged and this he thought constituted new avenues of weajll,' for this country.