PASTORAL SOUTH AMERICA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 5 January 1931, Page 2

PASTORAL SOUTH AMERICA

INTERVIEW WITH CHILEAN VISITOR PRAISE FOR NEW ZEALAND Head of a large meat and wool exporting firm in Chile that controls for the purpose of its business many hundreds of thousands of acres of pastoral land, Mr D. Braun, who is in Christchurch for the purpose of entering his son at Lincoln College, had some interesting observations to make to a reporter of the “The Press.” Mr Braun was full of admiration for New Zealand, and was particularly interested in drawing an analogy between his own country and the Canterbury Province. “My firm is called Sociidad Sanadira ‘Sara Braun,’ ” he said. “We rear sheep for both killing and shearing purposes, and have what you call a freezing works of our own. This was built in 1917, and it is very modern, with every labour-saving device. Every year we kill at least 250,000 sheep 60 to 65 per cent, of which are lambs, while the rest are sheep and wethers. To graze all our sheep we have six farms, and as you may imagine they are quite big. One covers 700,000 acres, and it cai'ries 145,000 sheep; another is smaller, 220,000 acres, and on that 80,000 sheep are grazed. So that each year we are able to shear about 350,000 sheep.” Then Mr Braun gave a deprecating shrug of his shoulders. “But the land on those big farms, of cdurse it is not of the best.” After telling the reporter about another farm, which was his own private property and which comprised 12,000 acres. inclusive of 3000 acres of specially irrigated land, Mr Braun went on to" tell of his markets, and his hopes for the future. “Everything we produce goes to London,” lie explained, “and in return we buy everything we want from England— machinery, special materials, and a hundred and one other things.” NEW ZEALAND AND CHILE “I do not like to say too much about it, but I wish that New Zealand was economically nearer my country,” said Mr Braun, at another stage. “I should like to see in the future a regular lino of steamships between the Dominion and Valparaiso. They would carry products from both countries, and I am sure there would be plenty of scope for this. Look at the amount of tinned fruit that you buy from the United States—l am talking of California in particular —and the wines you import from France, and even. I believe, Germany. You could get all these from us, and in exchange we would take your dairy produce—your butter. I have no hesitation in saying, moreover, that our fruits, and our wines, are good; and they should compete well with the North American product.” “A product of yours that we in Chile much admire, and which my firm has been importing for over twenty years now, is—can you guess?—sheep. Some of our best stocks have evolved from New Zealand strains, and I arn glad to see that your reputation is in no way dwindling. Wo mostly buy Corriedale rams and ewes, and about this I should like to tell you a secret. _ Since we started intermixing our stock in the way I have told you, production of wool per sheep on our farms has gone up from 51b to 8 2 L to 91b.

DEPRESSION IN SOUTH AMERICA

Mr Braun said that Chile was, in common with the rest of the world, feeling the effects of the present economic depression. He explained that, as in New Zealand, the fall in prices had caused .a drop in returns, and both the big companies and the smallholders were hard hit. He was sure, however, that things would right themselves automatically in time, while costs would also adjust' themselves to circumstances. In the course of these remarks, he drew an interesting analogy between Chile £(nd Canterbury. “There are many points of similarity, and the two territories differ in very few respects,” lie said, “and one of the most outstanding of the latter, I suppose, would bn the matter of temperature.” Mr Braun explained —and at that moment a warm nor’-west wind was blowing—that it was much hotter in Chile. “But otherwise,” he continued, ‘conditions arc very like. The basic industries are the panie; the lay-out of the towns and the scenery is very similar; and blue skies and bright sunshine are the rule in both countries.