SO-CALLED DROUGHT

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10289, 26 May 1919, Page 5

SO-CALLED DROUGHT

BLESSING IN DISGUISE

WANT OF. SHIPPING MAIN CAUSE OF TROUBLE.

"There is no doubt that this is not a very bad drought,'' stated Mr W. Lysnar, of Gisborne, to a "Times" representative on Saturday. "In fact, we have been suffering from a series of three or four wet seasons, particularly in the north, with tho result that the stock has not fattened well, tho grass having been too wet and pappy. 'Therefore, so far as it has gone, the present dry season has been Deneficial lather than 'otherwise. This year the feed is drier and there is rather less of it, but the stock do better on it; so that in the Poverty Bay district, which has had a slighly lower rainfall than Hawke's Bay, the stock have certainly come into the freezing works in very much better condition." The reports as to the severity of tho drought had been stimulated, no doubt, by the scarcity of freezing accommodation, in consequence of the shortage of shipping. Naturally, where a property was fully stocked up, if it did not get relieved of its surplus fat stock, that accentuated the position very seriously;' but in districts where they, had been able to get clear of their fat stock through having provided sufficient extra storage, so far as he could learn there were no serious consequences, particularly to tho stock themselves.

BETTER STOCK

Just before he came away, the Government inspector, who had been passing the meat, at one of the local freezing works, informed him that the stock in Poverty Bay were of a very much higher standard up to the present than had been the case for several years past. So, except for the shortage of shipping, which had naturally accentuated the position in certain districts, he thought that the drought, so far as it had gone, had been a blessing to the pastoralists of the Dominion. In the north. : killing was usually slackening off at this time of year, because of the stock not fattening properly; but it was just the reverse this year. The stock was coining on excellently well, and the prospects looked as if, proper shipping facilities being found, they could go on.killing hard into July. In the South Island, of course, they were a little later than in tho north, and always had been. In Hawko's Bay, along the railway line, the land certainly showed signs of overstocking, and was very dry; but, towards Dannevirke and Waipukurau, the country was looking very well, and the land was not even what could be termed bare of feed at this time of year. From Palmerston onwards there were no signs of any serious .shortage of feed. It was the wnrit'df shipping that was at the root of the present difficulty, rather than the so-called drought. At this time of year the stock on the different properties should be reduced to its lowest basis for winter purposes; and it was known, from tho congestion of tho freezing works, that a lot of farmers had stock on hand that ought to bo in the freezing works, and this would make a very-serious position in regard to winter feed, especially for cattle.

DAIRY-FARMERS SUFFER.

"It is bound to be a hard winter for cattle this . year,"..<Mr"Lysnar added. '!l recognise that, because the stock has not been released from the stations quickly enough in order to hold spare feed to provide for them. I think that the only people who really suffer through this drought are the dairyfarmers. Cattle always ■ feel the effects of a drought' first','and there is no doubt that the dairy-farmers have suffered a good deal through this drought, owing to their being on the flats, which have felt it more than the hill country; and also because the cattle require longer # feed to work on than sheep. The dairy-farmers are certainly entitled to sympathy." BUTTER PRODUCED AT A LOSS.

"The drought is unquestionably affecting the dairy industry more than any other, especially in the north," Mr Lysnar declared. "I know of some dairy farmers who, under ordinary circumstances, would have milked all through the winter; but, owing to the dry spell, their cows have gone dry, and they have even had to find pasture on other farms for some of their stock, which is a very serious thing, for it has deprived them of the whole of their income. This greatly aggravates the position they are in under the Government commandeer, by being compelled to sell their butter beiow its actual cost of production. Mr Cuddie, the Government dairy expert, his stated that it costs Is 7jd for a dairy farmer to produce a pound of butter, assuming that he has to pay current wages for all his labour; while the commandeering price gives the dairy farmer about Is 7id, which means a loss of id per pound. In addition, the farmer is compelled by. the Government regulations to sell his butter for Dominion requirements at Is 5d per pound, which means a dead loss of 2{d per pound. Yet. when the New Zealand buttter is retailed on the English market, the British food controller insists on it being_ sold at _2s 6d per pound. Considering that it takes less than 2d per pound to get the butter to England, it will be seen that the fortunate people who handle New Zealand butter at Home make n. profit of Bjd ner pound, while the unfortunate dairy farmer, who has to sweat and toil to produce the butter hero, actually loses from Id to 2jd on every pound of butter he produces. The whole position, to say the least, is most extraodinary. Yet. to his credit, the dairy farmer J carries on, though, unquestionably under very heavy odds." I