IMPROVING INDUSTRY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 697, 24 November 1933, Page 3

IMPROVING INDUSTRY

("Post" Special Correspondent.)'

EXTRACTS FROM REPORT LAID BEFORE HOUSE. GROW1TH OF EGG EXPORT.

Wellington, Wednesday. The follow'ing extracts from the report of th'e Minister of Industries and Commerce (Hon. R. Masters), whieh has been submitted to Parliament, are of interest: — { "Efforts have been made by the department during the last year, in conjunction with the High Commissioner's office in London and the New Zealand Trade Commissioner in Toronto, to develop the markets for New Zealand eggs in the_ United Kingdom and in Canada. Reports upon market prospects have heen regularly received, and have heen passed on to egg-exporting interests in the Dominion, as also has information concerning names of suitable buyers ! and brokers overseas who are in a position to handle New Zealand eggs satjisfactorSly^ A full '.report upori the possibilities of the market in the United Kingdom is awaited from the Hdgh Commissioner at the present time, and this will be made available to those interested as soon as it comes to hand. "Exports of eggs to the United Kingdom show a steady increase during the last three years, and it is anticipated that the trade will show further development in the near future. "So far as Canada is concerned, the statistics for the last three years show that our export trade in eggs

has heen nil. The Trade Commissioner at Toronto is of the opinion that Canada may be regarded as a substantdal potential customer for New Zealand eggs during the Canadian off season. Exporters in the Dominion have heen placed in touch with certain Canadian interests, and an attempt will be made to open up a market during the coming season. It is hoped to demonstrate then that New Zealand can supply quality eggs to the Canadian market, and give such satisfactory service as will ensure permlanentt seasonal connection in the future. "Under the New Zealand-Canada trade treaty shelled eggs are admitted into Canada free of duty during the months of December, January and Fehruary. This is an important concession, as the duties applicable to other countries are — British prefertial, 2 cents per dozen; intermediate tariff, 5 cents per dozen; general tariff, 10 cents per dozen. "The British preferential rate applies to New Zealand during the other months of the year. Tobacco Industry. "This industry continues to flourish in the Nelson district, where a considerably larger area was under tohacco during the 1932-33 season. The two old-established tobaccomanufacturing concerns in the Dominion drew practically the whole of their requirement of New Zealand leaf from this district, and purchased a larger quantity than in any previous year. This points to the fact that New Zealand-grown tobacco is hecominig more popular with smokers, and that the demand for the wellknown brands is steadily increasing. "The position of the plantation companies, whieh are all looated in the Auckland district, continues to be difficult, as no overseas market has heen found for leaf tohacco, and their only outlet is confined to two manufacturing companies in Auckland. Those companies are as yet only able to deal with a comparatively small portion of the available leaf, and, moreover, have both experienced difficulties in connection with their ■organisation and finance. At the close of the financial yar some of these difficulties were, however, passing, and th'ere are indications that some at least of their troubles would not recur. "Their saies of manufactured tobacco in whieh Auckland-grown leaf was blended, and of tohacco made entirely from looal leaf are increasing, and the outlook for the future is distdnctly brighter. Passion Fruit Industry. "There is little further to record in connection with this industry for the last year. The overseas exploitation of passion-fruit juice is for the time being confined to sample quantifies whieh are being tried out in Canada, the United States of America, and Great Britain. "One of the difficulties encountered is in finding a cheap and effective bulk container, that will hold the juice on the long journey through' th? tropics, without loss of its distinctive bouquet. The most effective container -so far tried is the one-gallon iglass jar, vacuujn seal'ed, but the cost of this container, tcgether with the extra expense involved in the pa.cking of glass jars, does not leave th'e producer a fair margin of profit. The export of passion-fruit juice from Austrrila to Lond-on has made more headwa.y than from New Zealand, one of the reasons being that glass jars are much cheaper there than in New Zealand, and the industry has heen in cperation longer. "Experimental shipments of the juice in two-g,allon lacquered tins, paeke d four in a crate, are being tried, but the result is not yet available. Should this method of packing prove successful, it is stated that many thousands of gallons of juice will he shipped to London in this way next season. "It is almost invariably th'e experi•ence that any new industry meets with discouraging Jactors to commence with. The passion-fruit, juice industry is no exception to this rule, hut it can now he definitely stated that there is some inquiry for the juice in London, hut the price is not as yet payable, chiefly due to the difficulty in finding an economical and cfficient .container. Every effort is being made to solve this problem, as in the meantime the London market is being supplied from Australia and other countries. Tung-Oil Industry. "One company, Empire Wtood Oil (N.Z.), Ltd., whose property was situated in the "Wlarkwor'th district, has gone into liquidation during1 the year, leaving a total of six compan-

ies in the industry at March 31, 1933. Since that date two more companies have been promoted to plant tung-oil trees. "Owing to the prevailing depression some of these concerns are finding it difficult to maintain the sale of bonds or debentures in order to finance further planting-up of their estates. One or two companies have adopted as a policy the selling of tung-trees from nursery stocks to farmers within economic transportatioja1 distance of the company's plantationS, This seems to he a sound method of extending th'e available supplies of nuts for the companies' erushing-mills if and when the plantations reach the production stage. Farmers can plant small areas of their land, that may not be otherwise oceupied, with tungoil trees, and the time and labour involved in taking cai'e of these small plantations and bringing them to the production stage will not entail any considerable expense to the owners. The resulting crop, if the trees prove to be productive, may provide the owners with a source of revenue additional to that resulting from their usual farming operations. It is noted that a few of these trees on some of these northern plantations that have been planted out, three years blossomed and even hore a few nuts this seasons— iwjiich is a reasonable indication that in those particular locations soil and climatic conditions seem to be favourable for the future development of this tree. „ Industrial Rabbits. "The production of this commodity in the Dominion is steadily increasing, and the industry shows promise ''of attaining considerable dimensions in the future. The department has received a large number of inquiries from persons anxious to take up this br'anch of rabbit-farminig, and the advice tendered to them is to start operations in a small way and gr,adually increase their stock as they gain practical experience in regard to the hest methods of h'andling and feeding the rabbits. It can be safely said that the farming of these rabbits on a small scale offers a means of increasing the income of small holders, and that a considerable portion of their living may he ohtained from this source. "Many breeders are now finding that they can grow the whole of the feed required by their stock on their own properties, and that the outlay for bought grains and cereal offals is unnecessary. "A small portion of the clip only can be markeited in the Dominion, where it is used for the production of yarns, these being produced on handspinninig looms. The hulk of the clip is sold to England, where the demand has heen fairly constant. The market requirements are- changing, for the fine-count wool whieh has been the ideal aimed at during the recent years has now definitely changed to the ooarse-type of wool as produced in France and Belgium. The breeders may have to change over to stock suitable for the production of this class of wool, hut as this will necessitate the imporltation of stud . stock at considerable expense, there is some besitation in the minds of breeders as to the advisability of adopting this course. "There is no standard price for Angora wool in the United. Kingdom, each firm of spinners fixing the price aecording to his individual requirements. At the close of the financial year th'e average prices paid by spinners for the colonial type of wool were approximately as follows: — * Super 'gr,a,de, 28s to 29s per pound. first grade, 24s to 25s; second grade, 16s to 20s; third grade, 5s to 10s. "The continental or coarse type of wool was not worth more than 17s 6d per pound for first grade. The demand is, however, now more for wool of short staple whieh can be clipped at more frequent intervals, thus reducing the work of grooming the rabbits, whieh was a considerable hurden when long staple wool was in greates:t demand."