The Southern Cross. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, April 22.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 4, 22 April 1893, Page 8

The Southern Cross. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, April 22.

What effect is the development of the frozen meat industry having upon the flocks of the colony ? This question is now-a-days frequently put by people who, discarding Sydney Smith's advice, like to take long views of life, and concern themselves with the future as well as the present. So far as numbers go, the expansion of the industry appears to have been more than counter-balanced by the greater attention , that has naturally been devoted to sheep-growing. Proof of this is afforded by the annual repoi’t prepared by Mr H. T. Turner, Stock Inspector for Southland, through Whose courtesy we are enabled to present our readers with figures bearing on this and several, other noteworthy points in connection with the frozen meat industry. The return, which deals with the years 1891-92, shows that in 1891 the number of sheep in the Tapanui subdivision of the Southland stock district was 359,091 as against 410,635 in 1892, showing an inci’ease of 51,544. In the Southland district (excluding Tapanui) the numbers were 613,898 and 579,490, or an increase foxlast yeaxv of 65,592. The total number of sheep in the County of Southland last year was 872,989, while in 1892 there wex-e 990,120, being an incx-ease of 17,136. IVallace County, with 450,498 sheep to its credit in 1891, had last year 490,821 “to its name,” ox- an addition of 40,323. Taking the colony as a whole, we find that last year New Zealand’s flocks were represented by 18,570,752 sheep, giving an increase on the aggregate of the px-evious year* of 1,817,000. Turning for a moment to the local position, we leax-n that the total number of fx-ozen carcases, exported fx-om the Bluff for the year ended 30th March, 1892, was 119,825, and that for the period ended 31st Max-ch, 1893, the total was 189,595, ox* an addition of 69,770. In 1893 11,000 sheep were put through the preserving works in the district. Included in the returns for 1893 ax-e 18,630 lambs. This is the item that will x-eceive the special attention of those who . take thought for the morrow. “If the lambs of the flocks — and prime quality at that- ax-e used up in this way,” they will doubtless reason, “ then deteriox-ation must follow.” At the same time those -who ax-gue in this way may take heart of grace from the gx-eat incx-ease in the total number of our sheep despite the heavy demands made upen them. Unexposed to the vicissitudes with which our Australian neighbours ax-e familiax- in the shape of seasons of drought or flood, our sheep-growers, it may confidently be x-eckoned, will have no difficulty in continuing to add. largely to their herds, andthusenable New Zealand to become in a yearly incx-easing degx-ee the px-ovidore of Bxatain.