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Southland Times, Issue 1338, 22 November 1870, Page 2

The man who succeeds in cultivating two blades of grass where only one grew previously, forthwith passes in review by tacit consent as a benefactor of his species. The language is figurative, ao that it may be applied to the cultivation of other resources besides those of the soil without affecting the disposal of the reward. Hence it follows that the man who succeeds in opening up additional outlets for industrial pursuit of any kind may do so without fear of his claims to be ranked as a public benefactor being disputed. In case that may not be deemed an equivalent for the extra trouble involved, we will place our proposition in the still more convincing light of a direct personal gain. In Invercargill oats are somewhat languid at 3s, or rather 2s 9d, per bushel. For argument's sake we will adopt the first-named sum. At Lake Wakatipu they are quoted at Bs, with a scarcity that necessitates ground barley being used as a substitute. The question presents itself, Can the Southland producer not take advantage of the Wakatipu market ? The intervening obstacle is of course the carriage, so that the matter may be dealt with as turning exclusively on that point. The cartage from Invercargill to the Lakes district, including freight by steamer from Kingston, is quoted at £7 13s. in~admeasurement, a ton of oats is somewhere about fifty bushels. That is below the mark, still it is quite near enough for our present purpose. At 3a per bushel — the Invercargill rate — the

ton of oats is worth £7 10s, and, conveyed to Queenstown, the entire cost amounts to £15 3s. According to the latest quotation, these same oats landed there are worth £20, which gives a net profit of £4 17s per ton. All along the Dunatau and Kawarau a similar demand ! exists, so that an extensive market could be relied on. The latest quotation from Cromwell was 10s per bushel, and as the carriage thence from Queenstown would be readily taken as return freight, the excess in price would do more than compensate the extra charge. Oamaru and the Taieri, we believe, have entered into the trade, but neither place could com- j pete on equal terms with Southland. From Oamaru the distance via Morven Hill must be something like 150 miles, over one of the most impracticable roads in the Province. The Taieri is still further away, whereas the through drayage from Winton to Kingston is not more than 70 miles, the remainder of the route j being provided for by steam service or return dray. This is another argument in favor of the suggestion we made in our last issue for increased activity in the prosecution of commercial pursuits.