Bobby Veal For Overseas

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 430, 11 August 1928, Page 27

Bobby Veal For Overseas

HEAVY KILLINGS IN N.Z. WORKS Fears For Future Beef Supplies THOUSANDS of calves daily are falling to the knife on New Zealand killing floors at the present time. The season for bobby veal is at its height, and the trade is being carried on to an extent not before registered in this country. Many long-sighted graziers and exporters are beginning to view with alarm the extent to which the trade has developed, seeing not far distant the day when the inroads now being made in the calves will he reflected in considerably reduced beef exports.

Until last season, when there was a considerable increase shown in the amount of hobby veal sent overseas from this country, the trade had been treated more or less as a speculative one, and one that could not be looked upon as a reliable source of income for the producer. At various times buyers had been prepared to operate with considerable strength, but the trade had not been organised and shipments were irregular. Many exporters lost money and the trade, generally, was not in very good odour among overseas operators. Last season, encouraged by experimental shipments made during the previous year, there was a decided forward move in the industry. Organisations were set up in most of the bigger dairying districts and regular canvasses made of the farmers for their young stock. Several of the efforts were on a co-operative basis, but a large portion of the trade was left in the hands of proprietary enterprise. Advance payments to farmers worked out at only Is or so more than the skin value. Those farmers who were fortunate enough to be linked up with co-operative ventures, however, for the most part were enabled to participate in substantial bonuses as the meat found a market far in advance of expectations of many traders who had operated in previous years. This season the industry has been made a Dominion-wide one, and there are few sizeable dairying districts where an organised collection of calves is not being made. One of the strongest operators is the National Dairy Association. This association is now seeking to gain control in the interests of the man on the land and, within another year or so of favourable prices, smaller interests should be squeezed out, leaving only one or two of the big proprietary freezing concerns and the association in the business in this country. This season thousands of calves that in other years would have been waste after the skin had been taken off have been sent forward to the works, where every particle has been utilised. It is estimated that fully twice last year’s number of calves will be slaughtered for the trade this season. It is with this rapid expanse of the industry that the long-sighted graziers and exporters are finding cause for concern. New Zealand’s future beef supplies run serious risk of falling below even home consumption requirements, they contend, and the country will suffer as a result- of understocking with cattle. Certainly in the past many of the calves that are now being slaughtered would have been reared and fattened on the fern lands or sold as stores to the hill country vendor, who in turn would pass them on to the beef buyer. Nowhere was this in greater evidence than in the Auckland province. A large percentage of the beef coming forward to 'Westfield during recent seasons passed its first few months of CATTLE TICK DANGER ALARM IN THE SOUTH SPRAY WANTED FOR SHEEP Following a request of the Canterbury Sheep Owners’ Union for the installation of a shower hath sheep dip at Lyttelton, to be used as a precaution against the introduction of the cattle tick from the North Island, the Lyttelton Harbour Board this week considered a special report on the question. The report stated that it was questionable whether the dipping would be effective in wet weather, and whether at times the sheep after a rough voyage or a long fast would arrive in a fit condition to enable them to withstand the effects of a shower bath dip followed usually by a railway Journey. While the board could provide for general supervision and attention to the mechanical portion of the work, it would be essential that the actual handling of the sheep should be carried out by men accustomed to this work. Possibly matters could be so arranged that this would be undertaken by the consignees in the same way as they now attend to the loading of the sheep into the railway trucks. To guard effectively against the risk of infection the Proper place for the dipping to be carried out would be at the port of embarkation, as some ticks would certainly leave the sheep between the time of landing and that of dipping. Mr. McAlpine said that the position was serious and was likely to affect the port greatly financially. Cattle tick was spreading throughout the North Island, and it was found now that what was wanted was some sort of spray dip. It was found that after sheep had been dipped there was cattle tick still on some of them. He suggested that the report be deferred and that an effort be made to secure an improved dip. If the tick got into Canterbury it was going to be a very serious thing and would cost a mint of money. Mr. H. Holland, M.P.: What is this cattle tick?

Mr. McAlpine said that the tick was similar to a sheep tick, but larger. It was like a tick that infected cattle in Australia. In Queensland alone some-

life among the dairy herds of the province. In fact, the biggest beef breeder to-day appears to he the dairy-farmer. Even lines of beef-bred cattle are hard to locate. To get those the grazier has to go South to the Poverty Bay, Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa districts, where many of the larger stations still include beefbreeding in their operations.

Thus it can be seen that there is some reason for the alarm expressed It can certainly be argued that the

trade is merely trading the calves that in other years would have been slaughtered for their skin value, but nothing can disguise the fact that this season’s attractive prices have been responsible for a great increase in the number of calves slaughtered—calves that in other years would have been reared for beef. If the overseas markets hold at recent levels the immediate gain to farmers as a result of the bobby veal trade should be considerable. In addition, a large number of workers will have been kept in remunerative Jobs at a season otherwise fairly slack. Present high prices, however, should not blind the farmer to the fact that there will always he a certain market for New Zealand beef, and this cannot be supplied if stocks are allowed to become depleted. While it is to be hoped that the bobby veal market will always he fostered for the dairyman who cannot see his way clear to keep his cull and steer calves, it is also to be hoped that there will he no indiscriminate slaughtering for immediate gain and that future requirements will not he lost sight of.

thing like £1,000,000 had been spent without getting rid of the pest. Sheep-owners were prepared to pay to have the menace kept out, and if the matter were deferred he thought that a satisfactory means of dealing with it could be found. He thought a system of perforated pipes spraying underneath, at the sides and on top with force would meet the case. No sheep would be coming south before February or March. Mr. Storry said that in Queensland it was necessary in some cases to dip dairy cattle three times a week. He thought that the stock department should be made to see that sheep were dipped properly at the point of embarkation and should give a certificate. Captain H. Monro said that if the dipping were to be done in Lyttelton it w’ould cause great delays to shipping. The question was deferred for a further report.

SHEEP FOR OVERSEAS TWO VALUABLE SHIPMENTS By the Arawa, which sailed from Wellington on August 4, Messrs. Dalgety and Company, Ltd., shipped a valuable consignment of stud rams to several well-known stud masters in Montevideo. The shipment comprised: Merino rams from the flock of Messrs. H. S. Kater and Son, N.S.W.; Corriedale rams from the flock of Mr. A. D. McKinnon, N.S.W.; Romneys from the flock of Mr. J. E. Hewitt, Mangamaire, and H. Wilton, Masterton; and Lincolns from the New Zealand and Australian Land Company, Moeraki, and A. E. Anderson, Masterton. The sheep were a very fine lot, and excellent types of the different breeds, and should prove valuable sires to the different studs to which they are going. The same firm have Just received advice that a shipment of stud Romney rams sent, to Capetown some time ago from the flock of Mr. E. E. Short arrived safely and in splendid order and condition. The purchaser expressed his utmost satisfaction on the quality of the sheep, especially referring to evenness of fleece, heavy bone, and good masculine heads.

DUTY ON FARM IMPLEMENTS

MINISTER’S REPLY TO UNION

Replying to the objection of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union to the increased tariff on imported farm implements, the Minister of Customs has written as follows;

“So far as agricultural implements are concerned, it was represented to the Government that the New Zealand manufacturers had, in the past, rendered valuable assistance to New Zealand farmers in designing and supplying at reasonable prices implements specially suited for the development of the Dominion. I find also that the various branches of the Farmers’ Union are not unanimous with respect to the duty on such implements. I have before me a copy of a motion, carried about the time the Customs Amendment Act, 1927, was passing through Parliament, at a meeting of the executive of such a union to the effect that the ‘meeting is desirous of encouraging local industry with a reasonable duty, but is opposed to a high protective tariff.’ I understand that similar action was taken by at least one of the important New Zealand Agricultural and Pastoral Associations. “Information obtained about six months ago showed that the local prices of certain drills, cultivators, and disc harrows had been reduced from 12 to 30 per cent, since protection was granted; whereas the price of »he corresponding imported drill had been reduced 5 per cent, and the imported cultivators and disc harrows show no reduction in price at all. Not only so, but in regard to some agricultural implements the evidence showed that they were sold at lower pries under protection in Australia than in New Zealand, where they are admitted free of duty.’’

ALL-WOOL PACKS A FAILURE

DIFFICULT TO HANDLE Experiments conducted in Australia with the all-wool packs have been discouraging. For example, the Pastoralists’ Association of West Darling reports that “the packs were carefully tested in different parts of the country, and although points were mentioned in their favour, in some instances the general opinion was that the packs were not satisfactory.” One representative woolgrower states that the pack would not he a suitable substitute for the Jut pack for the following reasons; 1— They will not turn water. 2 They tear easily. 3 They do not retain their shape and are difficult to handle. 4 They are apt to split at the seams when the wool is being pressed. Just what is going to he done next seems to be a matter mainly for Bradford, which has particularly interested itself in the matter. The attitude of Australian woolgrowers is that they are prepared to adopt a new pack when it is fully demonstrated that the new pack is better than the old, and that they are not going to lose any money ~ by the change. Our woolgrowers are still prepared to co-operate with Bradford iu further experiments.