NEW ZEALAND'S PROSPERITY. INVERVIEW WITH THE HON. GEORGE M'LEAN

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 314, 7 November 1888, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND'S PROSPERITY. INVERVIEW WITH THE HON. GEORGE M'LEAN

Tin: Hon. George M'Lean, of Duneclin I New Zealanrl), on his arrival at Sydney, en roulo for Melbourne, was interviewed at Roberts' Hotel by a representative of the "Evening News." After some particulars of tlio stale of sporting in New Zealand, the hon. gentleman went on to speak ot the haul times, so prevalent in that colony during tho past two years. " Yes,'"' said he, " wo have been suffering from along and disastrous stagnation, bi ought about by excessive bori owing on tho one hand, and the low prices ruling recently for wool and wheat, our two staple products, on the other. But now the outlook is brighter, as better prices are obtained for produce : mining is being paid great attention to, with good results ; and the Government has gone in for rigid retrenchment and bringing down the expenditure to the lowest possible sum." " The increase in the price ot produce," he continued, "has made the colony richer by a million sterling during the past year alone, and it is a remarkable fact that all through the lecent si agnation, when hundieds of people were leaving our shores, and Eng-libh capitalists crying out about our extravagance, the export trade has been slowly and surely increasing. Look, for instance, at the exportation of frozen meat ; wo doubled our enormous trade in tuo years, and last year it reached a total of nearly 700,000 cai cases, representing nearly half a million of money. Next year we expect to reach a million, and, as prices are rising, freight getting cheaper, and storage in England easily obtained, it is not hard to understand the great hopes New Zealand people have in this industry." After pointing out some of the great difficulties which the trade had to go through, the speaker went on to speak of daiiying. "This industry," said he, "is veceivinggreat attention ab the present time, as the tall in the price of land, combined with the low prices of cereals, have taught our farmers that they must look to other things as well as raising stock and growing wheat or oats. Four years ago there were only four daii'3 7 factories in the colony, today thore are over a hundred, all in full swinu, and turning out a splendid article. Money has not been spared in obtaining experienced men, most of whom were imported from Canada or the United .States. The prices brought in j London by a trial shipment of Southland cheese was highly satisfactory, and great care is taken not to send any but the very best. Tt is to Australia, however," he continued, ' that we look to take the most of | our dairy produce, and good markets are fast opening up." In reply to a question as to why Australia should not share in the frozen meat trade, the hon. gentleman said that as far as he could see there was no reason in the world why the other colonies could not participate in this trade, but added that the superior quality of the New Zealand sheep would always secure the largest share of the profits. In reply to a question as to what he attributed this superiority, the hon. gentleman replied that the New Zealand crossbred sheep were the result of years of careful selection from the finest Hocks in England, and as thecountiy is moist the English grasses grow to great perfection, while in winter the stock aie led on turnips. " Our sheep," he continued, "are evenly fattened, that means that they always have a sufficiency of food, and this is, I think, the reason why our mutton is so superior to "River Plate and your own article, which is often starved in a drought one month and up to their eyes in clover the next. It is true that much of our mutton is sold as English by unscrupulous dealers, while inferior River Plate cai cases are sold as hailing from our colony, but by dint of establishing good agencies we are fast overcoming this, and now we hear of English mutton being sold as New Zealand. As regards beef, we can never hopo to export much as the demand within the colony nearly equals the supply. We have sent home beef, and obtained 16s per cwt for it, but if much were exported, the piice in the colony would soon be equal to that ruling in England. You ask what sort of feheep sell best in England ? Well, we ha/c found 601b wethers not above 4-teeth are far and away the best. All sheep shipped in New Zealand now arc examined, and if not up to the mark are not allowed to go. Wo have sent merinos, but found that they would not obtain within 2d per lb of the crossbreds, and since then none have been sent. Thus, you &cc, we are developing our resources, curtailing our expenditure— for which, I may add, we gained rather an unpleasant reputation - and in the face of this we expect our old prosperity to return. This depression has not been an unmixed curse, for it has taught us lessons which otherwise we never would have learnt, and, above all, it has stopped for ever, let us hope, the value of our agricui tural land rising to a sum which prohibits legitimate farming." The hon. gentleman, speaking of the investigations into the Bank of New Zealand, sated that the diligent researches made by a committee into the bank's affairs was instilling confidence where formerly distrust and apprehension prevailed. He stated that mining was receiving great attention, particularly coal, which had received a great stimulus owing to the strike at Newcastle. English capitalists were investing in quartz reefing, and some good returns are already being heard of. Regarding the timber industry, he contended that if the various Australian Governments insisted upon levying a duty on sawn timber, while admitting logs free, New Zealand would be forced to place an export duty on the nnsawn article, as he considered that it would never do for an industry liko the New Zealand timber ti-ade to be crippled in that manner. After some remarks upon the way in which Sydney has improved, the hon. gentleman expressed himself as being in favour of "reciprocity," and in conclusion expressed the wish that the time would not be long when it would exist amongst all the "grand Australian colonies.

Frib/i Emmett is not, dead. He has jusD given Mr S. W;. Smith, of Leeds, England, £1,000 for "Plinlimmon," the finest St. Bernard dog in the world and winner of the 100 guinea challenge cup.