Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News SATURDAY, JULY 10, 1909. WAIKATO WINTER SHOW.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4433, 10 July 1909, Page 2

Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News

SATURDAY, JULY 10, 1909. WAIKATO WINTER SHOW.

This above all—to thine own self be true, And it must follow as the night the day Thou canst not then be false to any man Shakespeare.

It is 'gratifying to find Waikato making such an' excellent agricultural show as was seen this week at Hamilton. No country in the world can really prosper unless the town and country population and products bear a proper proportion to each other. For a time the towns might thrive, even although the country interests were neglected, but it would be only for a short time, and then the crash would come entailing wide * spread disaster. Farmers, as primary producers, are indispensable to the progress, prosperity, and general welfare of every country. They are specially necessary to a young and expanding country like New Zealand. We must be very zealous of anything that would militate against agricultural development, expansion and prosperity. Vigilance in guarding the farming interests will amply repay th,e greatest care, pains, and sacrifices It is therefore incumbent upon us to congratulate tfiose \ylio bad the arrangements of tfie Waikato Winter Show, and we do con gratulate them on the very excellent exhibition witnessed at Hamilton. The Show demonstrated very great enterprise, and a buoyant spirit that dared to challenge public and expert inspection of a critical character. Only those who have pluck, perseverance, and confidence in themselves will go to the expense and trouble of contributing to a public exhibition. In this latter respect our farmers and the general exhibitors have done well and manifested a spirit of emulation that is tffegoftj. of industrial and agricultural progress. Some of the remarks of the Minister for Agriculture (the Hon. T. Mackenzie) are pregnant with importance to farmers. The dairy industry, said the Minister, would §oon be worth £3,000,000 yearly to the Dominion, and easily ranked third pn the list of exports. No industry was pafenfated tp afford more employment or to contribute ipore to the better settlement of the country. The output this year bad increased considerably, cheese approaching to close on £IOO,OOO and butter to about £1,600,000. He regretted to have to say, however, that the quality of the latter had not been maintained, and this undoubtedly eafip.d my attention. When it was remembered that iff May of last year the prices of New bu‘u? r reached llgs and l Hs per cent., whiie Danish was at 114 s and 116 s, and this year choicest Was down to 100 s to 102 s. while Danish had not fallen to anything like the same degree, it would b@ conceded that the matter needed looking iritq. It is doubly important and necessary at present that there should be no diminution of quality in our New Zealand cheese and butter, because at present we are meeting with intensified competition from Denmark, the Argentine, and other countries. Hitherto our products have borno a good name, and if we are to preserve our markets, enlarge their area, and adequately benefit by our labour, capital, and skill, we must not permit any abatement of quality. Hence the Minister’s words are opportune and deserve respect and attention. lie spoke as one of ourselves, having the country’s best welfare at heart. His only object could be the best interesis of farmers and producers. “ Faithful are the wounds of a friend."

There is another feature worthy of attention. Poultry was one of the best and strongest sections of the show. In variety and quality of exhibits the poultry ranked high, and evidenced good judgment in selection, and an enterprising perseverance to secure improved stock. We have sometimes .thought that our people failed to realize what a very profitable factor of our exports poultry may become. The Government very ‘laudably is doing its best to stimulate the poultry industry. In many circles it is keenly realised what good possibilities are before us in regard to poultry products. ■

The egg industry atone is some

thing enormous It is incredibly great. Leaving out of account the United Stales, where the poul t/ industry is over £50,000,003 sterling a year, we may allude to the following countries as object lessons. Ono firm in England receives over 10,000 cases of eggs per week from Lemberg in Galicia. Great Britain received per annum from Russia about 640000003 eggs, from Italy 300,000,000, from Denmark 422,000,000, to say nothing of other countries. That indicates a market for the consumption of all our poultry products, which should stimulate our farmers to persevere