The Daily News FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 1902. OUR EXPORT TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue 20, 24 January 1902, Page 2

The Daily News FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 1902. OUR EXPORT TRADE.

Notwithstandino our beastsd progress and the growth of trade, it is Very unsatisfactory to notice, by the annual report of the Harbour Board, that ir epite of the increase of butter and cheese, there is a falling off in th« total exports from the port of Naw Plymouth. The decrease in itself is not serious enough to cause concert but it is extremely unsatisfactory at showing, in spite of repeated warning! of the danger of doing so, that th< people of Tarauaki are more and mor( putting all their eggs in one basket No doubt the satisfactory and immed iate result obtainable is a great temp tation. The industry is not, hswever so absorbing as to leave no time foi anything else. Indeed there an several by-products which can be, ant should be. worked in conjunction will the business of dairying. The intro duction of the co-operative system o working the bacon industry will, wi hope, place that important and valuibl adjunct to dairying on a permanen and satisfactory footing. The poultr; and egg industry is one deserving o every attention at the hands of th< dairy farmer. No district is mor favourably situated for developing thi industry. Soil, climate, and the stapl industry wi'h the necessary freezinj works already established all point t the ease with which with a little energ; this industry could be established. 1 is stated that if good poultry'cau arriv in London in February, March, Apri. and May, satisfactory prices can be realised. Quite a number of localities not nearly so favourably placed as this are making a start to develop this industry on co-operative lines. We should like to see a trial made in the neighbourhood of New Plymouth. A small chamber could no doubt be got at the freezing works, in which to freeze the poultry, and a trial shipment would afford data upon which to proceed in the future. A suggestion has also been made tbafc our dairy farmers might take advantage of the splendid market that exists for lambs. It has been pointed out that every , dairy farm will keep a few ewes, and from 50 to 100 or so lambs might be raised without injury to the dairy stock. There seeon no reason either for the wholesale slaughter of calves which takes place every spring in Tarauaki. If calf-raising stations were established, hundreds of these calves — which are in many cases the progeny of superior dairy stock—might be raised, and help to supply the unsatisfied demand for young dairy stock and beef. In these and many other ways the profits of the farmer might be increased and the exports increase with the extension of settlement. A slump in the price of butter would be a very serious matter for Taranaki. Yet absolutely no precautions are taken to establish other industries to ease the pinch should such an unfortunate event occur.