The Dairying Industry.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7970, 6 November 1905, Page 4

The Dairying Industry.

.V roiTcspondonl has sent lis (The I law he's Bay Herald) a copy of this Yorkshire Daily Observer, which contains an account of the working of thf co-operative principle 'among,i-ho Danish dairy, farmers. As Denmark is our I'liii.f competitor in tln> dairying induslrv. it is always worth while hearing wbai may be said about tin; sysloni thi-y have adopt,-d. The prosperity of Denmark is well known. II is not. however, so well known that the pns.'nt position of their loading induslrv is id not more than Iwentvlivc yVails' gr,|\v|ih. It .dah-s from tin- closing of flu- (leriuan markets to their livi>slock. In order to make tin. industry pay. farmers wore ohligxl to co-opcratc in order to ncoi.turv i li.A- hav.. built up a trade which is remarkable nil oulv for its size. i,ui for 111,- manner in which il is cm ,I,'d

Til.' 'dan-ving trade in Denmark is almost I'litinly in Ihe hands of the small far r. 'l'll,. (iovvrnmcnl has provided facilities for t he ac.n.isit ion ...f small farms. We are accustomed to talk about our land laws, out we are not nearly so liberal as live Danish Covi'i'iimeni. Thev have no crazes for the leasehold there, for lliey I realise Ihal the great olj'ect is to got the land occupied to tile best advantage uud made as reniunora l ive as possible So t'lie.v have passed a law by which the labourer. under certain comlilioiis. could buy a small iruanlity of land, the money being advanced by the State. In ISP'.I an Act was passed grant ing 1 1 lO.ihki a year for live years for the purpose of I loans in -agricultural labourers desirous of purchasing small holdings, l-iast year the Act was renowiil for another live years, the amount of the State grant being increased to £lf)ti.d(>(>. I'he allotments must not be h-ss than 2 '2-.'! rd acres, and must not exceed 10 2-Jlrrt acres of average land, or 1(1 acres if the land is of poor i|itnli'ty. And the total cost or each holding, including stock and everything, was not to If more than £277 —unless the land in a cerium district is of very high price. The repayment of the loan is ma'de by inslalmcutis. l!n 1850 there were d(>,. 811 peasant farms altogvthor. of which I.VdOO were freehold. In lH'.to there were On.(WO freehold farms of this class out of a total 1 of 7.1..'121. In 1001 tin'iv were 100.000 more |>n>ple employed on tin; land than in 1880. And this is very largely 11„. result of peasant proprietorship, coupled with the co-operative principle which is follow.-d.

In one other point the ]iauis!i Covern.neiil is much' more advanced than ours. It provides for greater facilities for agricultural nlucation. wiih the result flial the lalnuriug Class are far biter educated in Denmark than they are in most countries. The facilities for agricultural education are infinitely better than they are here There ran be no com- ' parison holwivn live two systems. The cost. too. is exeeedinglv low. and where people cannot alToid to •;„ to o. f the agricultural schools in .some form or oilier, bursaries are to be obtained. Thev have a remarkable svsteiu. The ae-e when a hoy car. leave school is loiirieen. A lad will then work on Hie farm up to -about scv.'iiioon. after which he mav, or may not. go lo a high school, and when he is about twenty or twentymo may irn to an agricultural college. They argue over there that a hid who gets a rerlain amount of (■duration, and I hen works for a lime ill the sphei f labour which he in- . tends to follow ihrough life, afterwards going in for technical training, is .mil li more likely to do gm d than one who goes straight for' the I technical training before having anv I practical instruction. Above all this, le.-hll.ca! I raining is open to they,..'. I poorest in .lie land, if not al srl.it.' IV free, at am rale al the most t, i- ; vial est. : Hi,,.,, we compare this : with tie small advances which anj wiih ■ilillir.fltv s«.im"..-..,1 at farmers' j classes i„ this I'Mintry we will find irr d f.-r I hough;. ! Denmark had cerlainlv „„ advanjtage when she who i„t„ ,bo b„ K i„,. ss |of dairy farming. It cai t .)«. said thai thev have anv advantage in the | 'im.lily of-lb,- land, or in u',o ,-,.. ...s I and ta.\es. Thev have an advaula-e \<" education and sei.-nl ilic ! f..r farming, and. above ; ,11. i„ ,o-

operation,. •;,,■ ..!,,,,! :.-,„.n, is in I 1 H- UN. ill.ll i.s 111,- Ir.lC, hone of l'le | co-operative nir.wiii.-iit. 'nn-i-.. air i I'ni.oiiii peasanli farmers ulio anI ■•'"■" IS "I I>.,llish co-epelaliw 5,,I ci,.iVs~s.,ci,ti,.s f„r selling ami ■hiix- ! ine-niid il„- xalue ~f their cxpmis is tin.iiiifl.rwiii. ~n ,„ neyiciilluin! ' produce. Tn I ini.-. we lliinC I hj,. principle "ill l,(« adopted her,-. II is ihe old., salvation. especUllh (,„• ~|„. , small fanner. Well. Hi,- New /;,,,lai,d I dairy farmer has loarnl, Mi,. lesson ..I co-oporution. !<„,. willi excellent results. II remains In ■!.,. seen whelh,T 111.-y are u IMmm; ~, m 1,,. ~ | ( , SK , tll from ilir-ir Uanish rivals in otlu-r r—spccls. Tli.. lattvr.hav Iv one a,l.niilnec. Th.-ir only business is dairy work a,,<l |.i S s. Th,- ef- iu.lusirv .if course i.s only J,,,,,,,,* v,.). 1„ dairy im.-. all their Mtonl inn is decided ic. Ih,. ,-nil of ti-yinrr to make Hi.cows «ivc a iilcnlifiil supply ~f milk nf khiml ipialiiy. I'm- Hi,- milk iheiv is 1.-sl.-d fni- .liuttvr fill, and snlrl as much fni- ipialily as for asurc. \ (treat I'ninl is (hat fanners in Penmark air uiiicl uv influenced hv what the tigi-imftiirnl cxperls advise 'han is the r-aso at 11, Their methods have, ai i w„is. |„.,„ crowned win, success. "In IVuninrk " .-ays Hi.- Observer. --|»-i K I»1 throned 111,- rnunlry ili.sii-icts it is -rami In

see Him evident prosperity nil all hands—in mark,,l contrast In our rural districts. There is p|,.„ly of wnrk fur everybody ji, Ihe count i\« ar,-as of lleniuark." (i ni . cannot avoid a feeliiie of surpris,- that with such an ~.\ainpl,. before (hem the KiCilish fariii,-i- *!■>■-> not trv to follow suit.