EXTRAORDINARY PROSPERITY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8126, 4 June 1906, Page 4

EXTRAORDINARY PROSPERITY.

HIGH PRICE OP WOOL. WONDERFUL DAIRYING SEASON. "There is one thing that calls for comment," said the president (Mr J. Wilson) at the Farmers' Union Conference at Paliiatua, " and that is the extraordinary prosperity of the country at the present moment." it was 17 years since the price of wool was so high as at present. Two or three times the price has gone up to over a shilling, but the average in the London market for the May sales, ho was informed, was over 13d. That was an enormous price, and mußt very largely affect the prosperity of the country, berause when wool was so high, the pi, .•!>( wethers and lambs was also increased. There was no doubt, how. ever, that New Zealand had a serious rival in Australia, as far as the lamb trade wastconcerncdj though ho did not think tb/ Argentine was so much to be feared. Australia was beginning the lambing now, and would get the lambs on to the market at a time when there were no others. Still, New Zealand could ilo very well with less than the present prices of lamb. 1 u dairying also we have had a won-di-rlul season. Although there was a

great deal of rain, there was an absence of such cold as was experienced in the previous season, and the dairying season had been very successful. The grading results had been higher than oyer before, and the season was going on longer than usual. Last year the factories were shut down six weeks before the present date. They were this year churning ever day for a month longer than last year. The prices also were very remunerative. This affected a very large number of people. The export of wool alone this year, said Mr Wilson, would he worth millions, and the dairy produce would yield something like £2,072,000. That was an enormous revenue, irrespective of the by-products, such as skins and frozen meat. There tvas eigl.t millions of money coming into New Zealand this year, the exports having risen by a million a year for the last three years. Last year nobody is his senses would have expected higher prices for wool. Obviously they would have to prepare for lower prices, and he advised them strongly to make hay while the sun shone by putting up good houses, and getting their properties iuto good order. They might get land for their sons, but the difficulty was to get hold of suitable lands, "Whether the present price was too high be did not ihow. In the neighbourhood of towns the prosperity had enormously increased the price of laud, and be did not know how they were going to get out of the position.