PORK.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 188, 7 February 1912, Page 8

PORK.

NONE FOR EXPORT. In the opinion of Mr. John Allan, manager of the Inglewood Bacon Factory, there will be practically no pork exported from New Zealand this year. Pressed for a reason, Mr. Allan told & News reporter that there were, perhaps two reasons, the most important of which was the big shortage of pigs. Last year, he added, there were plenty of ' pigs coming forward, but this season dairy farmers seemed to have gone in for calves as their side line, good prices —up to 35s—being offered. Those farmers, however, who had stood by the pig, were obtaining very good prices 1 their stock. Never before, as ip the caie of this year, had'he known the .pricfe paid . to farmers to remain at 5d as far into the season as February. Usually prices declined about y 2 d by December. Present indications were that there- would be no drop right through the season. Owing to the shortage of supplies the whole of the output in New Zealand would, it appeared, be consumed in "the Dominion. , Any surplus pork from last season had long since been cleared out, and certain factories had even had to import '■(iy'o . shipments of carcases from Ausj Another factor precluding the expb#sfC pigs to England this year was thq jrrjp'6 at present, ruling, it being only lb. This was less than what wa#%eing paid to farmers. From other remarks made by Mr. Allan, the reporter gathered that those concerned with the industry are sometimes faced with this problem: Wherij'ill the dairy farmers went in for pigs,itlie factories' got more than was ' required for local consumption, and prices sometimes declined in consequence. When they reached a certain 1 production they had to export and throw . 1 themselves on the tender mercies of the 1 Home market. Then, on the other hand,. ' if, as had happened this year, numbers ' of farmers deserted pigs in favor of ; calves, the price rose considerably, and the result was that certain farmers lamented the fact that they had gone over •■j to the other camp. As further illus- ■ trative of the varying conditions of tee r market it may be stated that for the •s first nine months 9f. last year about • 13,000 carcases of pork were (our repre--1 sentative was informed) exported from 1 ' the Dominion. That- the bacon industry r has grown in recent years, however, ia ' seen ia the fact tfyat in 1(102 less than 3 ftOO pigs were put thfpfugh s>e J wood factory. Last: year no less than !• about 5000 animals were slaughtered.^