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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 214, 10 March 1914, Page 4

OUR EXPORTS. In cheese tlie Mother Country ia still almost our sole customer; and this commodity, which is now ahead of butter in weight, but not in value, is increasing in production at,a greater rate than ia butter (remarks the Wellington Post), Last year's output was about [ 80 per cent, ahead of the preceding j year's. Taking the current season up jto February 20, and comparing it with the corresponding period last year, ehcße shows an increase of 14.04 per cent., and butter an increase of 14.28 per cent. These figures indicate only a slight difference, but cheese-making continues much later than butter-mak-ing, and by the end of the season it is likely that the cheese increase will again be something approaching 20 per cent.. Thus the export of cheese, which goes to the United Kingdom, is gaining on that of butter, which carries the name of New Zealand into the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and one or two lesser markets. Good prices, u fear of butter substitutes, and an impression that Canada is giving less attention to choe.se, are among the factors behind the New Zealand cheese-making movement; and no likely check to it is as yet discernible on the economic horizon. At the rate at which dairy farming is advancing we must expect butter and cheese to steadily forge ahead of frozen mutton, unless the latter shows a considerably increased export this season. Though wool is still easily the most valuable of our exports, the challenge of dairy produce to frozen mutton shows

tkafc tie cow is gaining appreciably on the sheep. It is not suggested that (he extension of sheep-farming will not continue, but that the rate of expansion of dairy (farming will necessarily Le greater. As the cow stands for closer settlement, this is exactly what the country wants; and another thing required is a Government that will accelerate the process of subdivision. Such a cutting-up of the larger estates as is now in progress is due not so much to State-purchase or to the graduated tax as to the price of land. That- is not only a slow system of breaking up the bigger blocks, but it is a costly one for tho small settler, who lias to carry the load. His chance would be vastly improved, and the productive value of the country would be greatly increased, if the State took to itself, in addition to compulsory purchase, the power of compulsory sale on deferred payment. The cutting-up of land on that basis would soon be reflected in a great? increase of exports, and that is a development which is more than warranted by the. magnitude of the new markets that are opening.