DOMINION'S BRIGHT PROSPECTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 208, 10 February 1915, Page 7

DOMINION'S BRIGHT PROSPECTS.

RECORD EXPORTS. Auckland, February 8. "Considering that the Empire is at war," said the Prime Minister in an interview, "the present prosperity of tho Dominion is simply wonderful. Owing to the increase in the prices of our principal exports, which, of course, it lias been impossible to avoid, the country has hai;dly felt the pinch so far. The year 1914 furnished a record for the Dominion in respect to the value'of our exports, the total being over £26,000,03U, and there is every probability that this total will be exceeded during tho current year." In regard to drought, Mr. Massey said that districts that • had suffered south of Auckland were the Poverty Bay, liawke's Bay, and Wjjrarapa districts in the. North Island, and Canterbury, Nelson, and Marlborough in the South Island. The fruit crop in Nelson, however, was a satisfactory one. Taranaki, Otago and Southland and the West Coast of the South Island had not been | directed. Generally speaking, the raini:ill had been greater on the West Coast of both Islands than on the East coast "As far as this month at least is con- I ccriicd, there will be 110 shortage of ships to convey our produce to the Old > Country," added Mr. Massey. "Up to the present the position has been met | very well, and the position in regard to i frozen meat has been relieved to some extent by recent rainfalls, which, of course, will render it unnecessary to i hasten the killing operations to such an extent as would have been unavoidable had the dry weather been further prolonged. Unfortunately, however, the recent rain had not been sufficiently general to give relief in all the meat producing districts."