The Daily News. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1919. INTENSIVE AND EXTENSIVE DAIRYING.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 December 1919, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1919. INTENSIVE AND EXTENSIVE DAIRYING.

Of such great importance is, the J dairying industry to the Dominion, and especially to Taranaki, that ; any opinion expressed by compet- i ent experts should be heartily J welcomed. Denmark is a strong i competitor in the Home market , with New Zealand, and the fact , that, according to a recent cable, : the British Government has, it is understood, agreed to pay about 330s per ewt., f.0.b., for Danish j butter for delivery till February ] next, emphasises the position that article has obtained in Britain. In no country of the world has dairying been brought to such a fine art as in Denmark, and it is evident that those engaged in the industry fully appreciate the value of science as an aid to the attainment of high values, and take advantage of every means to improve the quality of their output—and they find it pays. As an evidence of the thorough way in which the interests of the industry are-pro-moted in Denmark, there is at present visiting New Zealand the official agricultural adviser to the Danish Government (Mr. R. Kampp), who is engaged on a tour of investigation of various phases of agricultural work in the Dominion, for the benefit of his Government and the agricultural societies by whom he is employed in connection with the Government. It is worthy of note that our visitor is acting in this double capacity, and he stresses the fact that the primary producers in Denmark lean more upon (he societies than the Government, in marked contrast to the practice in New Zealand. In this they convey an example which the dairymen and agriculturists of the Dominion may consider advisable to follow. This naturally implies that the A. and P. Societies of New Zealand would have to strike out in a new direction, and become a stimulative and inspiring force. Although they are doing good work in some respects at present, there are important reforms required before they can stand in the same relation to the farmers as is the case with the Danish societies, and there is no question that by becoming of more importance to the farmers, their status would be raised, while, instead of having to press for members, it would be the exception for a farmer not to be on the roll. A well organised system of societies, with 6 central executive, would be a powerful lever for moving the Government in all matters where State co-operation and assistance were required. The advantages are so patent that they should commend themselves to all parties interested. Mr. Kampp has pointed out, also, the difference between the intensive methods of Denmark and the extensive operations of the dairying industry in the Dominion, thereby incidentally indicating the way to the achievement of the great need of the present time—increased production. According to Mr. Kampp, a man can make a comfortable living off ten acres of land. Denmark is a country of small holdings, about five-sixths of the land being possessed by small freeholders and peasants, the law forbidding the union of small farms into large estates. That is why the country is so large a producer. Though its area is only 15,502 square miles, as against New Zealand's 103,589 square miles, it supports a population of 2,775,076, as against slightly over a million in the Dominion, while J the total of Danish exports in 1914 was valued at £48,000,000, as against New Zealand's £26,261,447. That is the result of intensive cultivation and small holdings, with a law to prevent aggregation. In New Zealand Mr. Kampp finds what he calls expansive cultivation, and there is no doubt, he considers, that the Dominion is not making the best of the favorable <ejaditiona which exi§k ksm M

compared to those in his own country. The point is one that has often been stressed. Now that the land has risen so greatly in price, and the demand for it is unprecedented, it would seem that the time has arrived for the compulsory breaking up of all large estates, as well as for instituting a system of small holdings where the land is adapted for the purpose. This should be one of the first matters for the new Parliament to take in hand in a bold statesmanlike manner, coincident with a complete revaluation throughout the Dominion. It is only by settling this question on sound economic lines that the burden of taxation can be fairly adjusted, and the production of the country increased. Another reason for action is the necessity for providing for the influx of immigrants that is needed to swell the population, reduce the war burden, and advance the prosperity of the country.