FARMERS’ OUTLOOK BRIGHTER.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 July 1922, Page 8

FARMERS’ OUTLOOK BRIGHTER.

MARKETS IMPROVING. PRODUCTION COSTS LESSENING. Mr. A. A. Ross, speaking as chairman at the annual meeting of the Auckland Farmers’ Union Trading Company, struck an optimistic note as to the outlook for next season. “We have,” said Mr. Ross, “definitely passed the lowest point in the price of all our primary products. Wool is within sight of being back to normal, highgrade mutton is selling well, while lamb and dairy products are on the average better than they were in pre-war times. The speaker pointed out that the cost of production as represented by the price of ordinary requirements was rapidly coming down, transport charges were slowly but surely coming down, but taxation was one item that was bound to continue high for a very long time. From £5 10s Id per head of the population in 1913-14 taxation had risen to £l9 17s 2d per head in 1920-1921, of which £5 3s 5d was due to interest on loans, war pensions, and other permanent charges. So that even with the most drastic retrenchment in the Public Service, taxation was going to be more than twice as heavy as it used to be, and the farmer, to all appearances, would have to find the greater part of it.” Mr. Ross said: “To meet this position, and also to ensure abounding prosperity, more butterfat must Reproduced per cow. New Zealand was fast becoming a huge dairy farm; live stock and dairy produce could be raised here more cheaply than anywhere else id the world. The point Mr. Ross emphasised was that the butterfat produced in. New Zealand was under 1701 b per cow as compared with 285 in Denmark. He saw no reason why with p'roper methods, New Zealand should not equal Denmark in that respect. At present only about four per cent, of cows were tested. Mr. Ross urged that dairy companies should fix the standard of butterfat per cow so that a fair number could reach it. Then the standard should be gradually raised from time to time.