Mechanisation Of Farming Becomes Almost Universal

Taranaki Daily News, 31 August 1942, Page 2

Mechanisation Of Farming Becomes Almost Universal

Taranaki among most progressive. Mechanisation of farming has become almost universal throughout New Zealand in the last two decades. In this connection Taranaki farhiers have been among the I most progressive. ! Mechanisation has eased the lahour I position on farms, and has enabled production to be maintained, which would be impossible with only manual labour. Farm working conditions, too, have been I improved as a result. I The advances that have taken place in farm mechanisation in the last decade are shown in the latest statistics of agricultural and pastoral production. Ten years ago there were in the Dominion 82,968 holdings, averaging 515 acres and in the 1940-41 season there were 86,373 holdings averaging 496.55 acres. In the same period the number of electric motors increased from 24,164, aggregating 37,179 horsepower, to 61,826, aggregating 63,178 horsepower, over two and a-half times a a many motors and nearly 80 per cent. more horse-power. The decrease in the average of over one and a-half horsepower t.o just over one horse-power, is due in part to the improvement in machines, requiring less horse-power, and to the fact that a large number of small motors have been installed for pumping water. In the same period internal combustion engines increased from 20,974, aggregating 65,200 horse-power, to 23,644, aggregating 72,167 horse-power. The most striking development is in the use of agricultural tractors, the number having increased from 4856 ta 12,516. Milking machines have shown a steady increase from 23,222, of 81,207 cow capacity, handling 1,147,549 cows, to 30,878, of 104,708 co&r capacity, handling 1,516,681 cows. As the cow population of the Dominion is 1,779,603, it means that more than 85 per cent. are milked on farms equipped with milking machines. Cream separators in the same period have increased from 51,334 to 54,896. The peak year for separators was 1937, when the total was 56,850, since when there has been a drop of 3 V2 per cent., a result of the change from butter to cheese. Holdings in the Taranaki land district comprise 5666, averaging 241 acres, or about 6Vz per cent. of the total holdings. There are in Taranaki 5676 electric motors, or over 9 per cent. of the Dominion total, and 1500 internal combustion engines, or 7 per cent. of the Dominion total There are, however,. only 260 agricultural tractors in Taranaki, just over 2 per cent. of the Dominion total. Taranaki has 3901, or 13 per cent. of the Dominion milking machines of 14,826 cow capacity, handling 217,534 cows, or over 94 per cent. of Taranaki's 231,140 milking cows, which represents about 13 per cent. of the Dominion's total of 1,779,603 dairy cows.