THE BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10520, 8 January 1912, Page 6

THE BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY

. j;f New Zealand has go.ne cold on t'hi? idea of st'artiimg tlhe beet industry, .she nuay obifcamn some pretty useful information in Victoria as a result of the latest attempt to put the industry the.re On a stolid foundation. The tr'ouhife about starting industries' of tlliiiis sort in' these counltries- is that t'li-ere might he 'founded, while those that aire (being followed 1 aire generally remain eirative, Fci" the tetter reasoro the farmers' are not inclined to. tJirow up tihe game they -.know and are satisfied with for the.ome that is strange to them. iWt the Vcictoriniiii Government, tern or more years ago, when things rxwal were not so prosperous as they are to-day, tiiied ; to sot the b;.\ t .kiduistiry viv its feet by erecting a costly pOiaarb for the nianlufaotwe- of ths ;U".i' materia-] into sugar. The-at-tempt failed through' lack of support. , /si-.:.«e that time the plant has Hairo 4dle, representing so much waste of caputaJ. it was- decided again to give 'the indus'try a trial''under the stimulus of a'Federal, duty which, is solid j enough to make the industry pay if [ the .(tanners.' '.wiiil only- gnow the naw miaitieriali. TQie crop 1 for the seasoni ,is nb<w being, harvested. It has tunned out we'll, better in fact than; the- estimate stated. This is encouraging. Most of the crop were 2o toms. to (the acre, and as (till© beets are worth £1 per ton, it is, easy to reckon up *tlne income. The cost of producing the beet® would not' be. very great, white the farrrcir has the Ibeniefit tof tills', top®, T.h.ich maikes' a splendid feed for dairy catt'ie. Indeed, the industry I ibiids dibsielf encouragingly as an auxiliary to dairying, as the meai em- ' ployed Ihj the milking yards morning and afternoon eami put in/ their spare time.cultivating the beets. The farmer is also enityMed to get the pulp of the tubero hacdi from the factory, which he can- also use for milk producing!. lAlfc' present Victoria buys- from the other' State© no less a sum than, a million' pounds' worth off sugar, so Jf she can save that sum, or half of it, sdie will be doing good ibusimeis®. An advantage of the industry is that it is one that the farmer can: carry oa with tlie assistance of his family. All, tlie expense on© farmer incurred in raising an a.ar© iwas> ten shilling's' for | the seed, and he got a returni of 19 tons. Another fawner who dcte& aflfl. j tli© work of his own dairy (farm with , the help oif his famnily got a return of 40 ton© off his two acres. It is mow intended by the otovernjinent to. endeavour to get settliens to supply the beet to the factory oni wihajt might be termed ai permanent basis. Aims of suitable land have already been secured. If the !New Zealanders want to get some defMte infonmalion on their project, they cam* easi'ly secure it now.