The Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1912. SUGAR BEET INDUSTRY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10673, 20 July 1912, Page 4

The Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1912. SUGAR BEET INDUSTRY.

!•': ks to be hoped that c*s of the steps takcui by the new idfiniduir cf Agriculture will bo t'o ca.r.se inquiries to be made into the possibility of establishing- the sugar best indiTjtry ii' - . New Zealand. Sec.ng that ths c«su in ens of the Bcimiion are at tho taercy of a huge monopoly, it behbves 'Parliament 't'o assist in every pc&si'ole way in. relieving the community of the existing incubus. For some years P a, s , t experiments have been made in the cui&viation of eugar beet xi various ,pnifts of the Wnika»jo district, but no enccrxAageinOit h;\s been.' offered those wild, have solicit to demonstrate ■the adaptability e.if the soil for beetgrowing. It would pay the country handst'meiy to offer a substantial boWus foil - the production cf beet sugar. In thiy connection it may be mentioned that England, wbkih • fas . f, ; . r years been the only .coutntry in . Europe ( without a sugar factory, has taken the maittcr seriously in Jiamci. An area .cf about 3500 acres between Yarmouth i and Norwich 1 has been sown with sugai boot, and iby the. tlncl of August it 'is liqped tfliat (the factory and-mach-inery will be in readiness for the reception eff the pirodu.ot of t'hif- 1 imm-, en.se acreage. In 1910 it was found difficult to got the gi'a.mt of ton acres ifor expforijr.tlntal purpeees. Wi'ilb simiSnir d/iffioulity a. few hundred aorea wei o. found in 1911; but the momen.t a pledge was pjiv'en that ,a ! falcttory \\ould ,be put up ftn'Miwith at a dc-fi-aii't-e site by Cantlej- the farmers came forward .in a body. Fadtoriips hav« been ,built and sugar growin in- England ibbfore; but this i.s t.he iii'at n'tteiimpt under new ,political coniditic/as. If it is succesfifii'l, factories will with:,a a few yearn rise up in' malny pailts of tlie country, probably in Ireland as ,weJl a's in, England. Indeed, prelinisn.ai - y engageinents 'lia.vo vTilrdady bean oniads for erecting two more faotoi'ies in. Ecrst Angba under saar.fe miuiagvme.nt; and otlier3 'will arise under other .management. 'Hjayle, in iC'csrtnwall, is oiiu? of the likeliest si'tcs. Kiddermi tits tor .is a n-

otiliar. In. view of the action which is being taken-in England, is it not time it, Wat iluo farmers of New Zeal/and km-ned their .attention. to this industry P Wihy dh'ould not the fertile and welll-watered plains of the WaSrairtipa 'bo devoted (to tlie cultivation oif sugar beotP A/iT 'that is required i,s a spirit of ec-operation in, the matter. The quositiio'n fif lafcur :'is, of couree, one %liiat li.is to be .met, bait lliis could be overcome if the work were carried out binder tihe co-r,f.'era.'tive system. In 'England it-4S calculated that everything above 12 (tone an a ore of beet ls.l clca.r gain. We Ji-ave no dou.bi. <hhl~it iii New .Zealand a yield ranch greater than tih'iis could be obtained. A eert.i!i?n amount of capital would be Ireqiuircd to esiab'lulli a factory and 1 (provide the necessary machinery, If, Ifo'wevcr, rtsbo Giavern,m<?n;t wei'e to ©whdtoritfiaily ewbsidase the in-itr-al effort, tslie mccessmry capital would scon ibe found. We are ouijvseke.y sanguine t.hrut am experiment- upofh, a c'ommcircia.l scale would be i&io sueopissfitl that the iudus'liry ivlouM speedily develop ! into cc 4? of £/:<e;yt' rr.«igi?iitude in the Do'nftricn.