LAND INDUSTRY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 June 1938, Page 8

LAND INDUSTRY

PLACE IN THE DOMINION’S ECONOMY ..HON, F. LANGSTONE’S SURVEY... PROGRESS IN MANUFACTURING. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) DUNEDIN, June 3. Figures illustrating the importance to New Zealand of its primary industries were quoted by the Acting-Min-ister of Agriculture, the Hon F. Langstone, when officially opening the winter show this afternoon. Mr Langstone also emphasised the growth of secondary industries during the past few years and spoke of the necessity for a planned future in which both should take their legitimate place for the benefit of the people of this country. “We have about 43,000,000 acres of land in cultivation,” Mr Langstone said, “although only a minor part of that is intensely cultivated, and it is safe to say that we have hardly touched the fringe of scientific farming farming of this country. As years go on we will find that our production will double, treble and quadruple, as we begin to understand the scientific basis of farming. “We have about 31,000,000 sheep, nearly 2,000,000 dairy cows, 2.300,000 other cattle, about 280,000 horses and about 800,000 pigs. The number of holdings in New Zealand is about 85,480 and there are about 135,000 persons who are directly engaged in farming, with result that, when the effects of their activities are felt throuhout the country, thousands and tens of thousands of people receive employment because of the work started by farmers.” v

Capital invested in farming amounted to about £481,000,000, Mr Langstone added, taking into account the value of plant and machinery, grain mills, meat works, dairy factories, etc. Production arising from the investment of that capital included 177,650 tons of butter, 97,600 tons of. cheese, 303,0000001 b of wool, and 8.859,000 bushels of wheat. Certainly the amount of wheat grown was not sufficient for New Zealand’s own requirements, but ,with the raising of. the price by the Government to its present level of 5s 9d a bushel, it was hoped that encouragement would be given to growers of this essential commodity and so mawe New Zealand independent of overseas sources.

Dealing with meat production, the Minister said that year there were 2,660,000 carcases of mutton slaughtered, 9,421,000 carcases of lamb, 484,000 carcases of beef cattle, and 1,150,000 pigs. Referring to the whole-, sale value of production, he instanced dairying, which was worth £32,700,000 wheat (£8,800,000), and pastoral production (£47,100,000), making a total production value of £88,600,000, which; with everything included, would probably amount to more than £100,000,000.

New Zealand exported about 40 percent of its production, Mr Langstone said, and about 97 per cent of the exports were made up of primary produce. That production formed the basis of New Zealand’s overseas credits and enabled the country to pay its debts and pay for necessary things that could not be produced in the Dominion.

Secondary industries were also important, and in the future they must grow and prosper step by step with primary industries so that New Zealand could have a planned economy that would be productive of the greatest benefits for the people of the country. Instancing the growth of secondary industries, Mr Langstone said there were now 5728 factories in New Zealand, an increase in one year of 192. Wages paid to employees, who numbered 96,401, compared with 86,588 last year, amounted to £18,000,000, an increase of more than £3,000,000 over the amount paid last year. The value, of production of secondary industries had risen from £90,000,000 to £106,000.000 in a year, thus showing the vast amount of activity that had taken place. The cost of material used in factories had risen from £59,940,000 in 1935-36 to £70,668,000 in the following year, and the balance, after costs had been met, had increased from £5,642,000 to £6,581,000. “I know there can be great expansion in basic industries such as the manufacture of our wool into textiles.” the Minister said, “and in the manufacture of leather articles from hides and in other ways there are opportunities for the development of industries in New Zealand. The large increase in the amount of horse-power in our industries indicates that greater use is being made of the great hydroelectric potentialities in New Zealand and the value of plant and machinery in secondary industry is nearly £70,000,000, having increased by more than £2,000,000 in one year.”