THE BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1976, 7 March 1885, Page 3

THE BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY.

A MKKTINO those nil interested in the establish ment of this industiywas hold at Tho Waikato Tunes Buildings, H.imilt.m, yesterday afternnon. There was a fan attendance i)f farmorK and the chair was occupied by Mr W. A. Graham. Tho Chairman, in opening the proceeding", Raid:— Gentlemen : Tho object of to day 'n meeting is to ascertain the tine feelingM of tho countiy distncts towaids tho beet sugar industry, and to come to hoiiio detinito conclusion relative to tho same. It willbeiomeuiberedthatat a public meeting con\ened in this building Home little timo since, n resolution wan adopted to tin* effect tlml the databefoieas then warr.uitcd »i company being floated tn start the bi'tft-ront augnr MdU'try, and a committee was formed to draw out a prospectus to mibmit to a further mooting, and to c.uivass tho several country districts of Waik.ito im support in the shapo of a guarantee from the nettlern to grow the beet-root and to t.iko shmes. The committee at once commenced their work, and issued a number of circulai lettei", and also made a personal cwvass of portions of thn'distirct, but wore met with so many doubt Hand objections th.it thfy could come to no conclusion in the matter, and therefore this mosting is c.illed in ordei that a further expression of opinion may by obtained, so that any ground gamed up to the present may not bo lout to the community of Waikato through allowing the movement to lapse without any definite purpose being resolved upon. The standard advantage* gained lire these, namely : Ist. A special act haH been pasted by Parliament securing a bonus of £M>oo f«>r the nr«t 1000 tons of r*w sugar manuf.icturod from New Zealand grown bect-ioot. An exemption from excise nnd a guarantee of id \*v lb. in favour of local beet-iout sugar as ngainst the imported niticle, ft>r a fixed period of 15 yc/u-. and. Reduced railway and rivet f i eight < for tho carnage of sug.ir beet-root. 3rd. An undertaking in writing from the New Zealand Sugar Company to take all our row HUgai at full m.nket v.ilue nccoid- ■ { 'ig co analysis. These important conces- ' »'umn in behalf of the proposed industry aro all that can reasonably bo expected from the Government, tratfic manager or the Sugar Company, and should satisfy all objections to tha undertaking. But doubts still remain in the minds of the farmers as to their being able to grow sugnr-bi'cta in Miffieient quantity of a standard analytical tent of 12 per cent, to pay them at lb's per ton. and therefore they ore unwilling to pledgo themselves to grow tho roots until, at any rate, they have moropractic.il proofs before them t!i in we are able to givo thorn at present— that the industry will pay them tit the puce olfcred, viz., Kis per ton. As the fannois' iiiteie-ts inn«t of necessity bo tho Alpha and tho Oiuegn of beetroot sugar manufacture in Waikato, tho committee have not felt warranted in proceeding further in the matter unless tho farmers urged them to do so. The nilgai beet crop is tho only ono upon which tho farmers could base their calculations for the future. It h the only crop that held out a definite? riturn ; whitit gives them an average of 30 bushels, and the avoiage prico was 3s, or £4 10.s, which they all knew was very liltle to work for. The farmers cannot expect the capitalist to go into this industry if they did not meet them in tho piopcr spmt. The farmers aie doubtful, and it seenu to me that they cannot give uny specific or satisfactory grounds for so doubting, foi tho whole matter has been laid fully and explicitly befoio them. It is now for the meeting to discuss what course should be taken m the faco of the apathy which has been shown, whether we shall persist in oui present efforts, or else p n>tpone tho mattei fora twehemonth. The Secretary, Mr Edgecumbe, nnid Mncu last meeting he had written to heverul gentlemen who he behoved wero intcre«tul in the storting of the HUgar beet industry. The response, however, had not come up to expectation?. Mr Graham said they wnnted to find out what it was that ir.ado tho farmeis to dubious in this matter. To his mind thu thing wa» very clear, but tho fact could not bo concealed that the fanners did not look upon tho venture with confidence. Before, therefore, they could expect to achieve success, they must leinove all source of doubt and place (something of a still m«ie definile nature before them. But the difficulty was that though doubt was entei tamed thoso so affected would not come foiward, and, m an honest spirit of enqiuiy tell them in what respect thoir confidence was wanting. Their antagonist* would not consult them face to fa:c. Personally he was prepared to put £500 into the matter if the farmeis would only do their share. In any case, o\on if the factory did not turn out a success, the farmers would lose nothing. They would have thoir roots, which far excelled either turnips or mangolds for feed ; and so if tho factory could not use them they w<«uld not bo wasted, but profitably utilized on tho farm. Sympathy was Almost universal ; he had been as-suied on every side that it would bo a great pity if tho thing were allowed to fall to th« ground ; still it was evident there wns something working against if, and this they would have to find out *nd overcome. Mr Knox wanted to know what tho co operative association was doing in the nutter. That association, more than any other, represented the fanning interest, and whnt assistance ww it rendering ? Mr Graham replied that tho association had been active in tho matter. The inuuugot had been uistiticted to sco the farmers of the district. He had done so, but had only been confronted with questions about the railway freight, coat of labour, guarantee. &c. Capt. Runciman said in canvassing h s neighbourhood, the farmers were anxious as to whether they would re-illy get His for their ciop, and if so whether even that prije would pay. He, of course, tried to show them that it would pay. They also wanted to know what was meant by the. pioviso referred to in the cucular. If they were assured of getting Kis, ho believed they would readily embark in the project. Aft S. S. Graham proposed. " That the matter be allowed to stand over for twulve months until further and more definite information wero rcceivtd." Mr Hwarbrick did not think that allow - ing the malter to stand over for twelve months would assist them irt any way. Tht re had been some root grow nig dining tho p.i"t se.mn certainly, but it had not been cu nod out on nothing like a syr-tcin, and therefore what knowledge this Msars oxpi'rui.oiit afforded might not bo taken as of h ieli'ib!e cliarait.M. Peihaos it was tint peuplo wanted soiuothm,: uioic definite and more rjbablo to go up-ui. Hb was nxcii'diugly disappoiiitnd with the in imi'ir in winch tho farmers had entei taiuud a piojoct which hold out such a bright and pi omising prospect. He would ask them w.'i.itsinglßoth'jrlinodid pay them at the present time? There was nothing that the fanners could enter upon that would make thorn worse than giant-giow-injr, and ctill thuy held «>n to this Una with tho tenacity of men who were making their fortunes ut it, and all this in Uie face of something that gave such infinite promise as the growing of sugar-beet. Ho could not see any enormous ruk in growing, say, five acres. Farmers wanted a guarantee. Did they not require a guarantee for every ciop they grew ? In growing wheat they had to guaranteo themselves 30 bushels to tho acre at 4s a bushel, or else they had to bo satisfied with a los«. Why, therefore, should a guaranteo be required to grow beet if not to grow wheat or any other crop ? The time would come when farmers would only be too glad to glow roots without a guarantee, at a price much lower than that now T»romued them. Mr Gillctt said the farmers evidently lost sight of the gi eat inducement to start this wduitiy iv tho shape of Government prottction and bonus for tho production of tho first thousand tons of beet-sugar. Tho prospect was everything they could require, nnd ne could not therefore understand the npathy that provailed. He quite agreed With Air Kwaibnck that at thn present time tho Waikato farmers had literally nothing to rely upon. Fnrmers said that in growing this sugar-beet they had not only to guarantee quantity but (iiiality. In growing grain they had to do likevyise ! Mr Crosoby did not think it would hurt ft ny of them to grow a few acres by way of experiment. Personally, he was willing to undertake an experimental crop of, say, two acrce. The Chairman pointed out that thn effect of this industry once staited would at once enhance the value of property, and increase the population of thu district. And this was what they wanted. Another proof of the certainty which the prospect atfoided might be judged from tho fact that it stood the fire of both Houses of Parliament. It was there admitted, after _ thorough discussion, that it whh no delusion, no fnd, and tho only thing that was said against it was that it was premature. It was tho only thing to induce the twenty and thirty acre rn«n to settle in their midst. Mr Yon Stunner said ona of the doubts in the mind* of tho farmer* wan that the

tent* already mado were analytical tests, and what the fanner* wanted to know w.ih whattlio result would be <it tho mill— wli.it percentage of sugar the beet would afford undi'r mechanical treatment ? Mi (Jinham lophed thatthe farmers' roots would be bought by analytical test in the field. Therefore, tho 12 percent, analytical tent would be tho basis upon which the farmer would well. Mr Edgecnmbe said the general impression w»i th.it it wa» desirable to wait, lei Honally, he felt with other* who had already spoken that they would gam nothing by delay. Some an angement might be come to by which they c.mld get sufficient seed to sow. Hay, about .">OO acies next year. The produce of tlio ceason might be put nt the dmpos.il of a, committee, the result of whose eiMiuiiy would doubtless encourage farmers to embark in tho industry. Mr Whjte .igieed that ,i thoiough ti bt of a general charactei should be rn.ide, in order to get some defiiuti> lesult. He would bo very willing to put in a few iICI'CH. Sevoral other gentlemen ofFei od to gi ow a certain acreage by way of expeument. Mr Hw<n brick thought n con mitteo of gentlemen who h.id the confidence of the FarmerH, might be appointed to gunv 01 to have gfrmvn a certain acreage or loots in tho district, from which a genoi.tl test could be made. At the end of tho year thero could then be a definite lesult, and no man in Waikato could turn round and way that it wan not so. It w.w then unanimously resolved that the following gentlemon bo a committee to take Hteps in the meantime to induce farmers to make a practical test ingrowing beet, and to ascertain and record reliable data of tho cost of growing the crops ; also, to make application to the Government to instinct the analytical chemist at Auckland to make tests from beetroots now glowing in this district, tho lesults to bo recorded among the official statistics of the colony:- Messm J. B. Whyto, M.H.R., E. Lake, M.H.H., W. A. Graham, Gillett, Sw.ubrick, H.viugh, O. Edgecumbe, L. O'Neill, and Captain Kunciman. It was suggested by a gentleman present that tho Government should be applied to to place .1 sullicient sum at the disposal of tho analytical chemist to enable him to tieat a sufficient quantity of beetroots to produce a few cwt. of sugar, to bn exhibited at the foithcommg Industiul Exhibition at Wellington.

Sm F?kk« n,fs KoisiN-io.N is veiy popn lnr n^am at the C'npc. Tin- tot il tiain nnlengo of the railways of the world .n ISS3 «.i J , in lound num bcrs, l,. r >00,000,000 milt's or nc-arly '•ixtcn times the distance of the sun liom the CHI til

Alrrn iiirpiise is expressed in "service circles" that the Afltniialty do not send out armoui -plated vessels as flagships to tlit East Indies and the Cape, as theicare no ships of this class on those stations. PnjiMsM is actively reviving in Kng land. Stiong opposition is ollere 1, bat the police are gcneially outwitted. By the way, it is now t\\< ntv four ye.iis ago since Tom Sayers fouaht the historic bout with Hct'iian.