The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 1891. POTATOES FOR ENGLAND.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XII, Issue 2423, 3 August 1891, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 1891. POTATOES FOR ENGLAND.

while applications were being made to the Government for a bonus for the discovery of a method by which New Zealand potatoes could be landed in London in .sound condition, and the different ideas of " authorities " on the subject were being ventilated in the newspapers, the question was practically solved by Mr Peter Cunningham, of Christchurch. The low price of potatoes in New Zealand this season made it a particularly favorable time for making the experiment, Mr Cunningham being able to buy the 140 tons shipped by him at one pound a ton. They were sold in London at £i a ton, but freight, commission and other charges paid in London reduced this to a net price of 22s Gd a ton, out of which railway freight to Lyttelton and shipping and other charges have to be paid. The loss is about 7s 6d or 13s a ton, according as sacks were or were not included in the price realised in London. It would therefore appear that if the moderate price of £>o a ton had been realised in London there would have been a profit on the shipment. This price we should think would generally be obtainable in London for good Derwents, but, on the other hand, potatoes can seldom be bought in New Zealand at sta. tions near a port for less than £2 a ton. We fear therefore that the Home market cannot be looked to as an outlet for our superabundant production of potatoes. The cultivation of this crop has been so profitable in the past that if the Australian demand falls of—as it shows signs of doing—thixragh the increased cultivation there, small fanners in several districts will suffer a severe blow. Very high prices have been paid for potato land near Christchurch, near Tetnuka, and in the Oamaru district, and it is difficult to see what crop can be cultivated in place of potatoes which will give the farmers a profitable return for their expenditure. The establishment of starch manufactories has been suggested as a profitable method of dealing with the difficulty, and even of stimulating an increased production, but we fear the case can scarcely be met in this way. Preserving potatoes for exportation is scarcely an industry of sufficient magnitude to absorb any great proportion of New the Zealand surplus, in these days when voyages are so quickly aocomp* lished that fresh potatoes can be used all the way. The distillation of spirit is not permitted in this country ; and altogether the prospects of the New Zealand potato growers are not of the brightest at this juncture. A relaxation of the high duties in force in Australia might do something to mend matters, but the best remedy will be found in restricting the production and cultivating some crops that are not. such a glut upon the market.