The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-01-09
A Timely Editorial
A Field To Be Worked

From the San Antonio Express,
For many years, New Zealand has
been celebrated for its export of
frozen mutton, beef and other
meats, as well as its wheat, oats and
barley. Among the animal products
now exported in large quantities is
butter, which is competing with
American butter on the latter's own
ground. A few days ago the. steam
er Teoka was preparing to leave
Auckland for New York, with 120,-
900 boxes of butter aboard, des-
tined for consumption here. That
cargo is but part of the entire or
der. which amounts to 100000
pounds and will be filled by the end
of February. To pay for this COM
modify which assuredly should be
produced here in sufficient quantity
to meet American equirements-
the New York purchasers have
cabled funds to New Zealand
through Barring Brothers of London.
This is indeed one-sided trading and
indicates condition that should be
remedied.
New Zealand had no mammals ex-
cept two bat and one rat species
now extinct-when the famous Cap
tain Cook, the first European to set
foot on it's shores, landed there in
1853. He gave the Maoris pigs,
fowl, potatoes, turnips and cab
bages; and the early British, colon
lists (1814) introduced sheep, cat
tie, horses and grain. At first tia
newcomers devoted themselves -
agriculture, but when refrigeration
rendered it practicable to snip
frozen meat to England, the sheep
and cattle industries became more
profitable than grainNraising. The
North Island climate resembles that
of the Gulf States: the South Island
is colder, its climate like that of
Kentucky and Tennessee. The set
tiers introduced English and Scotch
grasses more suitable for livestock
than the native sort, and today al
most every New Zealand farmer IS
also a stock owner.
The country has many harbors
and freighting distances to them are
short COMPARED with mileage from
the interior to tidewater here. For
this reason New Zealand creamerles
evidently can send their product to
Auckland, and thence S,474 nautical
miles to New York, through tho
Panama canal. at favorable rates.
Of course there may be special fac
tors connected with the 1000, 00O-
pound purchase. which the dis
patches do not reveal. Heretofore,
the British Isles have taken most
of New Zealand's animal and agri-
cultural products; the ships engaged
in the trade passing through the
Suez canal. Exports TO this coun-
try largely have been two native
products-New Zealand hemp and
kaliri gum. the latter used in var
nish maxim" -
This country should develop trade
with New Zealand ITS inhabitants
are progressive people of British or
Irish birth or descent. numbering
more than a million. The Maoris--
as the aborigines are called-have
decreased since the country was DIS
covered, and now humber about
$4,000. The Panama canal enables
ships to sail from Atlantic and Gulf
ports direct to Auckland or yelling
ton. and Auckland is now a regular
calling place for San Francisco
Sydney steamers. American ex-
porters must work the field which
is open to them IN the south Pacific.
as it is only 1,7O0 miles from New
Zealand to Australia. Steam and
electricity have linked the two with
this country and there should be a
greater interchange of products,
rather than such one-sided deals as