80 PRODUCTION 



siderable decline in gold mining has taken place since 1902, bu 

 even this has not set free enough labour to fill the growing requiie- 

 ments of agricultural industries ; and an increase in local manu- 

 facturing industries in the future (though not so probable as in 

 Australia) will, of course, in the absence of heavy immigration, 

 increase the labour difficulty on the farms. 



So far as resources alone are concerned, various authorities are 

 agreed that there is room for a moderate expansion in the animal 

 industries of the country, 1 though the two leading branches, namely, 

 sheep-rearing for meat-production and dairying, will in future be 

 somewhat in competition with each other. 2 



AUSTRALASIA. 

 REVIEW AND SUMMARY. 



Australia and New Zealand occupy an important place among the 

 world's surplus-producing countries in meats and dairy produce. 

 On a basis of values, they supplied in 1913 rather more than one- 

 fifth of the meat imports of the United Kingdom, and about the 

 same fraction of the butter and cheese imports. A study of the 

 figures for international trade in these animal foodstuffs shows 

 that Australasia now supplies somewhat less than one-fifth of the 

 world's exports. 3 



From the point of resources, it is evident that Australia and New 

 Zealand can increase their exports in both meat and dairy produce 

 for many years to come. Neither country, especially Australia, 

 is as yet fully developed, and it will be a long time before either of 

 them becomes filled with population to such an extent as to cause 

 home consumption to check exports in animal foodstuffs. Manu- 

 factures are at present of small importance, and are not likely to 

 increase to any extent, except in certain limited areas in Australia. 

 The present conditions in both countries are suc.h that any increase 

 in population suitable for local conditions will lead to a more than 

 proportionate increase in the surplus of animal foodstuffs. In- 

 tensive methods in various forms are being introduced in Austra- 

 lasia, and the possible future output may be greatly increased by 

 their further adoption. Owing to the high cost of labour and the 

 comparative absence of large areas of unoccupied productive land, 

 there is no likelihood whatever that these countries will supply 

 great quantities of animal produce at dumping prices. It is, 

 nevertheless, quite likely that they will come to supply a greater 

 fraction of the international trade in meat and dairy produce than 

 at present, and that their supplies will be more regular from season 

 to season. 



1 See U.S. Year Book of Agriculture, 1914, p. 337 and pp. 421-8 ; also 

 Dominions Commission, Final Report (Cd. 8462), pars. 123-138. 



2 See Dominions Commission Minutes of Evidence, New Zealand (Cd. 7170), 

 QQ. 2290 and 2525 ; also U.S. Dept. Agric., Bureau of Crop Estimates, 

 Report 109, p. 184. 



8 Omitting live animals for meat-producing purposes. 



