IN THE PUBLIC MIND.
OUR BUTTER
BETTER MARKETING METHODS.
(To the Editor.)'
I recently spent twelve months in England and Scotland, and had no difficulty in buying New Zealand butter either in England or Scotland. But the whole trouble with New Zealand butter at Home is the fact that you can never get it twice alike. Sometimes it is excellent, and the next time you buy it, it is like axle grease. I have no interest in the butter business, and if the dairy farmers of New Zealand were alive to their own interests they would see that not a pound of secondgrade butter was shipped Home. Danish butter is liked at Home for one great reason; it is uniform in quality. Also another great point is missed in marketing New Zealand butter at Home; no one takes an interest in the retail sales of it. There should be agents travelling round the retail stores to see that it is in good condition, and see if there is any complaints and also to see that the butter is displayed to the best possible advantage, and offer suggestions in the interest of New Zealand butter. I spoke to several managers of retail stores, but none of them had ever seen anyone call on them in the interests of New Zealand hutter. From what I could see at Home, a shaking up as regards our marketing seems very necessary. EGOSSE. THE NEW COII'AGE. Your published letter by "Reason, Not Belief" would probably start a new chain of thought—but the end of this _ chain is not within our present range of vision. I do not propose to argue with "R.N.8.," nor support the Manavvatu JJ?.'s against him, but if ho wants my reasons for objection to the new coinage and the conspicuous absence of "Dei Gratia" and the King's head, I will try to illustrate them briefly. I will presume that "R.N.8." knows his history, what happened with the Chinese Empire, the Romans, etc.— that in the past all of the old all-powerful empires have eventually fallen and given place to a new rising nation. I would ask "R.N.8." to appreciate what has happened to our naval power, where is our Air Force on the list of nations' strength? Sufficient to make "R.N.8." think of a great many more recent happenings. Then think of commerce and Japan— a 1 r that is happening in the land of the empire that lost the Great War —then think of our own Empire. Is the rot setting in? Try to put all the two and. two's together, and, in adding them up, the total, if you can reach it, will 'astound you. What has this to do with coinage? Well, I am dealing with the letter in question, in which "R.NjB." says: "By the Grace of God —since medieval times — words—the outcome of ancient superstition and ignorance." Also he is gratified to see that "powers begin to realise the Church and State are entirely divorced." It is this "Dei Gratia" —medieval times —ancient superstition (and the ignorance, too, maybe), coupled with our ceremonials and our traditions —giving us our national pride, which have placed us where we are to-day as a nation, and what Britisher worthy of the name will admit there is a better man or nation? But cannot "R.N.8." see with me that to leave off the "Dei Gratia" and the. King's head from our coinage is only a very small piece of rock, not enough in itself to argue about, but one of the small rocks, nevertheless, of which the mountain of Empire' disintegration and ultimate fall js composed? Sufficient loose rocks on a high eminence, accumulating, will assuredly start a slide sooner or later. I would ask everyone not merely to look the presence (or absence) of a word or design— but to look right through at the emblem and to all the meanings behind. LOYAL LOGICIAN.
±J\J X ALJ . A DEPARTMENTAL REFUSAL. The matter of Mr. D. M. Rao and tie Education Department's altogether incomprehensible refusal to permit him to accept the Carnegie Foundation's offer of a travelling scholarship should not and must not be dropped It hardly needs emphasising that Mr. Rae is precisely the type of man to go abroad as New Zealand's educational emissary with the certainty of making an excellent impression in any land. The fact that education in New Zealand generally would benefit hy Mr. Rae's acceptance of this scholarship has "been stressed in the "Star" and need not be discussed further. It goes without saying in any case, but the point now is, what is going to be done about the matter? Are Mr. Kae's friends, of whom he has thousands, going to permit the thing to go by default? Is each of them supinely to sigh and say, "What can Ido about it?" No, the thing to do and to do at once is to show the Educational Department that its action is resented and disapproved by everybody. An-a inasmuch as, after all, the Department 'is supposed to function in the interests of the whole people and the general good, it can hardly fail to heed. Let a petition be immediately circulated declaring in no unmistakable terms what the New Zealand public thinks about this short-sighted, narrow-minded refusal to allow ti representative New Zealander to bo of service to his country abroad and of inestimably increased •value 'to the cause of education at home. Surely there can be an expression of opinion on this matter thwfc the Education Department will ho unable to disregard. MARC T. GREENE. PRICE OF MILK. I wish to add my protest at the increase in the price of milk. For the past year or two the average working man has been able to give his children at a very reasonable cost the amount of milk they really need. And it has made a wonderful difference to their health and general litness. Everyone who has to work among children will readily admit this. And now this prohibitive price is brought into operation and will debar our children from receiving what is theirs by right in this land of plenty. What is happening to Auckland when its milk and bread are too costly for the working man, so that he cannot satisfy the needs of his children? Do we realise that the Milk Board is costing £2000 a year, which really comes out of the pockets of the public? The milk vendor does not like the increase in price because he knows he is going to lose from the decrease in the amount sold. Cannot the farmer realise that if he can supply the peneral public with food at a reasonable cost then lie will receive just the same profit because o>f the increase in the quantity sold? Let us hope that after six weeks' trial (and it will be a sore trial to sonic of us) the old price will bo reverted to. Let the system of distribution he overhauled rather than tho price increased. WORKING MAN.
CRICKETERS AND DOMAIN. The divided executives of cricket interest* have united to protest against the granting of the use of the Auckland Domain to the Amateur Athletic Association 011 the 24th inst., this making the second Saturday this season. Seemingly the cricket executives take it as a foregone conclusion that a local body has 110 other duty to the public than to tend their needs. Yes, the Stadium might certainly 1)0 available for athletics, but does not cricket have the use of many other grounds which, in most cases, are council grounds ? Surely cricket does not want every ground. STICK.
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Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 69, 22 March 1934, Page 6
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1,277IN THE PUBLIC MIND. Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 69, 22 March 1934, Page 6
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