THE HIGH PRICE OF POTATOES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 31, 31 October 1907, Page 11

THE HIGH PRICE OF POTATOES.

. Sir',—Now. that potatoes' have risen in price, ivhd therois a,very .great, probability of: a f iirtlier, rise ['in, the,, near future, it' may bo of iiiterost.to'.spuie of-,your many to know, that thero is n way of. choapenin;i; .tho cost', and increasing tho l supply of that very necessary''article::pf food.-'- • ; In''tho'first: placo, 'tlion, it is 'desirable to increase'the j'supply.' :To do this offcctnally t'we niust iiiid „a 'means of eradicating or provoiitingi tho!.disease which creates such •havflc .amongst. the potato, crops. _ The ,knowledge' of, such means; of preveiitipn,.l claim to be .in, possession: of.: I have .oxporimcnted with it- ml' various .ways, have 'proved: conclusively-it is- an undoubted success. How I know it is a success is as follows:—I planted, potatoes vjn-'the ,usual .manner; in land .thai'.was not by any means, as well [ 'drained as 1 it might liavo' been. 'Every alter'nat'e .iw T'subjected, to. iny iriethod of. treatmbnt, ..and;,found ;on digging -~,tlie, potatoes - that ;thcv rows -,'t-hat had'.nqt-bten so,treated were very badly; diseased, in ;fact <tho.y were not. worth digging, while the rows that had | been treated according to my method were riot diseased in" the''slightest This .'I have.done -repeatodly- with various kinds, of ■potatoes',-.both. l early, and main .-crops,- ; and 'always' with, the' greatest success. This, -1 , -is complotc ■ proof tlint niy tativo is effectual: ■" ' '' . '' ''' ' j ;I havo'. already."offered to_ p.rabticaUy. dc- , mbiistrat'e ,'tlic;J'.metli'od, jbf; using this. preyon'ta!tivo"on. one. of''theiG'overnment:fariiis, and : jho'vHoh'." R..jiM'Nab.'.thqught 50...we1l of; tho ,project,.that ho ;told„ni0 ; , : to -.communicate'with 'Mr. Clifton, the Director:, of;. Depart- , mental Farms, on the subject. Ho (Mr. Clifton) v seemed .at to,, favour my, proposals, and w ; afe' willing'! should try the experiment': at J Weraroa. After ;sevei'al com-. :munioati6ns: ; had- us, Mr. .Clifton' suddenly sent, me a"letter in which, .hi) stated' He "did riot'think;my sbheme practicable.-■ With'this lcttei- negotiations ceascd.., Now, what I should 4 like,to kiio.w :is . tins: .How., 'did:.v]\lr^ , .Glifton'' r -kjfi6W. 6r I( Jthink,; my, schemo-!was inot: practicablo when ! I havo never explained it-to ihLm. in-any way ?. "All I -have .told him'is' that my'riiethod requires' 'no spraying and no chemicals whatever,but .isl purely'cultural treatment. As this is a matter of supreme importance, to. the, inhabitants of th'o Dominion; especially the poorer .classes, I 1 had l hopes'of -intrSduoing this prevciritative througliotit-. thc- whole of this .fair land: "'through''.the,' so ; called\,friends t of .tile ! .p^'':|reMnt;jrop^cntativos. : - ,—li am, 1 ■ eto'.,' .G. .L. .AUSTIN. .■- ■ ' eri'closo . ali that has ■ passed 1 between us qri .the' subjectj which'you , afoi atl'liborty', to'.publjsh'. if you think fit.. (The correspondenceiin--question, generally speaking, 1: boars out'Mr: Austin's account of the' riegotiiitioris.' 'In oiic of - liis 'letters' 110 expressed the\'opraion; that* it 'would bo necessary,' fqfc)ii^:]{W ; .'rapißnntend 1 tho experiments for a period. extending oyer three, ni'oriths. ;.'He. would require, £3.105. peri Week for this, arid would fill in his spare ...time dbing carpentry'work 011..the farm. If tho experiments prov.ed .successful, .lie .would expect a bonus. It-' was 1 after '-receipt of this fetter, apparently, that tho department 'cooled off.) • . ..,, .' ... .., .

.!■/'■» TRAMWAY' . V : :SirJ—lf seems'to 'me. that', the''manage- . ment tries! 'to. makfe'.tljO; trains' run",as 1 ii'regu^. • larly- as.'.'possiblo .in'.OrientaLßay;. ..They sel- . ddm'. : ! .timetabloj, • and rif .1 y aut, to get :tp work early... I have, t-o. take :'a-, tram,.quarter, 'of; 1 an hour earlier than I. ought .to so-, as to 'be ;in -time.; Another. :mad freak is .to i change your car. when at Fitzgerald?s-Point, getting ,out";of > a double-decker and crowding everybody into one'of those-.small- ' box' cars' t».'"gfeat "discomfort. 1 This' is 1 done' every: evening 'at 'tlfe'. thirty-six minutes''past i fo'ur'I.'carj'1.'carj' and'createi'loss'of'tirno',and makes .everyone, ".bbhiiid 1 'tiin'e'.'wheii : getting',;to the .railway-''station.,- There s'eemsjto ( .nie to,'; be bad..management, somewhere. ' In. fact, the '■lino['round-'.tliat'. way: seems, to;bo;in a con-, staiit:'muddle..i:'Perhaps .the; swarni of .traffic, inspectors are overworked-, v: If ■ such is not Hblse case;; .theren is,;\l, think, one reason for starting on the. 1 ato side, and that is that at the. terminus round that .line there 'is' no 'supervision. : aro. 'bri their own.account.and.beypnd,the oye of • the traffic manager,''and 'tlik'eby start>'when •they feel inclined- • to—thus.the lateness which .I .speak, of. . Now, .sir, I think',there Plight 'to'bo rnore.'care'attached to this'liiio, as for 7 its"'size it' is'payable, arid iiot far from' ■the top ; "ofi : the'\list'.—l'iiiri; 'etc:/' ■ ■ ' i( ' > ' . • ' ' RATEPAYER. iWeliirigton, : octpber.;29. . i