OF N.Z. INTEREST

Evening Post, Volume 148, Issue 148, 20 December 1923, Page 8

OF N.Z. INTEREST

SAMOAN COPRA

SOLDIERS AND THEIR MILK CHEQUES

DESTRUCTIVE DEER.

(PROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON,, 19th October. In the current number of " The Sporting and Dramatic* News " is a full page of prints illustrative of the wilder deer country of New Zealand. The letterpress does not contain an encomium of deer-stalking in the Dominion so much as a regret that this game has become such a menace to farmers. The illustrations show some of the beautiful southern lake scenery. "Surely the farmers of Exmoor, who complain of the depredations of the wild red deer in that country," the caption writer remarks, "must think themselves comparatively lucky when they read of the devastation of the deer family in New Zealand. Their estimated number is 300,000, while the damage done by them is put at £180,000 per annum. It has been calculated, too, that deer have displaced the equivalent of 450,000 sheep from the Dominion. The Forestry officer recommends the removal of protection for them near settlement land, and the employment of men to shoot or poison them in remote districts. In addition to the above photographs, which are kindly supplied by the New Zealand Government^ others received show firs ring-barked by deer, beech trees ruined through the bark having been torn off them, and a turnip crop partially destroyed at a spot where over 130 deer were shot." ■ '. PORT CHARGES. " We strongly sympathise with the complaints which are finding expression in shipping circles engaged in trade with New Zealand at the outrageously heavy port charges in the Dominion," says the " British Export Gazette." "In one case mentioned in a recent statement issued by the Chamber of Shipping, a vessel calling at six ports had to pay £700, and another calling at four ports paid £340,' in each case for pilotage alone._ It is stated that port charges are sometimes nearly double the cost of stevedoring, and it stands to reason that a very considerable handicap to trade is thus brought about. So far, we believe, no concerted protest has- been made against these charges, but that they are against the best interests of commerce there- cannot be any doubt. Perhaps the light thrown upon the matter will have the effect of causing, the port authorities to reconsider the'situation." OFFICIAL IGNORANCE. Under the heading of " Official Ignorance,^ the " Birmingham Sunday Mercury " prints the following paragraph:— " Mr. Ormsby Gore, whose interests are more keenly shown in matters affecting the Church of England, began the Economic Conference with a gratuitous insult to New Zealand. He said: "I was only informed last week that hardly an ounce of copra of Samoa (now a ward of the Dominion of New Zealand) is shipped to British ports.' Well, if this is the type of Parliamentary Secretary the Government prefers for. the Colonial Office, one canJonly say, 'iPoor colonies.' If an eye had; been kept on' trade returns, German purchase of Samoa copra would have been well known."

It is only fair to remark that the paragraph displays editorial ignorance as well. Mr. Orrasby Gore,, prompted by the New Zealand High CommissiDner's Department, was really drawing atten-. tion to the fact that oil-crushing as an industry has not been properly developed in this country. The result is that Somoan copra, bought by English firms, has to be crushed in Holland or Germany, before the oil used for margarine comes to this country. Another factor that the editor does not consider is that copra is really a competitor of. butter. New Zealand would probably prefer that Samoan copra should, go to the margarine consuming Continent than that Great Britain should largely cultivate this substitute for her primary product. TWO BITES AT THE CHERRY. - Reference is made in the " Manchester Guardian " to the proposed dairy pool in New Zealand. A. little sting is added to the tail of the paragraph: "The board to be set up in London," says the writer, ■" is to act under orders from New Zealand, where all produce will be sent to a pool, similar to the meat paol which has been in operation for some time. Existing contracts are to hold good till Ist August, 1924, after which date dairy produce will be exported only under license issued by the Dominion Minister^ of Agriculture. With a pool of supplies at one end and price control and possibly tariff preference at the other, the Dominion dairy farmers aim at having two bites at the cherry. It is possible that they may crack their business teeth into the bargain.' Tooley street and Hanging Ditch must hot be forgotten. "■■".' . \ . PREMIERS AND PERSONALITIES. One of the characteristic . paragraphs regarding Prime Ministers which are going the round " of provincial papers has a reference to the late Mr. Richard Seddon. This paragraph seems to have originated with the "Birmingham "Mr. Bruce of Australia, Mr. Massey of New Zealand, and Mr. King of Canada, are fine specimens of the high intellectual power now demanded from our Dominions Prime Ministers. But the world of London outside Downing street does not know them in the way that a score of years ago it knew Alfred ueakin, the Australian ' silver tongued orator, • Dick Seddon,' of New Zealand or the splendidly attractive Wilfrid Launer, of Canada. Later times gave to tlie Conference such picturesque figures as General Botha, of South Africa, a j .i a MS forerunner of General Smuts and Billy Hughes,' the ebullient spokesman of Australia, while in the old days «V6?u a 6 Seriously bearded Kingston of bouth Australia, was an outstanding personality at every gathering at which he appeared. It i s the same, indeed, with Uomimons' politicians as with our own -and not only with these, but with i-rench, German, and American, and every race^ except Latin-picturesque-ness for -the; time being has been lost, ana it ls not always certain that practicalness has furnished an effective subSLiuite.