Fell On Deaf Ears?

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 59, 13 March 1929, Page 8

Fell On Deaf Ears?

Referring yesterday to the British Prime Minister's appeal on behalf of the distressed miners in the Old Country, Mr. A. L. Hunt (chairman of the Laud Settlement and Migration Conference) said: "Mr. Baldwin sent a message to New Zealand saying, in effect, 'Can't you help us?' and I think I am right in saying that the Prime Minister (the Bight Hon. Sir Joseph Ward) replied, 'No; we have responsibilities of our own.' That was our response to a national appeal!" Mr. N. G. Gribble (Auckland): "I was terribly disappointed when Sir Joseph Ward sent that reply. I can tell you it hurt immensely." Yet Another Board. Moving at the Land Settlement and Migration Conference yesterday afternoon a resolution calling for the establishment of an advisory Land Settle-^ ment Board, to supervise land settlement throughout the Dominion, Mr. Cox (a delegate from the Matamata County Council) said that the Land Boards and Land Commissioners were out of touch with the requirements of the country to-day. As a case in point, he stated that a holder of 400 acres of pumice land in his district had asked permission to cut it up into two farms of 200 acres each and dispose of one; but the Land Board had refused to allow him to do so, on the ground that no man could make a living on less than 400 acres of pumice land. "Why, as a matter of fact," said the delegate, "the men who are doing best on the pumice land are those with 100 acres, or 50 acres, and even less than 50 acres. It is another instance showing that most farmers in New Zealand hold too much land." Mr.'N. G. Gribble (Auckland), in seconding the resolution, said they were loth to advocate the establishment of another board. They had meat ■ control boards, dairy produce control boards, fruit boards, honey boards, and so on—far too many of them. But he contended that if in past years they had had a proper Land Settlement Board, all these other boards would have been unnecessary. Flock House Criticised. "Nothing very much can be said in favour of the Flock House system of training British public school boys," declared Mr. H.-G. Dickie, M.P., at yesterday's conference on land settlement and migration.. "Flock House is run on very much the same lines as a school, and when the boys go out on the land they must feel very home-sick on the isolated farms'. Although sit is a model place of its kind, the boys do not get the practical training they would if they were apprenticed to farmers." "All the Flock House boys are apprenticed to farmers after six months' training," remarked a delegate.' Mr. Dickie: "Yes, I know that." ' Dehorning of Cattle. Asking that the dehorning of cattle be made compulsory throughout the Dominion, a deputation representing the Canterbury master butchers waited on the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. G. W. Forbes) in Christchurch yesterday. It was stated that the late Minister of Agriculture had promised to bring down legislation on the subject, but he had not done so. It was a national question, and damage amounting to £50,000 yearly would be saved by making dehorning compulsory. Stock breeders and sellers in both islands supported the system, which would improve the quality of the beef throughout New Zealand. The dehorning could be carried out quite simply on the calves, the method being painless. The Minister said that if cattle were dehorned it would be for the benefit of the industry throughout New Zealand. He suggested that the deputation approach Parliament with a petition, which could be referred to the Stock Committee of the House. "I.would like to see some legislation on this subject myself," ho said. He would look into the question. Pedigree cattle, of course, had to be considered. : , " Cutting Back Corners. When the question of the cutting back of. corners was before the- Hawkes Bay County Council this week, the chairman, Mr. H. M. Campbell, M.P., stated that in America on every side road crossing a main road there was at the entrance- to the main road a white line with the word "Stop" written plainly, on the road. It was a regulation that on reaching this point every motorist using the the side road had to stop his car and change gear before proceeding. This had the effect of squaring up the traffic laws and the chairman thought it worthy of consideration for use by the council. Councillor T. Mason Chambers stated that this might be a good plan, but it was an Absolute necessity to cut the corners back, to give the main road motorists a clear view. His views were supported by' Councillor W. Tucker. Left on Tramcars. A weird and wonderful collection of goods is each year collected by the tramway people from the trams, all sorts of stuff, from handbags, with fair amounts inside,' sticks and umbrellas, cameras, sporting gear, old clothes and new clothes, lunch bags and lunche3, gloves and hats, particularly articles which one places on a spare seat or the floor and then forgets. Each day the lost property office at Lambton does fair business with those who have remembered, and it is seldom that goods left on a tramcar are not produced when an inquiry is made' at that office with reasonable promptitude. Notwithstanding this steady clearing up and the decent cremation of lunches that have waited rather long, and "junk" that is ju3t plain "junk," the shelves become more crowded, until an overflow threatens and the annual auction is announced. This year's sale was -held yesterday afternoon in the Concert Chamber, Inspector Haßeldon wielding the hammer. There were 211 lots which included the usual full variety with one or two highlights, a chest, for instance, which was found to contain an electro-plated cup, a London bank book and title deeds to ,a property at Home, all for 12s. The sale brought in just over £30 to the council, satisfaction to some buyers, and ample proof of the risk taken in buyingl a pig in a poke to' quite a few others. . - . . Bare Plant Introduced. An interesting new plant, the blue poppy, bloomed recently, probably for the first time in New Zealand, in the gardens of Mr. F. C.'Mappin, Epsom, states the "Auckland Star." This uncommon species, to give it its exact botanical name, "Meconopsis Baileyana," caused quite a furore at the Royal Horticultural Society's show held in Chelsea, London, last May. One of the leading papers described it as "the most beautiful flower on earth." Whether it merits that description is a somewhat controversial point, but there can be no doubting the extreme-beauty of its delicate sky-blue petals surrounding a ring of golden stamens, and if it can be successfully acclimatised in New Zealand it is sure to become popular. .It was originally found growing at an altitude of 11,000 ft by Major Bailey when making a journey through Tibet! and a year or two later by a noted botanical collector, Captain Kingdon Ward, in the same place Captain Ward introduced it to cultivation. Whengrowing in its natural habitat, the flowers, 2in to 3in across, are borne several in a cluster on a stem'2ft to 3ft high. It is a perennial, wtih attractice bluish-green leaves covered with white hairs. There have been numerous attempts to raise this plant in New Zealand by importing seeji, but previously, although one or two seedlings germinated, none reached maturity. The plant at Epsom is amongst some that were successfully imported from England by the present owner.

"Too Many Traders." "New Zealand has too many traders. The bankruptcy returns prove that," remarked Mr. H. B. Jenkins, M.P., at yesterday's Land Settlement and Migration Conference. - , Too Many Garden Parties. A Mayor's life is a-busy one. This was shown by a remark passed by Mr. W. T. "Strand (Mayor of Lower Hutt) at last night's meeting of the Petone and Hutt Gas Board, when the members were arranging a convenient date on which they could visit the works. Some members suggested a Saturday afternoon. "I'll make it a Saturday afternoon with pleasure if you'll stop people having garden parties. It's myvbusiest time," said Mr. Strand amidst laughter. The time fixed for the visit was two o'clock next Saturday afternoon. "Don't Think Much Of Us." 'They don't think very much or\ us in the United States," declared Mr. N. G. Grabble (Auckland) at yesterday's conference on land settlement and migration. "You may find a coterie of people there who will butter you up, but on the whole the Americans do not think much of New Zealand, or of Great Britain either." "Wo don't think very much of them," retorted a delegate. "Order, please!" said the chairman (Mr. A. L. Hunt). "We do not, want'that line of argument." : . ■ ■ No One to Hear Him. "I have had a number of flights, and had the pleasure of flying all over, hero and out to sea and back again this morning," remarked the Minister of Defence (the Hon. T. M. Wilford) in the course of his speech at the presentation of the Wakefield aeroplane on Saturday afternoon at Waterlea racecourse, says the "Marlborough Express." "I want to say there is nothing more delightful in the world. I wanted to sing 'Queen of the Earth' at the top of my voice—and I didn't have an audience. And whoever heard of a politician wanting to do anything without an audience?" (Laughter.)