FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 57, 4 September 1937, Page 17

FIFTY YEARS AGO

ITEMS FROM THE "POST"

DAIRY PRODUCE

"Hitherto the efforts made in various parts of the country to establish dairy factories have not been generally, ■successful, and the reason is not difficult to.discover," remarks "The Post" of this date fifty years ago. "It is the difficulty of finding, or rather of reaching, a market. New Zealand is capable of producing butter and cheese in.enormous quantities, if only there was a demand.- The work of settlement can never be satisfactorily car-. ried on or prove really successful unless such a demand can be found. There is a market, almost an unlimited and profitable one,, we believe, for lirst-class. dairy produce in England, it only it can be reached, but heretofore it has been found almost impossible, to carry butter or cheese in good order through the Tropics. This difficulty can only be removed by the construction of cool chambers on board the direct steamers, in which the temperature should never rise beyond 60 degrees. Such chambers are now being constructed in some of the vessels, arid the expense of maintaining a uniform moderate temperature is, we believe, very slight. If ' cheap and safe conveyance -can be assured, new life will be" put into our country settlers in the back districts, and no doubt,the excellent example of opening a London depot for the sale of New Zealand produce direct to the consumers will be followed by many others. The question of finding a. steady market for dairy produce is a very important one. The establishment of'a large and profitable export of dairy produce would do a great deal towards relieving depression and promoting settlement; If our politicians, instead, of trying to bolster up bogus industries by means of a protective tariff, would direct their energies towards; trying to foster such manufactures as would afford a profitable export, they would do more good than they are at all likely to accomplish by their present efforts in the cause of Protection." , WHAT MAY HAPPEN. "So far as can be judged from the exhibition of feeling at the various election meetings throughout the colony, and the tone of the- Press generally, the result of the appeal to the country, will be adverse to the Ministry and will confirm the verdict of the late House. Good judges estimate an Opposition majority of eleven or twelve. H this proves correct, we should imagine that the probability will be that the. • Ministry will resign -without waiting to meetthe new House. Such a proceeding will be strictly constitutional and according to precedent. It will also be a good tactical party move. It would deliver the Ministers from the ordeal of another • want-of-conftdence motion, during which they would' be the targets for a vast nun> ber of poisoned oratorical arrows, ana it would save the time of the country, (#-, at least, Ministers could claim that it haa.done so. Once out'of office they would, cease to be responsible for a great deal. Their resignation would savethem the useless task, of haying to propound a policy which they would be welL aware!of their,, inability-; to carry intoeffect, and they would place their opponents in a somewhat awkward fix. No doubt if his advice on the subject Were asked, when the Premier tendered his resignation he would recommend his Excellency to send for Major Atkinson. M£st probsibly his' Excellency would send for the Major or for Sir John Hall,whether so advised or not, and if either of them accepted office it would be under circumstances of great disadvantage; ' Neither of them is at all likely to command as large a following nr the new-House as the present Ministry, and no matter what policy they might propound, they would almost certainly be met with an amendment equal toano-confldence motion, and'this would probably be carried by a substantial majority. We shall not be at all surprised to see two or three differrat combinations on the Treasury Benches within the first month of the session, and there is sure to be very great difficulty in forming any Ministry ■' which will be: able to. command the support of a working majority and to carry on the business or the country. A Parliamentary deadlock is we think, imminent, and how it may be ended no one can venture to predict. We. think. it very. probable that the coming session will witnese some- very strange political coalitions, which will entirely obliterate the Uldefined party lines which now exist, and possibly draw, new ones of a more distinct and well-defined character.' , AN AUCKLAND PETITION. "A singular document is being signed in Auckland which purports to be a petition from the colonists of New Zealand to the House of Commons. It sets forth that the subjects of Her .Majesty in this colony are most heavily and grievously laden with unnecessary taxation.' After referring to the decrease in the value of property, fall in wages, and the necessity for retrenchment, the petitioners pray that the House of Commons will appoint a Royal Commission or take other measures to inquire into their grievances. It is said that this document has already received between 500 and 600 signatures, but .the authors of. the petition are unknown. We are astonished that any man in the colony should be unpatriotic enough to draw up such a petition; or that any sanej man should attach his signature to it. Some may, sign it as a joke, but the matter is too serious to be treated as a joke. Such a petition being signed at all will seriously damage the credit of the colony abroad, and there are not wanting those who will rejoice at being furnished" with such a weapon to use against New Zealand." POLITICS AT HOME. "Mr. Gladstone's motion condemning the proclamation of the Land League was, of course, a direct attack on the Ministerial position, and had it been affirmed by thfe House the Salisbury Ministry would have had to retire. The Government majority was 78, ; which shows a great falling off in Ministerial strength since the General Election of last year when Mr. Gladstone was left.in a minority of 113. Apart from the votes of Mr. Chamberlain and the six Unionists who with him1 voted against the Government, but are certainly not yet declared opponents, it would show that the Government majority has shrunk from 113 to 85, and even giving these seven votes to the i Government, this last division shows a gain of 21 votes to Mr. Gladstone since the new Parliament was elected last year." " . ■ ...•SIR JULIUS VOGEL. "A recent article in an English financial journal gives a review of Sir Julius Vogel's character and work -amongst men of mark in national'finance. It recognises the services he has rendered to this dolony, and it is pleasing to find that justice, which in so many quarters in this colony is withheld from him, is done-to. him in England. The remarks of the "financial critic afford a very apt commentary on and a crushing reply to .those who sneer at Sir Julius Vogel's statesmanship and assert that his presence in the Ministry is injurious to jNew Zealand's credit in the, English >mbney,_jnarketX x > " '" - ■■ .