Untitled

Evening Star, Issue 14035, 16 April 1909, Page 4

In the course of a brief speech at Middlemapch yesterday the Minister for Tourist Resorts referred to the temporary depression in the Dominion, and said he felt justified in expecting steady progress in connection with our agricultural and pastoral produce. It was true that the price of mutton had decreased, but that was easily accounted for by the fact that the Argentine had increased its export of chilled meat by 100 million quarters. New Zealand pastoralists would have to go in for rearing cattle of better quality, and adopt scientific methods of chilling in order to export meat to the London market and compete with, that from Argentina. He also referred to the gift of a New Zealand Dreadnought to the Motherland, and expatiated on our need of helping to defend ourselves, and not entirely depend on the British taxpayer. His remarks were received with expressions of satisfaction. He also mentioned the activity of the wheat market, which was encouraging for NewZealand, and spoke of his support towards retaining the duty on imported supplies in order to encourage New Zealand farmers to grow wheat. Subsequent events had proved that he was right eighteen months ago. . The increase of the wheat vield in New Zealand this year was from" five to eight million bushels. He concluded by thanking the electors of the district for their loyal support of himself, and said it would be his constant aim to forward their interests and the interests of New Zealand as a whole. It would seem that through the Consolidated Statutes coming into force a distinct alteration has been made in the control of certain of the technical classes, especially in the large centres, and that the local classes now form one of the existing associated classes specified in part two of the twelfth-schedule. It is therefore contended that the managers of the Dunedin Technical Classes Association are the controlling authority, and not the Education Board. At the Port Chalmers, Court to-day Mr Widdowson granted renewals of six old age pensions, and granted a new applicant a pension of £ia.