Arrowtown, February 15, 1917.

Lake County Press, Issue 2669, 15 February 1917, Page 4

Arrowtown, February 15, 1917.

. Great strides in fruit culture are beiu<: made in various parts of the Dominion more especially in the Nelson, Hawke’i Bay, and North of Auckland districts j Many thousands of apple trees of the export varieties have been planted ic g these localities during the last year or two in anticipation of an increasing j European demand for Now Zealand P grown apples. And there can be nc 3 doubt whatever that this Dominion r will in the near future be as famous for its fruit exports as it now is for its frozen mutton.- Indeed there is a probability of the fruit exports exceeding the mutton exports in value. Central Otago is admirably adapted for the production of most kinds of fruit. For apples it is hardly equalled by any other district in the whole colony, nor even by Tasmania and California. In color and flavour Otago apples will compare favourably with those of any other 3 country in the world. This being so, our farmers should not neglect to plant s as many as possible of the best apple 3 trees this year. Perhaps the best and i cheapest supply of trees may be obtained from the Government nurseries, j If not, Government should assist the i farmers by making large purchases of the best trees and the most suitable . varieties obtainable and supply them at lowest cost. We are convinced that nothing is so likely to permanently add to the prosperity of this part of the country as the growing of the best export apples, and the cultivation of this fiiiit on a large scale would soon bring the much needed railway facilities for the conveyance of farm produce to the ports and the best markets. The local’ branches of the Farmers’ Union should take up this important matter without delay, and strenuously I endeavour to secure the co-operation of farmers in a project calculated to be of immense benefit to them and the whole community. ( , The cost of living question is much discussed just now. Workers complain j that while all commodities have ad- ( vanccd in price there has been no advance in general wages. According to the Minister for Internal Affairs there has been no very serious rise in prices. He is reported as having said that the increase is Jess than 8 per cent., or about Is in the £. Perhaps be was wrongly reported. The increase in some localities is more than 25 per cent., and we are inclined to believe- there are few parts of the Dominion where it is less than 20 per cent. Hi a few instances there has been an advance of wages, but not in j a corresponding degree. Substantial ! bonuses have been granted to Civil j Servants. Some of the higher salaried officials—with salaries ranging from £doo to over £I,OOO a year—have bad remarkably substantial bonuses. But many thousands of men outside the Government service, men who do much harder work than any of the Civil Servant-, ami on a bare subsistence wage, have had no advance of wages, and most of them seem lobe content! to continue labouring at the old rate of ; pay. Ministers have to some extent | exercised their powers to keep down j the cost of living, but it is undeniable that much more might have been done. I For example, there was nothing to prevent the Ministry suspending all taxes on foodstuffs and providing a bountiful supply of tifli, but these things have been fife undone. While the many have suffered severely by the war. some have b.-en allowed to make fortunes out of it. War profits are taxed -15 per cent. ; these profits .-hou’d have j been taxed 100 per cent., tor no man has a mural right to mike a penny of profit out of the war whdo most people are losing so heavily by it. The Board of Trade is making efforts to regulate prices. Tin; (1 mr duty was taken iff', hut it has been re-imposed j The rapacity of the Auckland butchers lias been curbed by Government meat j shops, and we mo told that this plan ! - for lit-c ping down the piica of butchers’ j ■ meat will he extended to all places j where i. is unduly high. We doubt it, ( and do not anticipate that the ex l ploiters of the public will suffer much I at the hands of the Board of Trade, (