Traffic Held Up by Railcars

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 39, 16 February 1937, Page 8

Traffic Held Up by Railcars

RAILWAY DEPARTMENT’S REPLY TO CITY COUNCIL

With reference to tho conveyance of passengers between the Square and Terrace End by the rail-car services, the general manager of the New Zealand Railways advised last night’s meeting of the City Council that there was no reason to warrant the facility being discontinued, and, further, that In regard to the warning bells, it would not be practicable to vary the present system without grave danger of accident. Cr. W. B. Cameron said the point to which the council objected was the holding up of traffic through the ringing of the bells while rail-cars were picking up passengers. On Cr. Cameron ’3 motion, the general manager’s advice was referred to the transit committee. cannot expect that advantage to be permanent; as the pig population of the United States increases those exports will be restored.” A Hard Hit Continent. The traveller was of the firm opinion that of the countries visited on the Continent which are concerned with the primary export trade, every one had suffered more drastically from the depression than New Zealand, despite the great losses of Dominion farmers. They had suffered from a severe loss of their markets in such countries as France, Germany, Belgium and at tho same time were victims of the import duty of 15s j»er cwt. on dairy produce, and of tho quota system as applied to pig products. Even to-day, although the farmers of these countries had made strenuous attempts to reduco producing costs in sympathy with market prices, they were still on a basis that did not compare favourably with that of primary producers in New Zealand. In the terms of the Carnegie grant, Professor Riddet travelled extensively in the United States. Landing in Canada, ho proceeded to San Francisco, visiting the University of California at Berkeley, and the University School of Agriculture at Davis. To see something of rural California he went as far south as San Diego, aud then went east to the Agricultural College and the experimental station of the State of lowa at Ames. Thereafter he went north to Minneapolis and St. Paul, to the University of Minnesota and its school of agriculture; south to the University of Wisconsin at Maddison; thence to Chicago; then to Columbus (Ohio) to see the Ohio State University and School of Agriculture; to Washington to confer with officials of the Department of Agriculture; thence to Cornell University at Ithica; thence to Toronto, and to Ottawa to confer with representatives of the Department of Agriculture and the Research Council. Arriving in Glasgow in May, he went almost immediately to London, where during the next three moths he conducted ail investigation of the marketing of dairy produce from New Zealand and elsewhere. Ho also inquired into matters of agricultural research and into the pig trade. Holland, Denmark, Sweden were then visited, but Professor Riddet returned to London in time for the conference of the British Commonwealth Scientific Conference. Further time was spent in research and market investigations, the traveller leaving on December 18. On tho way home he spent a short period in Bombay and Colombo, and made contacts in each of the Australian state capitals. Agricultural research, dairy production and utilisation, trade in dairy products, quality of dairy and pig products, and modern trends in agriculture, were the chief topics with which Professor Riddet was concerned. Boosting British Agriculture. Since 1931, said Professor Riddet, strenuous efforts had been made to boost British agriculture, with the objective of increasing returns from primary products. There had been difficulties, and still were, but the system was one that should prove advantageous to all. The encouragement of agricultuie had been undertaken chiefly by a number of primary produce boards, chief of which was the Milk Marketing Board. This had been effective in raising the price of milk to the producer, and also in increasing the consumption of milk products. It was unlikely that the pro duetion of butter in the United Kingdom would increase greatly, nor would that of cheese. What change there had been in the production of these in the past three years had been in tho direction of a change from farm to factory, and while this put tho products on a basis more competitive with tho Dominions, there was no need for any jealousy between Dominion and Home producers, as they could help each other greatly. Whereas ono sent chiefly butter and cheese to market, the other sent chiefly milk. Recently a commission which reported on tho various milk marketing boards had recommended that the fixing of milk prices should bo in the hands, not of the farmers, but by the equivalent of a National Utility Council. The object was to obtain for the farmer a reasonable price and to place milk on tho market at a level which the people would find in no way excessivo.