Siftings

Northland Age, Volume 3, Issue 14, 5 January 1934, Page 4

Siftings

The population of Australia at the end of September was 6,641,689. There was an increase of 11,089 in three months. “Land values in New Zealand still remain on too high a level, and a general writing-down has still to be faced.”—Hon. E. W. Parker, Chairman of Directors of Dalgety and Co. The well-known Russell deep-sea fisherman Mr. Peter Williams has sailed for Tahiti to join Mr. Zane Grey’s fishing expedition there and probably in Australian waters. Mr. Williams will be absent for about five months. The Australian Government has received an offer from a powerful British financial group which is prepared to spend a huge sum in developing a vast area in North-Western Australia under a chartered company scheme. Arrangement' have been made by the Government for a continuation of the superphosphate subsidy, which expired at the end of the year, as a result of which there will be no change in the price at which the fertiliser is sold to the public. The world’s double-handed sawing record of 12s for an 18-inch log was broken last Friday at a sports meeting at Bluff by Alec and Horace Fraser, who cut through a white pine log in 11 4-ss. Application is being made to have the record declared official. Deaths due to level-crossing accidents in New Zealand have shown an increase this year, compared with the totals for most previous years. Sixteen people lost their lives, this being the highest figure since 1921, with the exception of that for 1930, when 34 people were killed. The New Zealand wool sales of the current season, which have been interrupted by the Christmas and New Year holidays, will be resumed at Napier on January 6, when a catalogue of 30,000 bales is to be offered. The next Auckland sale will be held on Monday, January 15.

A train was stopped at Wollamai, in the Gippsland district, (Victoria), owing to caterpillars swarming over the lines. Sand had to be used on the rails before the train could proceed. The district is suffering from a plague of caterpillars, stooks of oats having been transformed into a black mass of caterpillars. Professor H. W. Clough, a New York scientist, speaking to the American Association of Science last week, predicted that the remainder of the twentieth century will be unusually warm and dry, with a brief period of cooler and wetter weather around 1950-55, to be followed again by disastrous droughts at the turn, of the century. “The position seems to be that the authorities in England are determined to improve the position of the English farmer and re-establish him in the place he held years ago. This involves the control of farming interests in Britain and obviously such control will be, and is being, extended to imports.”—Mr. J, A. C. Alium, Chairman Auckland Transport Board, just returned from England. “Developments relative to chilled meat from Uruguay, Rhodesia and South Africa must impose severe handicaps upon the frozen meat industry. It could be visualised that within a short time they, in addition to the Argentine, would send to Great Britain quantities of chilled meat, which would not leave room for frozen meat.”—Mr. H. L. Pike, Secretary Queensland Agency General. “English business men, as represented by members of the London Chamber of Commerce whom I met, are thoroughly dissatisfied with the existing financial system, and are making strenuous endeavours to bring about such a change as would enable industry to function normally. In the past acts of financiers had not been of very great concern, owing to the amount of development which was taking place. Now there is an obvious desire to impress upon financiers that they are not the whole of the commercial machine.”—Mr. J. A. C. Allum, Chairman Auckland Transport Board on return from Britain. Increased shipments of beef were

made from New Zealand to the United Kingdom during the first half of December. Returns issued by the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board for the period from December 1 to December 15 show that 50,440 quarters of beef were shipped during ine fortnight and that stocks held in the Dominion had been reduced from - 98,429 quarters at the end of November to 43,938 quarters. “One of the factors in the economic life of the New Zealand farmer today which fills me with apprehension is that, while he is already burdened with debt and, in most cases, is unable to meet the interest on the money advanced to him, he is, in addition, piling up debts for rents, rates, taxes, etc., which he is also unable to meet, and this position some day will have to be adjusted. 'lt will be difficult to decide what steps will have to be taken to accomplish this. New Zealand, therefore, has grave problems ahead, but I hope we shall be able to overcome them, as in the past.”— Hon. E. W. Parker, Chairman of Directors of Dalgety and Co.