BAZAAR AT MIDDLEMARCH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14499, 16 April 1909, Page 6

BAZAAR AT MIDDLEMARCH

MR. T. MACKENZIE OX AGRICUL-

TURE.

WHEAT A XL) DREADNOUGHTS.

1 lie Hon. 1. Mackenzie opened a throedap bazaar at Midd»leniareli voslerday, in aid of Inc building fund of iho Strath I'iuon Agricultural ami Pastoral Society's i!3\v hall. Iho buildiiig is roomy, ami provided an attractive a.ppearauee, wit.'u its immorous tastefully arrans>«] e-Uills The condition of the stalls <i,owed that the ladies bad spared no effort to make Uie bazaar altraetiic and successful. There wv.s a large attendance of residents from near mid far, win. accorded the Miniver a hearty Mr \\\ Moynihan (president of the .society) was in Che chair. <md inirodi;re;l tho Minuter.

Mr Mckenzie, in the course of a hrief but characteristic address, ;;iid lie regretted fh;tl. Ins numerous Ministerial <luh : «s bad jnovented him from attending the show. Iml lie had managed lo jc.ipond to tiie invitation of 111'.' lad;; *to opnu 1 his bazaar, and that, 112 miif'! (o!;fi\-s, was a more agreoable duly. Ue congratulated flip >ccieh°and iiho Jatlias of Alul-dle march en efforts in developing tin agricultural and pastoral industries of the district, lbs siik-css of which was an important factor in t.hc prosperity <>f the Dominion. Though there was a temporary depression, bo felt, fully Justified J n expecting steady progress in connection with our agricultural and pastoral products. Tt was true that the price of mutton bad decreased, but that, was easily acconnt'd for by the fact that last year half a million c-arcaecs less than the quantit\ exported lo London the previous year had been .tent, this was duo to the 'fact, that the Argentine. had increased its ship, menls of chilled meat by a hundred million (iwirlfli's. and two Imndrfd million quarter of an increase between 1504 and 1906, i-r equal to C 6 per cent, increase during those few years. Xow Zealand pastoralists would have to vo in tor rearing cattle of i bettor quality than formerly, and use stiontiGc methedt of chilling in order to export tbo meat the great distance, The great activity in the wlreat market iu=.t now wa- a most' encouraging factor. Those who. IS months ago. hud fl i'cJ to t.be (armors encouragcd lo grow wheat., had been adversely criticised by some psoplc. They saw that the nroducv inn of wheat in this counivv v.as pinduailv ilimin sain?, having diminished fiom 10 million to million bushels per annum. and thev felt that if these marliOts were threatened by th* surplus from Australia, the farmers would not go cm wheat. Had the duty been repealed,

mors to a large extent would probably have o»en up wheat slowing, ami it ivas to ' a ( ? ," at /■'«" .h® supported the retcn«o ii i y 111 onllH ' lllflt ,ho m ||e ou d « to grow their own tlnlnm«itr " gi l,aU tunlwl 0Ut ' ill'n 1 I i' S yC ! ll ' Uils from t0 nnll.oii bu>hcls. As a matter of fact tlio pitee* of wheat mid (l ou , r in Australia, at tho time wore infinitely higher than , • ' "ji; 0 ! r v Zoilla »d at tho present 1' f'Treadw nT" 101> ® 11 " 1 <hu priea of biud wui.d have ■i:er«ised rotlior than decreased. It, whs so r or 30 years after the lepcnl of the Coin Laws in England. Thev l«" pt'obauly all heard of the agitation, fa[ •'{..'is---', cm-eil l>y what had beconu known as tne Dreadnought proposal.-(Ap p'ause.) Ho did not know whether or Vol they approved of u, but ho did. This wai the manner in which the position presented itself to h.s mind. Were anything to himlei our slaps carrying our produce fronv thes< shores to Hit markets of the world every man, woman, and child in the mimtrv would havo to suffer, 't was perhaps hardly necoss-ir-,- lor him to remind them that Now paid, comparatively speakinu- a mere pittance for tho right to have"hor commerce pass to and fro unmolested mid assured o\ pr.-?;is. Was it right to depend entirely upon tho tax-payers of Britain for the. safety of our (oimictco? Mr Mackenzie went, on to sav that in that Kspcet the people of New Zealand had been iivbig in a fool's paradise. It- was all yery well for the Herman Bmp-jror, when entertained in London, to declare that lie was for peace, and then tr to Berlin and raise a vole of ZOO millions for a Herman navy. We had lo learn to defend otirwlves and to do onr share to maintain the dignity and power of our grand old Kmpire, and lo see that, it was kept in a position to defend itself and its component i:arts all the world over.— (Applause.) Mr Mackenzie concluded by thankim; the good people of Middlemarch for (iie hearty and loyal support he Jwd received from that district. It would bo big constant, desire to forward their interests. Mr Mackenzie then declared tlio bazaar open A vote of thanks was tendered lo Mr Mackenzie.

The stallholders were:—Plain stall—Mrs Paterson, Mr? Mason, ami Mrs Barnett: fancy stalt—Me*dnmes Duncan, Horn, and Misses Horn, Elliot, and Fraer; lollio stall - Mi-sses Horn, lilliot, Duncan. Sim, and M'Cu-lloch; produce stall—Mrs Elliot. Bennet. and Fisher; doll stall. Mis Todd: gentlemen's stall—Mrs Johnson ami Tucker.