LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16506, 5 October 1915, Page 7

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

THE PRICE OP POTATOES Sib, —A few years ago I was asked by* ,''•* firm of produce merchants if I would pay - the cartage on about 20 tons of potatoes. >, If' so, I could have them for nothing. I ; refused, as I had no need for them. At' ; fin;sh moat of the potatoes wero carted t<>'.•-:-:'>* the tip. There are two sides to most qiud\-f#isis tions—our social democratic friends can only \/i/js|j see one. Few people in Dunedin require ''.-/S3I to buy potatoes. They can grow them,"but:;.'";*i they must bend their backs a bit. ThaV. want of this exercise has a great deal \ to do"•■'■:."■'■■'s with the high cost of living.—l am, • etc.//-': y|<| October 4. I '• Jas. CoifNOE. ' ;'JiiS

v THE ROSLYN WARD ELECTION. Sib,—Mr Hamel, in his address aißoslyn/cv"7'l laid emphasis on the fact that his work in '-; : 'r-i-M connection with the recent carnival, was com- ■ mon knowledge. It may be overlooked that 5,; Mr H. F. Wright did ae much'work for tho : :':WM Queen Carnival, but not in such a'pubb'o, '■ ■:<■}/<$ capacity. Mr Wright did most important;, y/| detail work for the executive, tiiat'-entaUed / >;*' endlces labour. Again, as one who takes a: : . ;^ : |? keen interest in military mattera, I .knowV ,'p/,'j for a. foot that executive wdrk done gratis •;';f by Mr Wright for the defenco office sayeVi--.i-l tho Government a very large amount of. money. It was during the time the main V;CSi| body was in camp at Tahuna Park, and, for r: ; --"| months he laboured from early morn to late v/.'* at night for tho cause of his- country. At ■; '•■:ysl tho present time Mr Wright is doing yoomari!•;/'/•; :$ service for the Women's Committee of/the- '!'''■■ ! ?S$ Otago Patriotio and General Welfare sociation. If is'not on theee grounds vocate the return of Mr' Wright as arepre--Vi?! 3entativo of Roslyn Ward in the City Coim- '!::■! cil; I merely mention them against Mr ::-:'■ Hamol's worij on the Queen Carnival./Mr _0| Wright has claims for the sirpport j.of lh«-S\5,| ratepayers as being a man of business periencc in large affairs. Hie business'ti»ri- : ' V(>i| mg has been in,dealing with huge trading: r : £M concerns, and he is a man''of; leisure,/and/./.':-S% consequently can devote his time "to;the■*'??>! affairs of the council/and. in my judgment,)' deserves our support.—rl am, etc., : >'■ ':.-■?' ■ '<■■■■<$* /Si ■ '':'■■.' ''.ROBETN.-^-'. :;^

; RAILWAY MANAG^EMENT-;^;';^^^! Sib,—The passenger rates have been,raised- '■'&$, to meet the larger outlay for roftterial>ne<^/:v;' v :; 7« sary for the construction and upkeep oliiSe"/ 1 :® railways. This is an age of travel. ■The' ; more travelling, the more money is oir-.":"-. 'J''%&. culated, to the benefit of trades-in: all parts; '■■■ : X-J% therofore, ; why not.encourage railway ta^efcvrS% ling 1 Many ; thousands of people wait..foir%;"V,i|S tho oxcursjon trains, not being aW©:to/sotd7 : />/lf the ordinary fares: U the fareß ; .were : <iffi; $$?M ciently lowered, the masses would travel far '•/■?;'v.£| more frequently and regularly, and the pa* * vSS senger traffio would be .enormoiisly ihr : .\;>Ks creased, and over in'oi»B«i^/-X»i)m^; , iiib^; : :?y':. this reform, excursion; trains,, with their:;-'P;'! worries and dangers, concessions of' ? everyv'//i<fS kind, time limits, etc., would have.'^^beV/':Isl abolished; and--in their .'stead,all the*, -year.-, round a fixed charge of one penny, per mile,: 'ri.%:*-|s first-claes, id per mile,-' second-class,:.-mighti'/Tfp§ bo imposed. Common sense-would :BUgjge6t : ';;/. ; that it was worthy of a-iriaj.—l am, eto<y"v-'v'?■■s?! October 4. ■;';....•'.:•;.:,,.:-■. V &V&si . ■ , . ...i.',■■:,-—,-.., 7■■ -'.-V,' ;•■•,- '''^~"^s<fsM -.- NELSON AND CENTRAL -OTAG<)^:^'',a||| Sib, —Mr Allport- makes/ much ado. about 'r..y. ; s:|js the fact that your correspondent: who. made ■'■. /' : JOfi£ so able, a to, his palpable attempt'/-to boom his- own beloved -province "of.'-Nelson] : , <<>.';/;/f| at the expense of Central Otago,. didrftotv'fVKfl sign his name, and suggests that he is somoTi: Dunedin speculator, ignorant of..the i; conditions ;in_ Nelson. .Mr Allport -' exactly a similar position ; himselfi no Central. Otago : experience., . v I profess to be: a fruit, expert, but:l yieW;tjfi§ i 7 r :-i ; S no man in my knowledge of: the; matic conditions of .the Central.' '■}. IHyde in 1864 as a lad.: . t have>eal;heredS; : the.severest gales, heats, snows,; from MiddlemarCh toQue'enstowni iand-^th.f}: ; np a later experience of the north> and "ond : j, : experience of : Nels,onV I ■came.'.-.bfck.,^re^ r^ ( after a tour five-years, ago with conviction that, take.; it all; ; ih a 11,.: witbT drawfeaclcs' and . its advantages^':■'' its' and its soil, Lthere;,was. no part ofminion the equal ;of fruit-growing, centre. ' .Some yeara !; \ Messrs W. F. Duthie.ithe .Jate.,Mr Robert y?sm Lee, and myself,, were stranded in "Sleepy tHollow".by'mistaking of our train..,;: vWe.'hua..-liwd- : <t-:gi^.:. : about the' balmy: air phere of Nelson, but,l:.never:;saw:.in tral Otago; even iu the higiier towns,.:"«> 'jt&;x'Ji:ss and absolutely; bittef/a spring ; morning./a^; : ;;:-.>'|| that we experienced.. Nelson, like other .places, is as ; God made it;-and it .is very..r.NewyZe&i; '■; M4;:lJke;;' Mr Allport's '-. knowledge:, pi pur ?'. l?sw climatic conditions is very 1 hasy.:.';"'.He'Refers "'')-:ffs to the abnormal season?—l can in a long .'ex-.;'; :::?*! perience .call to insignis trees were out 'down. ;- But -he,'; •: forget& to ascertam whether; or not: i' : in the fruit: zone. One "clump';ofvthoSe,? ' trees mine at tlydej over; 12,000 ft; abibyeX V ; '.<s§ sea level'and close by the'. swept a fog. '.. On ths hill'MOft neighbour's same kind- of' tree stood- intabt,/ ■/,;as:|| ' and 'the same applied: to potatoes m; spring;',fl ; -'?Mj So much for Mr- Allport's knowledge ''of; v|*l his subject. Hyde, though between"' ! ]Piih-S,#;;f|< edin <and Alexsuidra is .over .'twfc» /thpv 'Jfji height,- above the : sea.' ,; ; level— at, : Albxandra,'' tlie; .centre '-'.of. : :thp,-. attains, and the. level, 'here is just /iSQOft. T -, That, fact, men like Mr -Allport ,lmow,/noT);;;<}i»si thing; whatever about, and if' my friend' Mr Robert Johnstone, who lives at stone Hill, the highest village,.l ;belieye, ; in .7'N,ew Zealand.- lost a pihus insigni^nbt.Z muricato, 1 remember—in a frost'we three times in a lifetime,.,Mr,:Altoort, ting sublimely ignorant in hisiWed'Nelson,.".■• -W'gm woiild. call it another mstance of the eyilfliK'VfJ of Alexandra,; Cljde, Cromwell,;' dr.- wji- 'fi- : J%m burgh. It were, easy to dainn upon methods so ignorant;.as.- : make somo one in snow.rdad heights of Mount Coofl /weca bolie'al of the climatio conditions ■'6f,'CKrw-, , church. , ; People of Otago '^ve*»;,/:; ; <;f§| right to protest. against this lowe ltihdvpf ignbrarice being trotted out as a man so entirely and absolutely J/:pl|S -and the same tone of want of knowledge'jahd// assumption of wisdom permeate thc"-Wn<M6;^-/,;:,4 Mr r AUpoft's diatribe.? It is his/wonderful assurance', that',.h>;carries many gUns that\a man can only:approacE ; ' , v;*||l him in fear and trembling and. under»,tbe : y ;*:'MM cloak of anonyhxityi . I donot; know, I do not want to know who his critic isj, biiiHlet mo tell Mr Allport that.if he imagines ' : wo of Central Otago are afraid of; His.' puny mousetrap, he makes a very big yS]|l take. v . Fortunately, wo' hold a _ .record founded on what has been done in, stdhe/\:;.;'s||i| fruits. It. is only lately' that the apple .-in- ~ -': t : ? ~]$0 dustry has been undertaken scientifically,;bevJ. cause the- other ( was the easier in the primi-/'\v ; ;iiS tive days.- ' But i let me tell' Mr., Airport this too, that'old Mr Foster, at;Hamiltoiis//-;W3|3 and• many of.;the old miners .at" NasebJ^;*/ 'ffim grew apples; pears, and plums' -40..-/years:"M/i-iSS syne, all without any artificial without any spraying, and in all elevations, of such quality as Nelson 1 grow, and never will. Mr■ is there to-day as gopd, I. believe, The colcl winters are not only, a :/;-/-tviS but a-.positive Godsend, -because they and pulverise the. soil, and the apple:^<fy^9j'r : the cold soil of Up in the highest' reaches of 'the ' Alpmp ;; •/:|f Switzors the finest apples in tho world haya-;:'.;>.;«|| been grown, anoVheight. and 'cold' and;.:all,///'V';*®

the.'alpine condition 'only perfected thejr '\? magnificent quality. Jiald Hill Flat cannot ,*% be'beaten anywhere. Let Mr Allport crack " *t' up his' pet. Nelson, but; handsojfl! this locality. In future, perhaps, he ■ will realise that . Q there aro disinterested (personally) men in *jg Central Otago who arc not only not afraid to. sign their names, but ablo to attach 'j. their names to something ! . they understand " i and .have, the capacity to demonstrate.—! '*t am, et(\, .';"'■ ' \J. J. Ramsay, ' • EtUtor Alexandra Herald. ,-},,