GENERAL NEWS.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 4946, 21 September 1914, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

At the meeting of the Weber County Council last week the chairman welcomed the new engineer. He considered there was a big difference in the way the roads were now being laid down, and thought the Council was on the right track. The following sensible note is taken fmm the Mercantile Gazette of New Zealand: —We think many of our people are acting very sillily in withdrawing from tho business into which they were entering prior to the war. There is not going to he any great) difference in New Zealand, and there is no necessity for anyone to think that conditions will change to any extent except that speculative ventures will be curtailed. There may be some unemployment, cottage properties and securities held about the towns will fall* but and will remain a 6 it is, and after the war will probaby fetch higher values than it commands at present. The man with £50,000 will still buy a motor (air without fear that he will be bankrupt, the trader or professional man with an income of £IOOO per year need not dismiss his servant girl nor need the housewife think that the household’s salvation will be assured only if she can put half a ton of flour in her pantry. We are not in for starvation times, nor is there any chance or prospect that the war will terminate unfavourably to us, or until Britain is satisfied that peace can be made upon terms satisfactory to the Empire, and with honour. At the annual meeting of Messrs Lovell and Christmas, Ltd., the chairman. in the course of his address, notified a dividend of 8 per cent. The following extracts are also given : There was only one particular thing that created a difficulty during the past year and that was a very serious one. I am alluding to the strike in New Zealand. That was a very costly matter to everyone engaged in importing provisions from that part of the world, and I may say that it cost your company at least from £SOOO to £6OOO. Goods accumulated at the ports of shipment for weeks, and when they did arrive here in huge quantities of course they produced a slump in the market, and very much lower prices were obtained than would otherwise have been the case if the goods had oome forward in tho ordinary course. In many instances the cost of the goods in New Zealand, and the advances made “without recourse” were not covered by tho prices realised here. Before passing from New Zealand, I should like to say a word in commendation of tho admirable manner in which the New Zealanders tackled this difficulty. The farmers, factory people, their sons and employees came down to the ports and loaded the grinds themselves. (Hoar, hear). But for this I think the losses would have been much more serious. Wo are always looking about in every direction for fresh sources of supply, because there is generally some source failing. During the last esason there was a slight falling off from Canada and from Franco, but we have had large increases from the colonies and Siberia, and the Argentine is ootning along very well, producing good butter,and likely to produce in the future considerable quantities. We are well represented in all these places.