CURRENT TOPICS.

Southland Times, Issue 14634, 26 January 1911, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

IMPHESEIOK3 OF SOUTHLAITD. An Ashburton farmer who -recently "aid an extended visit to Southland lias been giving a “Mail” reporter some of his impressions. ••First of all (he says) there is a much greater quantity of good agricultural land there titan I expected; indeed, I think Southland possesses the largest acreage of first-class level land of any province in the dominion. The use of the drain plough, together with agricultural lime, lias transformed rough swampv sour soil into fertile farms. ••Dairy farming is making great progress, and cheese factories are springing up everywhere. It follows that there is a rapid increase in the value of land. Still, Southland is not without drawbacks such as rabbits, thistles, and bad roads and of the three, tiie last-named is the worst. Not that there is an absence of excellent material for road-making, but there seems to be an absence of capable road-makers. Large boulders are carted on to the road instead of broken metal. The road-makers evidently never heard of John Loudon .Macadam, or his system of road formation. “The county of Wallace in Southland covers an immense area and this local hotly has control of all the roads within its borders. But from what I saw of their work in road-making, it struck me as a very poor object lesson for 1 lie abolition of Bond Boards, tine explanation of the scandalous waste of money on badly - lormed roads is that the' disiriet. is fed from year to year on Government grants for vavle.us roads, and the old adage, 'Easy come, easy go,' seems to apply to money obtained in this way. “But, on the whole, there is a great future ahead of Southland. In the thickly settled districts the rabbit and thistle pests are mastered, and in course of time no doubt the old incapable roadmakers will die out, and capable and intelligent men will fill their places. “In politics nearly everyone swears by Sii Joseph. Ward, and ho is certainly the most popular man in Southland.” HONOURING THE KING. In a democratic country like New Zealand many little acts of courtesy, which are in vogue. in England, are not per-

formed by reason of the feeling that any tendency to class distinction should not be encouraged. At the same time it is only right and proper that respectful homage should be paid to the ICing b> all Britishers in every part of the British Empire. In the Old Country the male population to a man stands bareheaded whenever the music of the National Anthem is heard, and any person forgetting to doff his hat would be promptly reminded of his neglect b> having his headgear forcibly remo\ ed for him. During the recent tour of the Governor in Southland not a few individuals (including members of the younger generation), both in the country districts and in Invercargill. Paidl n ° heed whatsoever to ihe strains of Got Save the King.” Their hats remained on their heads, and thereby they were technically guilty of disrespect to their King. Possibly through being far a\\a> from the centre of cite British Empire, some adults are unacQuaiuied \\ ith t ie manners and customs of the older world and err in ignorance. So fur as the younger generation are concerned, however. the schools should be their training ground, and if tuition in customary homage to the King has been neglected m the past it should not be overlooked in the future. Perhaps this reminder will be the means of remedying an ignorant or careless attitude, which has of late been increasingly apparent, and which is by no means creditable to Southlanders.