HERE AND THERE

Southland Times, Issue 16786, 15 July 1911, Page 7

HERE AND THERE

Mr Arthur Holmes, of Papanui, who is now on a visit to the Old Country, sends to a member of the staff of the "Lyttelton Times” an amusing account of an Incident he witnessed at Epsom Downs on Derby Day:—“ Perched on the top of a rather obsolete four-wheeled cab, near Tattenham Corner,” he writes, “was a leathered. - lunged Individual styling himself ‘Lew Burnett.’, After roaring out the odds that he would give he would assure his hearers that he was no ‘doer,’ and that he was not frightened of being ‘hit,’ etc., etc. However, when those who were fortunate enough to back the winner of the second, race made their way to the stand of Lew Burnett (made strikingly effective by the adornment of huge finger-posts and placards), they found that their host had vanished. A sudden ripping of painted canvas was the first sign of discontent. Then suddenly those in the vicinity were startled at seeing the cab thrown ■ over on its side. Not content with their mischief, the crowd (about one hundred) immediately started to break the conveyance to pieces, and finally set the wreckage on fire. Six policemen complacently gazed on during the entire proceedings, and only interfered when the crowd got too close to the burning mass. The last seen of the effects of ‘Lety Burnett’ were the two front wheels and axle being pulled along by some of the gay-dressed costers, all the rest of the vehicle having vanished, in flames.”

Some attention apparently is now about to be given to the drainage of the eastern side of 'the Talerl River (says the Otago Daily Times). By the Taierl Land Drainage Act of last session authority was given to the Governor-in-Council to appoint two fit persons to be commissioners, with power to construct such works as may be necessary for the opening up of the Sllversteram to the Taierl River, and for checking the travelling gravel therein. Mr H. M. Skeet (Commissioner of Crown Lands for Southland), and Mr T. N. Brodrlck (Commissioner of Crown Lands for Canterbury) have been appointed Land Drainage Commissioners for the purpose, and these two gentlemen, we understand, arrived yesterday from Invercargill and Christchurch respectively with a view of Inspecting the course of the Silverstream and making a report thereon to the Government. The commissioners are vested with all the powers and authorities of a drainage board, and are empowered by the statute to raise a loan of £ISOO tq carry out the necessary works. Payment of interest and sinking fund on the loan is to be secured by a special rate leviable over lands within the Silverstream and Owhiro subdivisions of the old Taieri drainage district. The Taieri farmers affected by the proposed operations express some surprise at the appointment of Messrs Skeet and Brodrlck, in view of the fact that their duties as Commissioners of Crown Lands must necessarily preclude them from giving continuous supervision over any works that may be executed.

One of the most interesting features of the advance sheets of the census results which have just been issued from the Statistical Department is the table showing the distribution of population in the several electoral districts. It was broadly hinted some time ago that one of the Otago seats would have to go, and the figures now published would seem to lend colour to the suggestion. They also appear to support the further suggestion that the greatest increase of population would be found in Auckland and Wellington, and the central portion of the North' Island. Wellington Suburbs electorate enjoys the distinction of having the largest population in New Zealand, viz., 19,689. Eden comes next with 19,479, then Taumarunul with 19,215, Hawke’s Bay with 18,695, Waikato with 17,820, and Parnell with 17,536. Bruce (represented by Mr James Allen) with a population of 9851, and Tuapeka (represented by Mr R. Scott) with a population of 9501 —less than half the population of Wellington Suburbs —are the least densely populated electorates in New Zealand. The adjoining electorates of Clutha and Taieri have 12,322 and 11,032 respectively. The largest electorates in the South Island, taking population as a basis are Dunedin South with 16,822, and Christchurch North with 15,225. Curiously enough, the smallest electorate in the North Island is a city seat—Wellington Central (represented by Mr F. M. B. Fisher), with a population of 10,092. Pahiatua is next with 10,267.

The general opinion of farmers (says the Lyttelton Times) is that the recent wet weather will do a good deal towards checking the grass grub, which has been so prevalent since the New Year, a fact which is accounted for to a large extent by the exceptionally mild and dry weather experienced last winter. Since the rain a number of farmers in the Ellesmere district have kept an observant eye on their grass paddocks, and in a good many cases it is reported that an extraordinary number of birds have been seen feeding on grubs that have been brought to the surface by the rain. In some places where the water had been lying for a few days the top of the ground was thickly spread with grubs, which were devoured by the birds as the water disappeared. The heavy frosts experienced lately will do a good deal towards allaying the ravages of the pest.

Speaking at the luncheon of the Suffolk Agricultural Show at Ipswich, last month. Lord Kitchener told a story. He could not speak about agriculture, he said —not yet, at any rate, even although he had bought an estate in Kent. They knew that he was a grandson of the chevalier who perfected a breed of barley, now famous by that name; but they did not know that he had had a breed of wheat named after him. His one-time enemies—but his now greatest friends—■ the Boers, wrote him when he enjoyed the command In India, and asked for a wheat which would withstand the attacks of rust. He happened to be in Thibet at the time, and there encountered a wheat which answered that purpose. He sent the Boers six sacks of that Thibetan wheat, and after receiving a letter of thanks heard no more about it. Last year he called at Nairobi, which some day would be one of the world’s greatest wheat-growing centres, and there was shown a new wheat. He asked the name of it, and the reply came, "Oh! it is Kitchener wheat.” Then he found out that the farmers of East Africa had secured it from the Boers, thousands of miles away, and had found that it resisted rust, and was In every way suited to the climate of East Africa. There appears to be an unsatisfied demand for good sorts of farm horses In Australia at present. The rapid development of parts of the Commonwealth, in which increasing areas have been placed under cultivation has been the chief cause of tho shortage, Writing on the subject in the Australasian. "F.M.R." remarks: —If further proof be wanting to emphasise the shortage that exists for

farm horses, and incidentally the prospects of breeders no better example of the position can be taken than the business that is being done by owners of travelling stallions. A few years ago it was not unusual to find large numbers of animals travelling the various districts, and while, owing to the increasing number of sires, there has been no falling away, yet owners of better class horses have done so well that they can now afford to discontinue travelling. Even under these inconveniences, the services of sires are being taxed to as great an extent as their owners consider advisable. The farmers must have horses, and if they cannot purchase them they must secure them by breeding from their own mares. It is a course that many do not care to take, but they are finding themselves forced into the matter. There probably never has been a period in the history of the State so full of promise for horse breeders as during the past three or four years. Future prospects also point towards a continuance of the demand for all classes of farm horses, and particularly for those above a medium grade. Perhaps the most unsatisfactory phase of the position is the fact that although we have what are regarded as excellent horsebreeding districts, at Horsham, Nhill. the northern, and other parts of the State, yet we are In the position of having to import some thousands of pounds worth of these animals each year.

At the Hendon aviation meeting, held in May, the chief incident of the day—it created, indeed, a sensation —was the alacrity with which Mr A. J. Balfour, immediately after the accident, accepted an invitation to go up in Mr Grahame White’s biplane. An upward whirl of 2000 feet to 3000 feet has become common in aeroplaning, but it is rarely attempted when there is a passenger in the back seat. The leader' of the Unionist party bargained for a moderate elevation, so he had his trip at a height of 150 feet, which left ample space for swaying, dipping and other fancy evolutions. The speed was fully equal to that of the ordinary express train. The flight was brought to a close with a smart vol-plane movement, which left Mr Balfour almost breathless. He said he had enjoyed the spin, but added that half an hour of It would probably have afflicted him with a sort of seasickness. A doctor who was a passenger in another aeroplane at Hendon explains what Mr Balfour meant. He states that rapid change of altitude and the Inability of the blood pressure to accommodate itself quickly enough to these changes produce disturbances of the heart and nerves, which vary according to the strength and susceptibility of the passenger. “Air-sickness" will probably become as common as seasickness, but the one will scarcely be worse from the health point of view than the other. Being physically a weak man, Mr Balfour is not likely to become an aeroplanlst. He will remain content with motor driving and golf.

Indications, says the Pastoralists’ Review, all point to a steady future development of the trade for the supply of frozen and chilled , meat .in European countries, and no subject Is of more Importance to Australasia at the present time. As was only to be expected in countries in which vested producing interests are great, and prejudice and superstition die hard, there has not up to the present been any great consumption of foreign meat in Europe, with the inevitable result that, prices have gone up concurrently with the increase of population,, and the consumption per capita has decreased. Thus we find that in Germany in 1909 the average consumption of meat per head was only 52.94 kilos, as against 53.28 kilos in 1908, and the same kind of thing has been going on elsewhere, with a corresponding increase in price. Especially has this been the case in Austria-Hun-gary, where, though the price of meat has risen to a prohibitive extent, the Hungarians, who are the chief meat suppliers of the Empire, protest strongly—and successfully so far—against the importation of frozen meat. But public opinion will tell in the end. and it is only a matter of time for us to see the ports opened for the supply of meat from without, which cannot be produced internally. The whole question of the importation of frozen meat into Continental countries is to be considered at a conference to be held in Paris this year, and so greatly does this affect the producers In Australasia that immediate steps should be taken to have their interests adequately represented.