The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MAY , 1901. THE GRADING QUESTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 85, 1 May 1901, Page 2

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MAY , 1901. THE GRADING QUESTION.

Whes we d.alc wi'h thii question it was alleged that we were accused of acting in the interest of the pott, of New Plymouth. We notic*, hnweTer, that the Egmont Settler, at Stratford, and the Inglewocd Record,, neither of which can be accused of any leaning* towards the New Plymouth h-trbour, are quite as pronouoced as ourselves as to the establishment of a second grading p ;rt at Pat a biing agai. st the true interest of' ha dairy farm#rs. Now the N.Z. Dairyman, a paper published solely in the interest of the dairy industry, writes strosgly agninit th« proposal. In its last issue the Dairyman says:—" Next to the price of butter, the most absorbing topic of the day at the present time in Tnranaki dairying circles, is the proposed acquisition by our dairy factories of the Motur a Freezing Works. This important question has now got beyond the proposal stag*, in fact, the banns may be published at any tim? row, and will undoubtedly le*d to the al'ar of successful achi.Vfmeets, unless, perchance, ifcdividual factories leave themselves open fo breach of promise, by withdrawing their support at this last moment. That it is a wife step and deserving of the greatest support must be patent to anyone who givrs a li tie study to the political economy of tVe industry, and the originators of (he prop'sal are to be rofratula'td on the energy and pe'«ev»rence with which they have surmounted many fo'mMable obstacles. For one 'hing, it is no nKau achieyemeiit to live brought forward a scheme which has I een nccep'eii by ceirly ninety per cent, if a number rf in stitutions which are proverbial for their war.t of unanimity on any given p- in*. An 08-shoot of the co-operative freezing qirstion, in tha shaps of a well organised ferment to have Patei proclaimed a grading port wilh a co-opera-tive cool store is p rhaps not altogether an unbooked for circuc&stance. The ferment has existed in a languieh-ng s'ate for some considerable time, but now teems t > have ripened inte decided action as soon as the Moturoa scheme bpcame a thing of life. Truly imitation is the fiticerest form of flattery, but to gee any kudrs it is wise to be thu imi &ted rather than the imitator. lii shipping circles the cry his been repeatedly raised for gre-.ter roncent'ation if we are to have reduced freights and a mora regular eervici. In this concection it was evon proposed to have all the buttc-r and cbeeee from the North Island dire:t to ooe central cools'ore at Wellington for grading and freez : ng. And now we have the anomaly of a propo al lo havo two, nay thre* Tar,»Daki por's of shipment alone, for Opunake's claim* as a seaport will 1 ot be long before th y are heard. If no other cor s deration can be msde to weigh with tbi* house in dinger of dividing against itse'f, surely the ques tion of increased marine insurance rates against tha danger tf collision at -ea Lewe.n uuits of the wrt fl til'a ofj small coasters which fancy can easily conjure up with rumours of eo

many budding puts in the air, will] mike a breathing space in this mad iush for maritime honour?, and allow calmer reflection to dictate th-tt one gcol port will served will meet the rsquiremtnts of the dairy industry in this provinco bitter than a lot of under-fed, nod more, or leas indifferently equipped, shipping Stations."