RANGITIKEI NOTES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143763, 11 April 1912, Page 7

RANGITIKEI NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

After one of the roughest and wettest harvest seasons experienced for many years, the weather has now turned ’ beautifully fine, and all the available chaffing and threshing plants are very busy. Taken all round, the harvest work was quite a month later than last year, and very ranch heavier. Some damage was d6ne by the wet weather, but it was mostly to the colour of the chaff. As is usual in this centre, the Farmers’ Union has again tried to fix the price of grain and chaff, with the usual result. Tho .union advised all its members and farmers generally to hold out for 65s a ton for chaff, and one of the first sales I heard of was by a prominent member at 60s After standing at 60s, chaff has gone hack to 57s (3d, and some prophets say there will be a lower market still. There is no doubt that the abundance of grass will have some effect in that direction. Algerian oats of good sample are at 2s 8d to 2s 9d delivered at rail or store. The very bright weather is making sheep sales liven np, and although prices have not advanced greatly, bidding is much brisker. Cattle are rather dull.

The potato crop has not been sampled yet on most farms, but those that have dug report good yields, and the weather we are now getting will greatly improve the quality. The bulk of the fat sheep season has passed, and owners aro very busy sorting tho breeding ewes and dipping. Most of the farms report that the flocks aro in good order and in fine condition so far as the grown sheep are concerned. Lambs are only medium, and could do with a lot more sun.

Wanganui, our nearest neighbour northwards, is taking itself very seriously at present, and I noticed a local in the Chronicle complaining of some remarks on the municipal storm by a Taranaki paper. I hope you were not the offender, because the Chronicle finished the matter off by saying: “Which all goes to show that the paper in question knows nothing about the matter,” or words to that effect. The paper quoted from may be ignorant on the subject, but there really seems no reason why anyone in or near Wanganui who can read should be, because we almost daily got a few columns of the stuff and many editorials thereon. One thing seems very plain to an outsider, and that is that public opinion in Wanganui is very fickle. Time was when J. T. Hogan was a popular hero and could do no wrong. Yet to-day he is very ordinary clay. Also not long ago C. E. Mackay was something of a deity, and now his administration of borough affairs is being not too kindly criticised. I’ am afraid that he also will become extinguished. Your leader on the constant changes in the heads of departments appears to me to point to a very weak spot in our superannuation scheme. There cannot and never will bo any fixed age at which any number or class of men can be fairly said to be going downhill mentally, and so long as the present age limit is retained we will find men who have n6t reached it entirely unfit for the duties of their position, and on the other hand there will be men retired from such positions in the very prime of life so far as their work is concerned, full of mental vigour, to which is added a past store of vah rble experience. One aspect of this question that I never saw mentioned 'anywhere is that while our law-makers declare a man to be unfit for responsible positions at 65, they do not fix any limit with regard to their own class. Why? ;