CHAT WITH A MINISTER.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13603, 25 May 1908, Page 6

CHAT WITH A MINISTER.

PROGRESS IX AGRICULTURE

THE NEXT ELECTION

The Hon. R. McXab, Minister for Agriculture, as well as tor Lands returned north by the first express? on Saturday from a abort visit. U> Middleniarch, in Central Otago, whither Ik- went to assist in the ceremony of opening an Agricultural Hall for the Strath laieri Agricultural Association. The Minister and bis decretory, Mr Johnston, were making a ijmck return to Wellington. J hey Mt Middlemarch en Friday night in the Miuisj ters car attached to a goods train travelling by night-, and reached Dunedin at 2.20 a.m. Catching the first express at tight, | they would next connect with a boat at Lyttelton, and be in Wellington for breakI J.ir.t yesterday morning. Middlemarcb is the commercial and so- \ cial centre 1 of Strath Taieri, the principal agricultural district beyond the wild 'Jaitri (j.rge, and judging from what Mr McXab told a " Herald" reporter in a | >hort interview in tlie train, lb* {aimers of that district are a live community. Tbsir Agricultural Association has purchafed ground, put up yardt>. and er-.cted an agricultural hail, suited for alt sorts of public purpcv->e.o. that is one of the completed things of the sort in the country. It cost between £Bu) and £9UO, the money being rais-.-d by d<b. mures. Th-.ie was a good turnout of the people of the township and the dfotrict at the owning ceremony, about 51j bviny present. Mr McXab made a spc.t-h in which, after congratulating the j!M>p:e > n their enterprise and its Jesuits, he described some of the principal tunctions- ot she Agricultural Departm nt. He point-.d out that agricultural pi.tttt. • in thr. ( td Country was tlie outcome of cenurtes ot experience of farm-

ing un.tr the conditi m there prevailing. Agrieultui.- had not been established in Xew Z-.n..;id for much more than one generation, the com;icton*> differed very much from thrtie ot th? Old Country .*t tlw outset, and th-y iuid betn a!toi-«"| l>v the operations «»f it,- tarnier. The function of the Dep:>t,,i.vnt- was to work <mt the principle :iy which practice >hould be guided, by means of scientifically conducted exjie-rimeirts, oo that the "result that had been reached by centuries- of trial and error at Home should be at lam. d here in a much shorter time. The biological branch of the Department had done work of incalculable value already, in thowipg bow to deal with iraect and fungous enemies of vegetation, and preventing the introduction of new f.ws. A particular case of the latter kind had recently come into prominence, tbic li-dng the case of the Australian fruit-tly. Th.precautions taken against tb.- introduction of tin's destructive pest from Xew South Wales had given ssome umbrage there. b/cattei- the fmit-ny had spread so widi-iv that tb-.- Ciovernnient officers could wnrarely give the certificate that the Xew Zealand reguulation." demanded, a certificate that the fruit .came from an orchard situated a mite or more from any orchard in which tb*- fruit-tly «,ts knoun to vxrst. A mile wa*> n»>t a very large margin of safety, from a fly. but even that was too large now for New South Walts. In this cafce. of course, the precaution applied to citrus- fruits, orang>t> piimipallv. but th«- By was equally niiyihi,-voiV amongst appb-» and tomatots. sr. that itmiiHt b,. kept out of tliis ei>untr%- if po>. sibb-. The only way to do tilt, was prohibition, tempered by t\u- condition h>- i had mrntr'nned: fr>r t-fficient examination of the fruit on arrival at th*- port of discharge- war- practically impossibl- . I i,.. Xew South Wales jHopfr didn't likv this. but it wart necestiary tf» protect tin- orchards of tbi.-» country from so destructive a ps»t. Mr McXab hid \iltEi him. and >h-« -I

our reporter the first, copy of the first volume of the book which the Government art- bringing out under bin editorship, " Historical Records of New Zealand." This consists of exact transcripts or translation of original old documents, such as navigators' journals, ships' log.--, diaries and letters, relating to New Zealand. Manv of those records were in foreign language*, and were found in foreign counI tries, and tlitne are given in translations. Mr McXabs first volume contains some matter down to 1840, but old material is constantly turning up, and for the oecowl volume, which may be expected a couple of years hence, some material from the heventeen-seventies is available. Mr McXab is acting as editor of 4-liese records-, but the Government are printing and publishing them. The first volume is about the same size as the Agricultural Department's annual Teport, and Mr McXab expected that the price to he charged for them will be six or seven shillings. Mr Buxton met the Minister at Tiniiiru and travelled with him as far a;s lemuka. This suggested a question: "We are going to have a crop of candidates for Geraldine at next election. Will the Government try to pass a Bill next session to ensure that the majority shall elect ? Your own * absolute majority,' or a, .second ballot' Bill!''

Mr McXab replied that Sir Jotfeph Ward had intimated that one or other would be introduced. Personally, of coursv. he favoured the Absolute Majority Bill, but. sume members of the Cabinet favoured the other; and the Cabinet had yet to decide which of them would bq adopted. Objection was made to his propct,al that illiterate people would not understand it, simple as it seemed; and that it would lead to "plumping." But as the elector had only one vote there could Ik* no plumping. The ohjrctiors to the second ballot were the extra expense, the loss of time to the electors, and the doubt whether they would go twice to the poll. One or other propositi would be placed before the House, and the present sysk-m would be amended accordingly.