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Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8994, 2 December 1907, Page 4

It is not often that a journal established for the upholding of a specific industry takes the high and patriotic stand of urging self-abnegation on the part of its clientele in the interests of the future of the country. The "Farmer's,. Union Advocate" is, however, a bright exception to the generality of special publications. It appears that dairy farmers in the dominion have this season been destroying large numbers of calves, because they find the rearing of pigs more profitable than the rearing of immature bovines. The complaint of the "Farmers' Union Advocate" is that "the loss to the dominion by their destruction will be very great."The journal naively adds: "Farmers do not appear to have sufficient regard for the future." In the sense it is put by our farming contemporary we suppose they have not — they are sufficiently human to prefer to make money while they can. Whatever is most profitable to the farmer, that he is likely to go in for, without much regard for the future requirements of the dominion. In this respect he differs not at all from his fellow-colonists who follow other pursuits. A Press Association message of over two thousand words respecting the scientific expedition of the Hinemoa to the Auckland and Campbell Islands and the return of the party to New Zealand was wired to us last night. The telegram contains a minute account of the capture of parroquets and other birds and details of the method of feeding them on board the steamer. "The dupks," the Press Association informs us, "are fed on biscuits or bread soaked' in milk or water, and they eat this with avidity, although they have tasted nothing before but marine or sea-shore produce." We are informed further that "the paroquets are fed on oats and wheat." This kind of stuff, with an indifferent account of ths flora and description of the islands, fills up the long message which would be either uninteresting or unintelligible to the average reader. Wu do not publish the telegram.