CANTERBURY AFFAIRS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 407, 16 January 1909, Page 13

CANTERBURY AFFAIRS.

I OBSERVATIONS BY THE HON. D. . BUDDO. ' Tlie Eon. D. Buddo, .Minister for: Internal. Affairs, who returned from' Canterbury ■ yesterday, brought - somewhat- 'reassuring news as to the plague of caterpillars in that province. . .Speaking: to - a Doinxiox reporter, ho stated that the visitation was practically eonfined. to the district north of tno - Asliloy River,. ahd even. there it was very partial, the country being att'ected in strips. Some individual settlers-had suffered severely* but, ,it -was not anticipated. that tiie wlieat harvest in Canterbury as a- whole, would : bo materially decreased. It was the worst plague of caterpillars : experienced in the province since 1880,' when lie .'recollected the threshing machines had' io stop once every hour to clear the pulp of crushed caterpillars out of the second dressing riddles. •In that year, Mr. Buddo and other farmers wore able to protect some of their orops by cutting trenches with overhanging sides. -Tho caterpillars, ."which always ' march straight ahead, liko an invading army, could not get I out ,oi these trenchcs, and' lay there and died in great numbers. . The present-visita- | tion was - very severe on barley -and oats, but grass paddocks . a/so suffered, and grass seed- in the stook was: attacked,, but the damage to wheat was not so extensive. But for this plague and tho-'Uncertain, weather the outlook of the Canterbury: farmers was fairly bright. There would bo a magnificent harvest on the plains, _ but .a spell of dry weather was'being anxiously looked for. The Minister was _ delighted with the progress ;of Cheviot- since his last visit ionr years ago. The comfortable appearance of 'the M.'K.enzio Town. District afforded evidence of tho still increasing prosperity of the settlers, and in spite of the caterpillars the ' crops were good, there was abundance of food in the paddocks,- and the stock were looking well. ■■■', . Mr.- Buddo remarked that the people around Christehurch were greatly excited about the, canal; question.; .The Lyttelton Harbour Board election nest month would be fought.out'on that issue; and.promised to be the keenest contest' 111 local affairs for many years past.