WANGANUI JOTTINGS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1533, 31 August 1912, Page 8

WANGANUI JOTTINGS.

TEE RURAL COLLEGE SCRAMBLE. tßj Tile£rftpto'~~Bpiol4il Correspondent.! Wanganui, August,29. For tlio Wanganui Borough Council byelection next Wednesday there are thrco candidates—Messrs. C. L. Bridges, 1. A.Harknoss, and M. Hogan, jun. A meeting of subscribers of tlio Wanganui Orphanago yesterday instructed the committee to proceed with the building. Tlio new orphanago is to replace tho old ono which is now too small for requirements. Tho cost of the ,sito and new building will b0..£2200, thus leaving the committee with several hundred pounds in hand. Hitherto tho institution has been supported entirely by public contribution and 110 application has ever been made for tlio subsidy which tho Government gives to such institutions. This matter was referred to at yesterdays meeting, but the feeling was decidedly against any departure from tho .policy, which had hitherto l>een pursued and tho public generosity, which hitherto has been quite equal to tho demands made upon it, may still bo depended ou to provide ways and means. ... During the course of the discussion on the Agricultural College site at yesterday's meeting of tho Wanganui Agricultural Association reference was mado to the unsuitable location of eome of the Government, experiment farms, and referring thereto, in to-night's issue, tho "Herald" says:—"New Zealand has seven experiment farms, > all of which are ill tho North Island. Queensland, with a population of only a little nioro tlmn half that of' New Zealand, has also seven experiment farms which are well dispersed over tho settled portions of the State. Ono reason why tho number of such farms in New Zealand could advantageously ba increased is to bo found in tho great variation in the soils of this country, which arc frequently found to be of quite differing character in places only a few miles apart. Ail illustration, of this was .given at tho Agricultural Association meeting yesterday by a Fordell farmer who slated that the experiments at tho Moumahaki State Farm, though valuable to those in that were of no use to (lie fanners of llio Fordell district, the latter district having heavy soil, while that at Moumahaki vas lielit friable loam. For farmers south of Wanganui, ho said, (hero should certainly be an experiment farm, at Mai'ton_ wherfl tho soil nnil conditions were typical, of the country between here and Manawatn, while it also had a liaiuly central position, In connect ion with the latter suggestion it may bo mentioned that there are at present several experiment plots at Jfartou on private laud lent (o the Department of Agriculture, and these are providing farmers with valuable objectlessons. At tho same time they can only bo offectivo to a limited extent, and should tho number of experiment farms lio increased—and the above quoted disparity between New Zealand and Queensland suggests that they should—Marlon should certainly bo chosen as a site for one." Wanganui, August 30. Several local bakers are to make an apjiearnnce before tho S.M. in a day or i\vo on charges of selling short-weight bread. Bishop Crossley paid a short visit to Wanganui yesterdoy. and after an inspection of t.ha Collegiato School and a drive round the town and suburbs he left jigain fot Auckland.,