WELLINGTON NOTES

Hokitika Guardian, 14 July 1924, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES

the hoc; and its products.

(Special to “Guardian”.)

WELLINGTON. .July II

At tlio opening () f Wellington's Winter .Show the Prime .Minister took occasion to direct attention to the. value ot the pig as a side line in dairyfarmino. It is |ierh;ips safe to assert that itrea lor area the Danish farmer gets ntoro out of his land than does the New Zealand farmer. The fundamental dilievence hetween the two is that the Danish tanner is on his farm to stay, while the average New Zealand farmer is resting on an area of farm land until he can sell at a profit. Here il is the rise in the value of land that is sought, if the product of the land furnishes a profit so much the hotter. Ihe value of pig raising has been voiced on many occasions and liy many tongues, still pig raising is a neglected ■industry. The latest statistics show that there tire -I’JO,(>7o pigs in Now Zealand, an increase of less than -0,000 as compared with last year. We have not enough animals to provide for domestic eoiisuiiiptiolt, eoltscf|iiently pie products, which should he counted tinning the cheapest of the people’s foodstuffs, are dearer than any other kind of moat. Tile proverbial rasher is a luxury in hundreds of homes in New Zealand. If ham ami bacon could he cheapened there would he a very hi«r demand for them in this conniry, and there would he no dancer of over-production, for the surplus , could always he exported, liesides the brooding and feed inn of pigs farmers should study the problem of marketing the animals. The best system of marketing is open competition where all | classes of buyers attend and compete. Hog markets eolihl lit l developed and the industry would thrive ami became profitable. At the Wellington show, Knglish, Danish and New Zealand flitches are being exhibited also Australian, anil even the non-expert can detect the difference. New Zealand can produce the right ela-s of pigs. The problem is to liini the farmers who will engage in the industry seriously and seientilieally and without rorptiriug to he spoon-fed by the (lovern-

I* KI {S() XAUTI MS PHKDO.MIXA XT. Tin 1 debate cm tho Address-iii-Iloply lias Ijei'ii dull and dismal, and its most outstanding I’oaturo lias boon tbo Inordinato indulgence in personalities. It is charitable in call it a dobato. in reality it developed into a muel-sling-iog compel ition. and not ovon tlio Prime Minister was hie enough to avoid t liis. It seems impossible to eel members of Parliament lo realise that tile country nays each of them IMoO a year for services and not for slanging one another. The right to slang the .politician rests exclusively with the electors. The people in Wellington wlm see politicians in the mass and Parliament at close range despair ol ever seeing a high-toned House debating with decorum and intelligence. Much too often the speeches are childish, the sentiment slushy and senseless, and were it not lor the kindly ell'orts of the pressmen many members would he laughed out of Parliament. It is recognised now that there is no hope of the (lovernmeut being defeated on a no-confidence motion, and it is difficult to see what is to he gained by prolonging the debate. Those who have -not unburdened themselves of their political trash will Ini’, c many opportunities to do so during the next three months. This speech making in Parliament is regarded as good publicity work, hut if the Press Callery recorded iusi what was said, and did not do a little- furnishing up, many members would never sec- Parliament again, for that is about line value ot llieir propaganda speeches. MOVr.M.KXT IX CAPITAf..

The member lor the Waikato '..Mr J. A. Young) no doubt considers he has

exploited an important matter in suggesting an investigation into the movement of capital with the object of imposing restrictions to ii> export. His allegation is that certain Australian hunks and oilier linaneial iustitiil ions

arc* >ending large sums of money out of New Zealand for investment abroad. If this allegation i * correct he wants

the Government to impose restrictions in order to assure that a reasonable share of such money i-. retained in New Zealand. It is the unwarranted interference of ooliticiniis in matters of this character that i- sapping confidence. The hanks are lhe servants ol the mihlie and must serve the public to the best advantage. A good deal of money or rather credit is being transferred to Australia, and the banks do not like tho job, because it is very tlifliciilt and very costly. New Zealand i> continually in debt to A list .alia on the balance of i rude ami for the live months to the end of May the balance was considerably ever a million sterling. |„ addition there arc many Australian linns v.itli branches in New Zealand remitting funds to head oliicos. Thousands of pounds go annually to Hobart for ‘’tickets in Tats." and latterly investors in stock exchange securities have found it necessary to look further afield for investments and the shares of several companies listed on the Australian exchanges are now held by New Zealand investors. Look lor ,i,e cans,, of this and remove the trouble. The trouble is mainly political. there will then he no need for restrictions.