WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 22 February 1928, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

ANOTHER SUBSIDY. HORSE BREEDING. i j (Special to “ Guardian.”) J WELLINGTON, Eel,. '2O. 1 Tlic Prime -Minister’s statement at I Mastcrtou to the effect tliat the Gov- | eminent would be prepared under renI sonable conditions to provide a subsidy j for the encouragement of horse breed- | iiig is not being taken seriously by the , public at large; but quite a number ol ! small farmers, and some large ones, j are suggesting that such a step would | l;e an acceptable addition to their rei sources at the present time. Their i idea of an adequate subsidy, however. ; mounts up to the free service of suitj able sires and a guarantee of between i £3O and £-10 for the progeny as threeI year-olds if sound and free from seri- | ous blemish. Five hundred foals on ; this scale, when the service of the ] sir-as was taken into account, would I render Mr Coates liable to £20,000 a j year for an indefinite period, and he jj would be lucky if he recovered half ; that amount from the annual sales. | The truth is. of course, that petrol has 1 enormously reduced the demand for j utility horses and no amount of sub--1 sidising would restore them to their old status in the market, j IN WELLINGTON HARBOUR. 5 At the time of writing the Nautical : j Adviser of the Marine Department is ■j examining the statements made by the - late master of the Maunganui and the j late master of the Tamahine in regard j to the most extraordinary behaviour 3 I of the two steamers while leaving WelI lington harbour rather more than a " fortnight ago. His report will determine whether or not further proceedings in the matter shall be taken. Both Captains have been relieved of their commands by the owners, and this step, it is understood, is beyond recall, but the report of the Nautical Adviser may necessitate a further investigation of the circumstances, which, it is scarcely necessary to say, are the subject of eager discussion on the waterfront and in the city. Curiously enough the daily .papers here had nothing to say about the iiuident until towards the end of last week when the Sydney papers brought startling accounts of the affair and a local weekly embellished them to some purpose. Letters from New Zealand passengers by the Maunganui are not so lurid as some of the passenger reports, hut tliev tell a disquieting story. TOURIST TRAFFIC. The “ Evening Post ” takes pains to explain to the Canterbury Progress League that the Tourist Department is not biased against the South Island. "There is such a thing as being too alert.” it says. "’flic Canterbury Progress League appears to have (alien into that error in its latest protest against tourist preference shown to the North Island, based upon some slight attention given to Poverty Bay.” The "Post” shows there was no sort of excuse for such a suggestion as far as the administrative authorities are concerned. These officers place the attractions of both islands beloro visitors and leave them to make their own choice. The truth of the matter is that the majority of the tourists who come to New Zealand are in r hurry, anil quickly realise when on the spot that by lauding at Wellington in; Auckland and (t.idining their travels In the North Island, they can obtain much more for their time and their money than they could by r.i templing to (over tbe whole Dominion. It is the place of landing that usually decides their itinerary and the shipping companies control that factor. •‘CRICKET.” The nine or ten thousand people who gathered at the Basin Reserve mi Sat-, unlay, in the hope and expectation of seeing the Australian cricketers Eitling in a second innings against Wellington's representatives were sadly disappointed wlum the lisitors, having disposed of the local players for BT fewer than their own scare exercised their privilege ol sending them to the wifk-ts again. The "Dominion” this morning says all that is permissible in its reference to the matter. "No one blame the Australian captain for lug smious cricket.” it states, "hut the crowd would have been very piatcful to him on Saturday had he determined that Australia should go to the wickets again. No doubt the Australians were tired after their trip across the Tasman and their flying visit to Nelson and welcomed the opportunity to obtain an easy day today.” That the whole of the crowd was not so philosophic as the morning paper over the matter goes without saying, but the majority realised that cricket was cricket, and went homo blaming only their own ill-luck.