Untitled

Hokitika Guardian, 13 April 1929, Page 4

At tin; conclusion of Mr M. F’at-rii-K’.s clearing sale next Friday at Tclalio, a line of breeding ewes and 1 draught mare will lit' offered at auction on account of Messrs O’Neill Bros.

Take a look in tlie Kc •onoinieal Crockery Shop iintl see tin 1 grand assortment ol dinner sets, afternoon tea sets, and fancy cups and saucers. Prices to suit ever;, hotly, inspection invited. —Ailvt.

'llit' blackberry pest in various parts of till' Wairoa district is making a serious increase. Faroe numbers of goats have been set free on many ot the affected parts, but the blackberry comes

up again as strong as ever, even after the goats have eaten it down. Mr (ieorge Howell, of Wairoa. has for a number, of years been making experiments for the complete extermination of this particular pest, and lie lias shown some of the results of his work, his method being to give two sprays ot a solution. The spray it is i Indued cmipletely sinks down and decays the roots of the blacalrerry, and good experimental results have been obtaiiu ed.

That the scarcity of good farm labour is becoming more pronounced than ever in Poverty Mnv was a remark passed ijy a district farmer the other day (says a local correspondent). Although there were hundreds of unemployed in the towns, it was very difficult to obtain men who had a good knowledge of farm work, he said. This remark applied more particularly to men for fencing operations, and he had found it more difficult to obtain the services of men with experience now than ever before. During periods of poor prices little attention was given to fences, but now that markets had been giving farmers a better return the men on the land were turning their attention to their fences. He believed the scarcity of farm labour now to to be due to the fact of the younger generation seeking employment in the towns. While then* were 200 to 320 men seeking work in Gisborne they wanted employment on the railways works, he said. Farm work had no attractions for them. There was a general renewal of fences to be done now—hundreds of miles of it —but experienced fencers were scarcer than ever.