TO SEPTIMUS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4587, 18 July 1923, Page 3

TO SEPTIMUS.

. Sir,—lt is, as a rule, a literary pleasure to. read any article signed by you, but 1 take exception to one published recently. To begin with, the titlei s misleading. You are too intelligent to reckon any misfortune to your country as a drollery or joke (“queer”), yet you publish your quite humorous article under the title of “Queer Side of Things.” I take tt your sense of drollery would inclp.de the present flooding of the Hauraki Plains as. another humorous episode._ Government money has been spent there, and soldiers (returned) lished there. Some, r hear, arc locating their dairy cows on each solitary hump of peat in a lake of water. Live and let live, cir. There are hundreds of men who can exist in a climate like Fiji—wrecks from the late, terrible war—who would suffer unspeakably in this New Zealand climate. (I haven’t a word against N.Z-; she’s.'Al, and Pte lived through her'worst years, 1912 to. now.) I. evidently like you,, have been looking' up the dairying question m Tailevtf, and I have a letter from’Mr Hamilton before me. as I write. He has been known to me for 10 years. ...One of the hardestfworking dairy farm.ers.-in' his district, and one. of 'the largest'suppliers. ■ All his family are “grafters.” I quote one or two senterie'es: ‘.‘l have' seen riiaize grow Bft high in eight weeks, , and no ter-. tiliser used.” “There is a great future for Viti Tevu (Fiji), theJan'd I have 'seen , would make a farmer glad.” “Cattle do well; we have only one champion cow so far, she makes 651 b of butter-fat in 30 days.. We have others jn the 40’s, but it is early td get any decent returns yet.” ;“It is claimed that horses cannot stand 'the heat. Judiciously bred, J think differently.” Mr Hamilton and his brothers and relatives have bred. for 35 years hacks, medium draughts and -heavy draughts, and do so now in New i Zealand. “I would like to See men possessed of £l2OO ready to go on the land here at Tailevu. lam hoping to get some, 20 farms opened up within two miles of here (Tailevu). If a man had the amount mentioned ne would be on a ‘good wicket?” It is a long letter, but these “bits” will show you that Mr Hamilton, the present manager of the Tailevu Dairy Scheme, thinks well of the place. And, mark you, all honour to Mr Hamilton; he is as blunt and truthful a man as you could meet. Sir. pardon me for differing from you, for I look upon you very sincerely as my literary superior, but there is surely no need to be alarmed that a rush will be made by New Zealand’s already too scanty population to Fiji? If you answer this, don’t “slate” me too heavily. Your “Septimus” sarcasm adqled to your usual wit would entirely quash a mere woman.

F. 8., MISS HAURAKI PLAINS. . HopaE Ngatea.