GENERAL NEWS.

Matamata Record, Volume II, Issue 104, 31 October 1918, Page 1

GENERAL NEWS.

“ The curse of New Zealand is government by departments.” The opinion of the chairman of the Morrinsville branch of the Farmers’ union. ‘‘ During tho first year of the war I got Is 5M per 11) for my wool. Since then I have only got Is 3|-d. Just before the war I got lid for my wool ” was the experience of a Morrinsville farmer. “I think hawks do more good than harm. They keep the rabbits down,” remarked a member of the j Morrinsville branch of the Farmers’ union on Saturday night. “ You don’t keep fowls on your farm”! added the chairman. “I thought men could gas about cows, but those two talking about horses, are tho limit,” remarked tho chairman of the Piako County council when two councillors were exchanging testimonials of tho merits of two horses which the} 7, knew. “ Tho agitation for tho destruction of hawks emanated from sportsmen ” said a member of the Morrinsville branch of the Farmers’ union, at its meeting on Saturday night. ‘‘l find them (the sportsmen) a bigger nuisance than the hawks ” was the opinion of another member. At the meeting of tho Morrinsville branch of the Farmers’ union on Saturday night it was stated that a returned soldier desired to purchase a property which was valued by a wellknown and competent buyer at £2BOO. The returned soldier had it offered to him at £2335, and included in the price was a horse, 7 or 8 cows and a milking machine. The Government, however, refused to sanction the purchase.

“ Tho farmers of tho Dominion are paying war prices; but they are not receiving war prices. If wo got war prices we could pay more taxation and give more to patriotic funds. The farmers are the only section of tho community being penalised by the war. We have our produce commandeered, but wo have to pay what the rest of the community ask,” remarked Mr L. H. McAlpine at the meeting of the Morrinsville branch of the Farmers’ union on Saturday night. Evidences of excessive mortality amongst dairy stock from the hard winter accumulates (writes the Stratford correspondent of the “Taranaki Herald ”). Some farmers have lost a quarter of their herds, and the survivors are incapable of filling the buckets. The effect on the output will bo very marked. It is to be hoped it is the last season under war conditions, for it is certainly going to be the hardest for Taranaki.

A controversy is raging in Germany as to the real life purposes of the stinging nettle. Whereas the farmers consider it as fodder for cattle, and people of an adventurous turn of mind regard it as a vegetable a docroe of the Minister for War has forbidden its use for such purposes, and has determined that it is to be used solely as a substitute for cotton. A variety of fairly satisfactory fabrics have been spun from nettle fibre. The price of nettles has been fixed at 15s per cwt.

Says the Ngaruawahia “Advocate” : —“ A peculiar phenomena, which, if it could be perpetuated, would save farmers a deal of trouble, occurred at Mr F. Barratt’s farm on the River road. A calf was born there recently with earmarks precisely after the fashion of the mother cow. Mr Barratt states that, while he has seen many kinds of freaks in animal life, this is the first time he has known of a case where tho ear-marks of the parent has appeared in tho offspring.”

An American writer gives the palm as to soldioily appearance among the brilliant groups of officers now to be seen in the streets of Paris to two widely different races. As to sartorial get-upj the British officer is supremo. With him “ soldiering is a fine art, so thoroughly mastered that he can spare time for every detail of dress. He is a fashion plate of neatness, glossy leather and shining metal. However carefully one has groomed himself one feels fairly out at heel when a British colonel passes. But the past masters were not of the Continent of Europe. Down the Bois do Boulogne would come a quartet of great Sikhs ; handsome as etchings, proud as only Sikhs can bo, unconscious as camels, with turban ends swinging, patrician descendants of forbears who were warriors when Britons and Gauls roamed as nomad tribes.”

“ To show what can be done with a good sow within twelve months,” Mr Jas. Wilson stated at the dairymen’s conference at Launceston, “ I will give an illustration of what I am doing with a young sow this year. On 25t,h February she littered thirteen and reared twelve. Of these two were sold for breeding for £9 9s, and ten sold for bacon last week averaging £3 10s each—a total of £44 9s. Now she has twelve at foot, littered last week. These, if nothing unforseen happens, will be in the factory for bacon about the beginning of February next, and should bring not less than £3 10s each—-£42. The grand total would then be £BG 9s for twelve months.” “ Jerusalem is the fdthiost city I have over soon,” said a seasoned New Zealand trooper who has now seen many Eastern cities and towns. “I can’t get tho smell of the place out of my nostrils. It comes back every time I think of tho Holy City. There is no attempt at drainage anywhero. The people just throw their rubbish out in the streets, where it is worriod by mangy dogs and mangy children. Ugh! Don’t talk to me about Jerusalem the Golden. I’m afraid it’s upset a lot of the Sunday school idoas we had about the place. The Garden of Gethsemauo is all right, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the Botanical Gardens hero (in Wellington). The Kaiser’s church on the hill is one of the best things in the place. Since we got hold of Jerusalem some improvements have been made in the district, mostly in road construction and a splendid new road has been made between Lud and Jerusalem with tho aid of native labor.”