The Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, JULY 20, 1911. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1019, 20 July 1911, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, JULY 20, 1911. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The price of butter is exercising the minds of the heads of families throughout the Dominion and in many homes, owing to the present high price of this commodity, dripping and “Scandinovian jam” is substituted. Thek iddies are admonished “to go slow with the butter. ” The retail price of butter locally is is qd per lb, while it is up to is 6d per lb in a number of other centres. The past dry season and the operations of a butter ring are said to be the causes affecting the present prices. It has been suggested that the Government should admit Australian butter free of duty, so that it might be purchased at a shilling a pound instead of eighteen pence. The Government hesitates to take action immediately there is an outcry, and although there is probably a ring which is manoeuvring the prices, the Government is right to act cautiously. A Wairarapa contemporary states that there are a good many farmers as well as the ring, who are making a little harvest by the rise. There are more farmers making butter this winter than has ever been the case before, and the reason is because the ling did the same last season as they have done this. Most of the butter of the Dominion is made tor export, and it did not take much business acumen to realise that there would be a shortage in the winter; so they bought in the summer and stored for the expected rise, which they are getting. The imposition, if that may be so called which is merely “good business,” will inevitably cause its own cure without Government interference and the consequent danger to local producers of having a market established in New Zealand for Australian butter. Seeing that there is good money to be made out of butter in the winter at a good deal less than eighteenpence a pound, we may expect to find that each season will see more cows milked in winter to earn it,

and the ring will find its storing occupation considerably reduced in power and profit, ibe difficulty will be settled by the law of supply and demand. When the factory supplies cease, there will soon be plenty of dairy farmers who will meet winter demands at a paying price.

We have been informed from what appears a reliable source, that at the present time there is great dissatisfaction among the natives with the administration in connection with native lauds by the Maori Laud Boards in different parts of the dominion. Recently our representative had a conversation with Mr Hone McMillan, Koputaroa, who expressed the opinion that corruption in the administration is rampant. Mr McMillan is a recognised authority on native land matters and his services to represent the natives in matters before the Board are in great demand. Mr McMillan has acted for interested natives in various parts of the dominion and his views on the administration should therefore carry some weight. Next week he is to go to Mokau as representative of the natives interested in properties aggregating 46,000 acres, which is to be dealt with by the Maori Land Board there. Mr McMillan gave, as an instance, of the way in which the natives are being exploited a case which came under his notice recently. A middle-aged Maori woman to be paid her share in connection with some laud had asked him to represent her in the matter. On going into her claim carefully, he found that her interest amounted to and she was entitled to draw this amount, less agents charges and commission, amountto four per cent, on and Laud Board charges ol something over When the woman went to draw her cheque she was offered This was refused and Mr McMillan took the case in hand. He got very little satisfaction at the time, being told that he had nothing to do with the case. He, however, reported the matter, and had since received advice that the woman had been paid in full. Mr McMillan informs us that similar cases occur every day in the week. In another case of two brothers whose interest amounted to ,£l7O each, all they got was ,£45 each, and the receipts in both cases were made out for the full amount. Mr McMillan says he has reported the matter to the Native Land Department and believes that as a result at least two officials in connection with one of the Boards will shortly be looking for new “ billets.” It has generally been recognised that matters in connection with Native Lands administration are not what they should be aud on Mr McMillan’s statements an immediate enquiry should be instituted.