NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1085, 12 April 1913, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

A somewhat remarkable sheep was on view in Patea recently. The sheep, which was bread by Mr P. C. McCarthy, of Hurleyville, turns the scale at 1691 b. dead weight. The animal was a twotooth maiden ewe of the Border Leicester breed, and grew phenomenally. Some idea of its remarkable proportions can be gathered from the lact that across the back it measured some 22 inches, the width of the ordinary sheep being from 10 to 12 inches. The legs weighed no less than 3olb. each, most of this amount, of course, being made up of fat. The depth ot the fat on the chops was six inches, which is about six times that of the ordinary mutton chops, A curious feature of the carcass was the small amount of kidney fat, there being only some 2]41h., as against 41b. which is the amount found in the ordinary sheep.

Speaking at the receptian tendered in Sydney to the Empire Trade Commissioners, Sir Rider Haggard sounded an emphatic note of warning in regard to Australia’s vast empty spaces. “Vast as may be your cities,” he said, “splendid as may be your commercial resources, it is to the land you must look for your wealth and strength. It you do not nurture and people your land, then the country must decay as the Phoe nicians, who depended upon trade alone, decayed. People your land ; bring people to your land, and so grow great and worthy of the destiny which this vast country offers, and be a prop of the Empire, of which you are one of the brightest stars.”

The current issue of the Trade Review, referring to the state of the money market,,remarks: "We still hear complaints all around as to the tightness of money, and there is undoubtedly a decided shortness in the supply of money available for all purposes. The banking returns for the Match quarter are not available so far; but there is no doubt that when these figures appear they will bear out this statement. Our exports for the current season to the end of March show the very satisfactory increase of some over the previous season, and this should have helped the situation very materially, but apparently our imports are, still keeping up an over-high level, and the financing of these is making heavy demands on the funds of the banks. The Post Office Savings Bank rate of interest on deposits under .£3OO has been raised per cent., making per cent. In the second halt of last year there was an excess of withdrawls of and probably there has been a continuance of this movement in the quarter just closed, which has induced the Government to take this step in order to stop this reduction of deposits,''’