GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2039, 9 October 1919, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

Says the Christchurch Sun:When the day conies that Labour is able to tell its extremists to go, and the movement is reorganised under the leadership of its stalwarts that day Labour will begin to march. Thus far it has floundered in a bog of its own clumsy devising. Tomorrow it may easily become a vital force in the legislative life of the Dominion, if. it confines itself to strictly constitutional means (if assorting itself and substitutes reason for unreason in its policy. Above all, it must acquire a truly national view.

Sir James Allen (says a Sydney paper) is a native of the Tatiara district (South Australia). In the mu’ly days his father, an Englishman, took up the Swede’s Elat and ML Monster stations, and made money fast, mostly with sheep. After making a little fortune, Allen senr. sold out and went to N.Z., where Jamie gained a seat in the House of Representatives, ministerial rank, and a knighthood, which he takes quite seriously.

“Sojuc women seem to think that as soon as they are married they | r ,are liuaneially settled for life,” said “Mr J. W. Poynton, S.M., during the hearing at the Auckland Magistrate’s Court-of a case in which a woman, yarning her own living, sued her husband for maintenance. “That is not so when (here are no children,’’ continued the Magislratc. “Able-bodied women can always gel work in this city, and when a woman can earn her own living she is not entitled to any maintenance money from her husband."

Referring to the decision in the case of alleged prolilcoring by a Wellington firm. Mr R. D. Marlin remarked at a meeting of simp assistants in Christchurch that lie would like the court, or Coverument officers, t<> come to Christchurch and investigate certain instances of alleged profiteering that lie had already given. He had recently heard of another.ease in which Colonial tweeds, alleged to have cost 9s per yard, 'were being ottered lor sale, bv one firm for 2bs (id per yard, and by another linn at Jls lid. Such eases would lie better, lie thought, than the one brought "against the Wellington linn. Mr W. D. Lysnar. chairman of directors of the Poverty Bay farmers’ Meat Company, Ltd., proprietors of the Waipawa freezing works, informed a Gisborne reporter that ids company had concluded the purchase of a large British-lmilt steamer, which had been only .completed last year, and Ims a carrying capacity of 10.900 tons, and will be provided with facilities for carrying at least Lib,ooo carcases of frozen meat, and in addition about 23,000 bales of wool, or its equivalent in other cargo. Mr Ly-mav stales that at the time of the purchase the steamer was under charter to a foreign power. His company will take possession ot the boat towards the end of the present month.

* The latest turn in (he cost of living question is I lie sudden advance in meat, says the Christchurch Sun, and adds: Even in Canterbury mutton has gone up about 2d a pound, while the ia-t official bulletin I'l'uin the Government Slatistieian shows that meal lias risen sudieiently in (lie whole Dominion to offset, and more than offset, (he seasonal drop in butter, milk and cheese. Fortunately, there is a remedy. As the Sun pointed out in a special article, it is not necessary to juiy these high prices unless the householder is stubbornly bent on doing so. The best mutton and beef the country can produce arc'available at greatly reduced rates in the freezing works —a fact the community cither does not or will not realise. For prime lamb the freezing works price is about tiki, for prime mutton 5A< 1, and for beef about ml. Thai is- to say, the consumer has only to make up his mind to use frozen meat until the .situation becomes normal again, and his meat bill will be reduced by at least 50 per cent. “The Fast and Future of the Flax Industry," was the title of a paper read at a meeting of the lechnolo-. gical section of flit; Wellington Philosophical Society hist week, by Professor Easier Held. After explaining the processes of converting the green flax into Jibre, Professor Easlerfield quoted remarks on the industry by Mr Seifert, the wellknown miller, who estimated that about (>O,OOO acres in the Dominion were devoted to the cultivation of I)ax. In the Manawatu the land would produce a flax crop every four years, equ.il to 30 tons per acre. The future of the industry, he contended, depended upon cultivation, and he suggested that experiments should be made to discover which was the best class of phormium tenax to cultivate, having regard to rapidity of growth, quality of fibre, and disease-resisting qualities. He suggested that dairy farmers should plant (lax for shelter, and contended that (hereby the farmer would increase his profits. Professor Easlerfield also dealt with several other interesting points in regard to the flax industry, particularly the uses to which the refuse might be put.