NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2074, 6 January 1920, Page 1

NEWS AND NOTES.

A large number of Hawke’s Bay I sheep have been finding their way ; over to the West Coast on account i of the shortage of feed in Hawke’s Bay. Yesterday, says the Napier i Daily Telegraph on Saturday, no ; less than 7,000 Hawke’s Bay sheep i were yai'dod at the Feilding sales, s but the prices offering (in spite of the superabundance of feed there) did not prove profitable to the owners, and further consignments are . not likely. Feed is becoming so scarce in some parts of Hawke’s Bay that some owners have introduced the “tailing” system of feeding/ As this interferes considerably with the traffic on the roads, complaints are rife against the practice, and owners would be well advised to keep their sheep to the side roads. . A well-known. Hawke’s Bay fanner told a Telegraph reporter that the outlook was very discouraging, and unless there was continued rain in the near future the outlook would become dark indeed. It is said that one farmer, who bought heavily in recent months, is now finding that his speculation is turning out, badly, owing to the scarcity of feed. A generous tribute to a political opponent’s woi’th is paid by the Otago Daily Times (the leading Reform newspaper in the South), which says: While we have never been identified with the political views enunciated by the Liberal leader, and while his defeat may to some extent be attributed to his revival for electioneering pux-poses of outworn party tactics, we feel nevertheless that the temporary disappearance from political life of a leader of such long and varied experience is a matter of regret. For a period of nearly thh’ty years Sir Joseph Ward has been an outstanding figure in the politics of the country, and it is safe to say that the New Zealand Parliament will be the poorer for his absence. There is the greater ‘reason why his political defeat should be regarded as unfortunate if it may bo Haced, even in part, as we suspect it may be, to the exercise of sectarian influences iix bis electorate. The introduction of religious issues into the realms of politics is to be deeply deplored, no matter who is responsible for it, and i( is specially to be viewed with concern when it involves the relegation into private life of a-public man of the wide expex’ience and undoubted ability of Sir Joseph Ward. Patriotic, or Jingoistic, zeal led to some excitement in a little settlement in South Otago recently, which will recall the local Herman piano incident. According to the story ■ told to a Southland Times representative, the settlement was arranging to hold the annual coxxcorf and danee in connection with the school break-up. A pianoforte was xequhed to complete the arrangements, and a music agency, on being communicated with, sent a secondhand instrument of Herman make from the nearest town. The pianoforte was much older than the wav, and bad been paid for with British money in the first place, but the good people of rose in indignation at the idea of its being placed in the same ball as the district roll of honour. They threatened a boycott of the entertainment, only one man stating that be would attend, evidently realising that: the pianoforte, if need lie, would be only a visitor to the settlement. The teacher (a lady), who had gone to great pains working up the concert, was in a quandry, and she had to do much reassuring before she could prevail on a neighbour to lend her pianoforte at the last moment to take the place of the foreigner. Bui: even after the alien was evicted the people of the indignant district were represented at the concert by the settler who had previously declared his intentions of being present.