Rangitikei Advocate. MONDAY, MARCH 18, 1907. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 8766, 18 March 1907, Page 2

Rangitikei Advocate. MONDAY, MARCH 18, 1907. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Some little surprise ma st have been caused when the Minister of Labour made a speech on the tariff .question at the Fire Brigade's dinner recently hold in Wellington. The explanation we take it is that the Minister is somewhat muddle headed and mixed up the problem of protection from fire with that of protection from free imports. Whether this .confusion actually existed in his mind or not it is certain that the Minister has no very clear ideas on the subject of the tariff. He began by stating that it was impossible for _ any young I country to keep pace with its rivals 1 if it was not prepared to extend to j its industries a just ana .deserving measure of protection,- and went on to ask what was the good of population if our industries were not protected V The good man who is to provide us with a reformed tariff next session seems ignorant of the very elements of the subject with which ho will have to doal. Who is 1 to decide on what constitutes a just I measure of protection ? The manufacturer will think nothing less than I prohibitive duties will meet the e-.se, j while the consumer will desire cheap | gcods and therefore low duties. _ The | Minister's query as to what is the use of a largo population without protection, seems to show that he j thinks that a protective tariff helps ) to provide work- a delusion which | has been dispelled in every country I which has ever experienced bad [ times. Eeferring to increase of im- \ ports of late Mr Millar said the I remedy was in our hands, and sugi gested that home made articles ! should be ticketed " Made in New i Zealand." The most elementary \ knowledge of the laws of trade would • -::,'.-> led the Minister to understand I that so long as our exports increase, and so long as wo continue to borrow money, so long will our imports increase. Imports pay for exports and vice versa and anything that tends to reduce one must tend to reduce the other. When we reach the state the labour party desire and import nothing we shall also reach tho unfortunate position of only exporting enough to pay the interest on our loans. There will bo no revenue from Customs as the duties will be so high that nothing can be imported and New Zealand' will bo selfsufficient and will present a striking object lesson of arrested development.

Evekyose ba3 heard of the dreaded t-je-tse fly, which in certain parts of South Africa so rapidly proves fatal to horses, cattle and dogs. It would have been imagined that this small insect had already enough crimes on its conscience, but recent researches have shown that it is also the means of transmitting the dreaded sleeping sickness which is at present' decimating the population of Uganda. Hitherto its bite has proved no moro inconvenience to human beings than that of a gnat, but since sleepingsickness has appeared in Africa the ily has apparently developed the unpleasant characteristic of carrying the infection from persons suffering from the disease to others who arc in good health. The fly occurs

chieSy in the neighbourhood of marshy ground, and therefore in order to put a stop to the ravagoa of the disease, for which no cure has

I yet been discovered, the authorities in Uganda are removing all sufferers to high ground, where camps are being formed for GOOO patients and their families. It io hoped in this ' way to deprive the fly of access to infested persons, and thus to prevent the spread of the poison. Sleeping | sickness ov beri-befi has long been known in -;. East, but it is only | reecntly bceoiuo g.pidemie in Africa probably owing to the great intercourse of late between India and the coastal towns, and the largo influx of Hindoos at the timo of the construction of the Uganda railway. It is an interesting, fact that malaria has similarly been traced to the infection conveyed by the bite of a species of mosquito. A few years ago malaria was supposed to bo due to the. exhalations from marshy ground after the setting of the sun. It has now been definitely proved that the disease only arises from the bite of nostuinal mosquitoes which breed in stagnant pools. The eggs of the 'mosquito can bo killed by pouring kerosene on the surface of the waier, and good drainage entirely frees the neighbourhood of the pest. The result of this discovery has bean that many districts which could hardly be inhabited by Europeans [ have now been rendered quite immune from malaria; It seams probablo that in New Zealand those who are troubled with mosquitoes in their bouses would find that a coating of kerosene on any stagnant water in the vicinity would prove a preventive ' of the annoyance. m The methods on which the Eailway Department is conducted do not always tend to the advantage of the ; public for whose benefit it exists. The Farmers' Union is proposing to

> make an excursion next Thursday to tho Momohaki State farm and recently applied to the Department for a special train to be run from Palmers ton to Momahaki, and also from Taihape to Marion to enable farmers from that district to join the train on the main line. The authorities demanded a guarantee of £52 for the Palmerston train and £'3o for the Taihape-Hartpn. train. As it was not likely that sufficient excursionists would come from the Taihape branch to cover the guarantee the Union determined to see if | nothing could be done to get batter terms. Mr E. K. Simpson waited on 1 tho General Traffic Manager at ( Wanganui and pointed out that as the train on the Taihape branch had been delayed for the convenience of visitors to Wanganui races it might well be similarly, delayed far the ' fanners' excursion to the farm supposed to be conducted for their

lenefil '.Tho reply was the races .vore a public affair but that the Union's excursion was a private one. is a mutter of fact we believe the 9 assengars by the train delayed lor ihe races were ;very fewv. Jt b f D f abserved that otfly two got cut at Huntervflle. The traffic manages oi course cannot disregard the reguhv | tions laid down for his guidance, but , it is unfortunate that while they are so planned as to encourage racing' they are distinctly obstructive to an educational trip like,that shortly to < be undertaken by the farmers. We I are glad to understand that the trafik manager was able to meet the "Union half way by waiving the guarantee for tho Palinerston train i on which the Government made a , large profit last year, and arranging | that any money received in excess of ; tho guarantee at first demanded j should go to make up the probable i deficit cm the Taihape train. In- j stead of its being necessary to drag j such concessions from the Depart- ]

rneut we should have expected the regulations to be framed so as to make it as easy as possible for farmers to visit the experimental farm. The desire for instruction is a very tender plant which easily withers under unfavourable conditions and Government should take ears to enoourage and nurture it in every possible mannor.