Rangitikei Advocate. SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 1907. SECOND EDITION. EDITORIAL NOTES

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8880, 3 August 1907, Page 2

Rangitikei Advocate. SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 1907. SECOND EDITION. EDITORIAL NOTES

THE deputation from the Agricultural Conference who waited on the Premier with a number of resolutions did not succeed in getting anything very definite. Ho certainly promised [to look into the question of noxious weeds on railway reserves, and to do anything possible by legislation to protect farmers from losses by carelessness in handling fire. As to the prohibition of imported chaff and hay from tick infected districts, lie said the Government would require to bo satisfied that there had boon an importation of tick disease through that medium before interfering ’with the commerce of the country. If a labour union had asked for the prohibition of some import, of course, the question of interfering with the commerce of the country would not have occurred to the Premier. He also deftly dodged the request for ; a subsidy to agricultural shows, by expressing a fear chat if it was once started as a permanent arrangement there would he a tendency for it to grow, and he utilised the fact that local bodies want all the money they can get to excuse Government from doing anything, unless the local bodies were prepared to forego their revenue from show grounds. Ho mentioned that it is proposed to

regard surface sowing of Government runs as an improvement. The dcpnta- c tion who asked for an increase of sheep' trucks were gravely assured » that the Department is adding to its j rolling stock in a marvellous manner - by means of a ‘‘tremendous building programme. ’' He also said ‘ ‘ There . wore great difficulties in the way of carrying out the suggestions in regard to labelling trucks and giving notice of their arrival, and as to the suggestion that it would cost only £IO,OOO to provide sheep trucks with doors at both ends, while ho admitted it was desirable, the £IO,OOO would have to he spent on something more necessitous. Regarding the inspection of dairies, that was a matter which the Minister of Agriculture would look into, with a view to seeing how far the request was reasonable. He reminded the deputation, however, that so far as the tenants of short leases were concerned, the Government had to he careful in seeing that nothing was done in the way of altering the con--1 ditions of existing contracts. Of I course, so far as the application of the principle sto make the owner pay the cost of improvement in dairies where fresh leases were entered into, that was a different matter. ’ ’ The fear of ‘ ‘ altering the conditions of existing ‘contracts ’ is j quite a new feature in the policy of a Ministry which isTloing its utmost 1 to break existing contracts in land | tenure, etc., and whose supporters threaten even the lessees-in-per-petuity witn Pair Rent Bills and other devices to destroy contracts between the State and the individual. However, ho promised to get the other members of his mixed Cabinet ' I to carefully consider the represeata- " tious of the deputation, and doubt- > less the farmers felt quite assured of ' the fate of their requests when they reflected that the Protectionist ° Minister of Customs and the Singletax Minister of Education are members'of that Cabinet.

A SYDNEY cable item yesterday stated that the arbitration award will put an additional £60,000 a year into the pockets of the shop assistants in that city. Assuming this to he correct, it is obvious that the sum must come out of the pockets of others, because increased cost of working businesses does not add a fraction to the general wealth. It will assuredly not be the employers who will suffer. They will pay the additional cost, and charge profit and interest on the payment in the shape of increased prices to purchasers of their goods. The Sydney public will, however, have the satisfaction of knowing that they iare contributing £60,000 a year more to the support of tho shop assistants.