THE Shannon News TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1922.

Shannon News, 21 February 1922, Page 2

THE Shannon News TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1922.

The Levin Salvation Army band played in the streets on Sunday and was greatly appreciated. Miss Edna Ewart, wlio recently went, under an operation lor appendicitis at Palmerston North, is making satisfactory progress.

A hail in connection with the Catholic Church is to be held in the Druids 1 Hall on March 17. The committee have already matters well m hand.

The .Scotch concert to be held in the Maoriland Theatre on the 28th 01 this month in aid of the Soldiers’ Memorial promises to he a notable performance. Some of New Zealand’s best pipers, singers and dancers have agreed to be present.

The rainfall in Shannon for January was 1.41 inches, and so far m February rain has only been receded on one day, and that was for .04 inches. Farmers are anxiously warning the glass, for should the dry weather continue much longer, the dairy herds will be' almost dry.

During the Ihakara Field Day on Friday, Mr Mead told of rather an amusing incident of the desire upon the part, of some farmers- to avoid anything approaching beefiness when purchasing dairy stock. A well known Jersey breeder on selling up was amazed to find that his worst calves, delicatedodkiiig and poorlyfed, sold like hot cakes, whereas the better animals, sleek and fat, that- lie had been careful to start well, hung fire; in selling. The explanation ’ay in the evident decision of the purchasers that these calves represented a departure from the true dairy type. Their robustness of constitution was translated as a beefy tendency.

Mrs Evans has returned from Rotorua, and Dr. Evans, who is progressing favourably, is expected shortly.

The Shannon Dairy Co. received 160/ per cwt for one of its recent shipments of butter to London. This will mean equal to about 1/3 per lb here.

Forty tons of cement and 100 tons of coal arrived at Shannon for the Public .Works Department last week. There are about another 1300 tons of cement to arrive shortly. The Dunedin firm who secured the pipe-line contract intend to forward the pipes in sections and construct them in Shannon.

“Our position is autocratic. We just have to say ‘Collect a rate’ and it is done,” said Mr G. A. Monk, chairman of the Horowhenua, Hydroelectric Power Board at its first meeting yesterday, when referring to the power given to such boards under the Act to levy rates in the constituent areas.

Regarding the raising of funds for the work of reticulation to be carried out by the various district power boards under the Mangahao scheme, the chairman of the Horowhenua Board (Mr G. A. Monk) said yesterday that the best method 'he could see was for a number of boards to band together and go on the English market. A member thought it would be better for the Government to raise a huge loan and let it out to the boards. ‘‘Oh, 1 don’t know,” returned Mr Monk, ‘‘the Government doesn’t always raise money on the cheapest markets.” In the meantime the matter has been left over pending further information.

An indication that the Australians are not asleep in the business world was contained in a letter received by the Horowhenua Power Board at its first meeting yesterday. It was from a Queensland firm of timber merchants offering to supply the board with hardwood timbers of large dimensions suitable for carrying heavy cables, and was addressed to the proper post office box of the board. As this was the first meeting of the board’s existence, the promptitude was commented on by members. What will this electricity cost? is a question that very naturally obtrudes itself on the minds of potential consumers of Mangahao power, and this was mentioned by the chairman of the Horowhenua Power Board (Mr G. A. Monk) at the first meeting in Levin yesterday. “We would look very foolish if, after we had reticulated the whole district, we found the power was so dear that no one would use it,” said Mr Monk. He thought boards should be insistent on the Government naming a fixed maximum price at least. At first, it had been said that the power would be charged for at the same rate as that from Lake Coleridge, but the cost of construction at Mangahao was enormous, and if seemed that the cost of the power would be based on the cost of production. Mr Matheson considered a flat rate throughout the Dominion would ultimately be made. ‘‘Similar to the railways, I suppose,” returned the chairman. ‘‘Make the South carry the North’s burden, and vice versa?’

The average farmer at one time or another is sorely perplexed as to the difference between red clover and cow grass. The question cropped vp at the Central Development Farm on Friday last. The most notable difference is one of permanency on the part of the cow grass, although m New Zealand the names are used interchangeably and, as Dr. Cockayne said: “In buying the seed you pay the price and take your choice.” Martin J. Sutton, the English authority, mentions that true cow grass is very difficult to obtain, and on Mark Lane and in many parts of England, cow grass means nothing more than a fine, handsome sample of red clover.

In view of the fact, that no so-called eovCgrass sold in New Zealand lasts for more than three to your years in a pasture under ordinary conditions, Mr R. E. Alexander, the director of the Lincoln College, is doubtless right when he says that it is improbable that any true strains of cowgrass exist in this country. Writes a correspondent to the Wairarapa Age: It was with keen anticipation that I attended the pleasant smoke concert of the A. and P. Association last night for the speech of the United States Trade Commissioner was awaited with great interest by the farming assembly. But Mr Wilbur kept well away from the burning question—the import duty of 100 per cent levied by the State on our great product—wool. Mr Wilbur dealt with the brotherhood of man and the future of the Anglo-Saxon race; but today we wish to know particularly in what way America wishes to encourage our exports; otherwise we are lelt with the old fatal impressions that a Trade Commissioner has been sent here to encourage us to buy American goods at American prices.

According to .wire received by the Levin Poultrykeepers’ Association, eggs are in weak demand in Wellington at 2/3 per dozen. The blackberries that arc s och a curse to the low land at Tokomarui are proving a benefit to many large parties who are visiting the swamps and gathering large quantities of berries for jam-making.

The Levin Dairy Co. is forwarding its butter to Wellington by motor lorry, with the result that the butter is in cool store at 2 p.iii. on the day of shipment, instead of being- in the railway trucks all night. Vegetables and eggs are also being taken down. On the return trip the lorries bring chiefly benzine. Shannon is also receiving and -sending a good deal < 1 goods per road.

Before Christmas the llaxmill owners gave their employees 2S days' notice that they intended to make a reduction of 10 per cent, in the v ages. The delegates of the union and mo employers met on Wednesday last to consider the positioh,. but could not come to a satisfactory arrangement. Tile proposed reduction would bring wages, which are at present t V m 12/7 per day. A stop-work meeting will be held on Wednesday next :•) consider tile matter.

Farmers who visited the Cent. ii Development Farm last year v»eie greatly interested in the different cultivations that were given the luce.-no paddock as a means of checking weeds and promoting the growth oi the lucern j . The results of the <xperiment wye viewed by the >h;.fi ara Farmers’ Union, party last fii i' v • Contrary to expectation, the comic, plot .that was untouched was as strong as any, while the portion that hau been ploughed three to lour mciivs were decidedly the worst. Mr McCulloch, the manager, advanced the theory that, in the case of the ploughing, the, tap root had been severed amt the secondary roots formed were mo shallow to enable the lucerne plant to withstand the dry weather of tlie last month. The usual indications when to cut lucerne were when the ciop was one-third in bloom or when young shoots were commencing to appeal on the crown of the plant- He preferiei the latter, and considered! that .he cutting of the crop'offered more >P* portunity of controlling the growth . marauding weeds than cultiva ion the case of a broadcast crop.

The benefit of systematically culling and testing a herd is demonstrated by the returns from Messrs. Murray Brothers’ farm at Opotiki. Specialising in Jersey cows, the brothers have been working to increase their standard of butterfat production on the rich alluvial plains, with the result that over 40 cows in t-lieir fine field are each producing 4001 h of butteriat ”a year, compared with the average yield of 1621 bin the Dominion. Hie Government inspector lias expressed the opinion that, this herd (states the New Zealand Herald) is among tue finest in New Zealand, and that the owners are setting a splendid example to ether fanners.

In the Ihakara district, uariymcu are using soft turnips as a supplementary fodder with most advantageous results to' the milk yield in this dry weather. In fact, one resident informed a “Chronicle” representative yesterday that his milk yield had, by a generous use of soft turnips, not been affected by the arid pastures. There had been a decrease, certainly, but not more than the normal reduction at this time of the year. His experience was that the best method eJ feeding was to turn the cows into the turnip paddock for two hours or more every morning. “In the words of Dr. Cockayne at Ruakura last year,” lie said, “ ‘lucky is the district that can grow soft turnips.’ ” Further arrangements in regard to the projected trip over the hills lroui Levin to Eketahuna by a party oi local residents were made at a meeting last night over which Mr Lb Smart presided. It was decided to make a start at 5 o’clock on Wednesday morning, and to arrange the various stages so as to reach the loothills on the other side on Saturday morning, where cars will he in readiness to convey the travellers into f Eketahuna. The return to Levin will 'he made the same day by rail. It is expected that at least a dozen, divided into three parties, will take pari in the expedition. Tlie first, led by Mr G. L. Adkin, projects detours over the higher peaks, but the other two, led by Messrs. Smart and Foster respectively, take the line of least resistance. lii order to lighten the packs a Spartan fare is to be adopted, m which boiled bacon and cabin biscuits form the principal items. Mr Arthur Ashley, of Okato, was rushed by a bull on his farm on Friday, and was badly knocked about> necessitating liis being conveyed into New Plymouth for medical attention. It was found that three ribs had been fractured and that he was suffeinig from abrasions on the right side cl the head.