Conference Briefs

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 668, 21 May 1929, Page 7

Conference Briefs

Can Crown lands he idle? There was a remit to the conference saying that they could, but one member provided new light on the question. “Crown lands simply cannot be idle,” he said. “If they are not cultivated, they keep growing blackberry, scrub and gorse as fast as they can. Sometimes they breed rabbits effectively. No, they are not idle.”

“I see on the remit programme something about explosives," said the Deputy-Mayoi’, Cr. A. J. Entrican, in opening the conference. “There must have been an Irishman in the district that drew it up!” The audience laughed, and Cr. Entrican went on to say that the last refuge of the Irish tenant was usually dynamite!

The presence at the conference of Captain H. M. Rushworth, the only representative of the Country Party in the House of Representatives, was welcomed enthusiastically by delegates, when reference was made by the president to Captain Rushworth’s victory at the Bay of Islands by- election. This victory, the president said, was the first decisive result, and he anticipated that by next election a solid force would 1 be behind Captain Rushworth. (Applause.)

“There have been in the North of Auckland competent farmers with reasonable capital, who have ‘gone west’ financially, simply because they tried to farm northern land as they would land in the south of Auckland or the South Island.”—Mr. Cooke (Ka* wakawa).

“There is more in the soldiers’ services than the mere laying of wreaths at the memorial on Anzac Day. The soldiers’ farms are a memorial as well as the services we hold every year to remember their war deeds.”—Mr. Hatrick upon soldier settlement.

One of the Farmers’ Difficulties. Mr. A. E. Robinson said: ‘‘Delegates have mentioned four or five different kinds of soil; I wager there are 30 kiuds on any holding, and if you try any experiments there you will lose money and probably ruin yourself.”