CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 125, 5 September 1910, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

A DANGEROUS PROPOSAL. Last week the president and secretary ; of the National Dairy Association waited on members of Parliament who are representing dairying districts, and asked ! that graders should be sent Home. They i pointed out that meat was graded, and ] there was every reason why butter should also be graded. It was further stated that butter which left the Dominion as "first grade" was reported to be fishy when it was landed. This move i needs to be carefully watched 'by the ] dairying community. The scheme sounds ! practicable and likely to benefit the industry. Former experience, however, has to be taken into account. This taught the lesson that when the market fell and the buyer wa> bitten, the New Zealand article was invariably of inferior quality. Whilst there may be no objection to sending ait officer of the grading department to London to enquire into the condition of our produce on being landed, and to compare it with the reports of the local graders, it would, it seems to us, be unwise and entirely detrimental to the. producer if any regrading were attempted at the port of arrival, or our present system of grading at this end in any way interfered with. | This system has been one of the main factors in building up the industry, and under it dairy companies have been enabled to effect sales conditionally on the basis of the grader's certificate as to ' weight and qualify being accepted as ' final. It seems almost incredible that Messrs. Masfarlanc and Tlarkness should ' seek to destroy a system which has-been of such incaleulailile benefit to the producer. It is to be hoped that in the ini terests of all engaged in dairying those responsible will strenuously protect higainst the proposed innovation, and I will take such steps ;'.-; are necessary to preserve intact the splendid system of grading dairy produce prior to export.

THE INDETE lttn NATES AT NEW PLYMOUTH":

In the Legislativa Couneil the other evening, the Attonicy-Ciencral, preparatory to moving the third reading of the Crimes Amendment Hill, referred to the habitual offenders at present in the reformatory prison at New Plymouth. In all, he said, there were 20 men and three women at the. reformatory, and lie proceeded to say that most of the cases were hopeless, the men having lived long lives of crime, a fact which presented great difficulty in the way of reformative treatment. The records he quoted explained how it was that only four of the habitual offenders had been released up to the present. One of tttese—a very old offender—had to be taken again immediately afterwards, because of another crime he committed when released. This case illustrated that the attempt, to reform at the end of life was not very successful. The experience of the world, Dr. Findlay said, showed that reformation must begin at the other end, with the young. We are led to understand that these incorrigible 9 are allowed to work outside in fhe quarry with the other prisoners. If this is so, it is about time they were kept within the limits of the walls of the prison. The indeterminates are, as the Minister says, quito hopeless, and punishment for escaping, or attempting to escape, would hold no terror for them. Once away, they would baulk at nothing and terrorise the community. Their recapture, of course, would only be a matter of time. There is no occasion to run this risk. The Department need but order that the indeterminates be confined to their proper sphere—inside the gaol—and the risk would be removed. We hope the Minister in charge will take proper action in a matter which is of some moment to the New Plymouth people. *

HOW CANADA ATTRACTS. A Home correspondent of an Australian paper draws attention to the methods with those adopted by the Commonwealth, They convey a lesson to New Zealand, which is equally interested with Canada and Australia in recruiting immigrants. He says that where Australia takes an inch of advertising space in the British Press Canada takes a column. Where Australia lakes a column Canada takes a page. The Dominion flings its money around Britain with both hands. It is out after emigrants, and it worries very little on the score of expenditure. The Commonwealth con fines its expenditure on advertising to Great Britain, hut Canada, despite its groat outlay at Home, is equally 'busy in recruiting on the Continent and in the United States. There is something royal in Canada's advertising. The big displays she has made in Europe in the past ten years have had something essentially national behind them. The oilier day the correspondent walked through Canada's beautiful court at the Brussels Exhibition, and he says: "One could not fail to lie impressed by the enterprise behind it. This grand tropin- of Canada's varied riches shows the Dominion busy in all branches of primary production, and its appeal to everv European who saw it must have been a very strong one. Canada has now been, for some years at this advertising game, and she plays it admirably. There is size and spirit in all her undertakings. You could not walk through her pavilion at Brussels without feeling the broad scope, and the big future before her people. The mountain and the prairies, the forest and the mine, the wheat-field and the orchard, the timber mill and the fur trade, wore all represented by siyiking exhibits.'' One feature which Canada excels in is the colored panorama. She used this form of advertising at (he Franco-British Exhibition two yra % an-o, and at Brussels, too, it was esp .iailv <rood. Brazil and other young! Lan N made a fine displav at Brussels, but tie- correspondent searched vainly for.anything which told of the existence of An ■'■■ alia. Tie sees no reason why, in the early future, the Commonwealth short l not, begin to make itself better knon-'i up-»n the Continent, The Dominion is '■•sirieting its immigration as closely a! the present, moment as Australia. It is .■nnfimVe. j(. ; -,p,, Pa j a |. most exclusively io agriculturalists. But as it narrows it- ;-H>al, so it, ro-onnisos the necessity for >iial.in£r that, appeal more pronounc ■ Cmada. knows thaiGreat Britain a : 1 Europe contain millions of fanners ad farm workers who will emigrate r 'h-i- are properly informed and en env.vd. :;nd she' crocs about her work lira ntatcsinnnlike way.