CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 265, 18 March 1911, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

THREE THOUSAND BILLETS. "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the reapers are few." It has been stated in Auckland that the factories of New Zealand are pining for women workers, and it was remarked that the Premier w.tuld see what he could do about it when he got to the Old Country, where factories so largely abound. Although no doubt in the future, when New Zealand decides to use up a larger proportion of her own material, factories will represent a most important phase of the country's life, one supposes it is necessary to augment the small class of factory operatives by additions from outside. We are frequently told that New Zealand young women prefer factory work to housework, and, of course, no one should blame any person for selecting an employment he or she likes best. But the fact that, even with a preference for factory work, the New Zealand working girl is not present in sufficient quantities to fill all the available billets, is one well worthy of the consideration of the most exalted person in this country. If the Premier is about to spend part of his time while in the Old Country as an advocate of emigration, his persuasive eloquence cannot be used to better purpose. New Zealand is chary oE welcoming people from afar, unless they belong to specified classes. Naturally we prefer the farm laborer to the clerk, the settler to the artisan, the domestic to the factory girl. But in the settlement of new countries—and New Zealand is an excellent exampleit has been found that prevailing conditions create the ability to tackle them. Conversation with one out of every two men in this country will prove the contention that he has not always made his living at the occupation he followed last. Although one finds examples of persons unable or unwilling to tackle the first job teat comes their way, the majority o' immigrants to this country adapt themselves to circumstances. In our opinion, men and women should not be attracted to this country because they learned how to do a specific "job" in the Old Country, but because they are physically likely to make good citizens and "citizenesses." New Zealand is yet too young to fit everybody into a little groove. The individual generally worries around until he or she finds a suitable niche. Our need is for people, and not for any particular brand of human being. The factory girl of today may be the bush farmer's wife of to-morrow, and even the London clerk who has never seen outside a day-book way be falling bush or pushing a'shovel a month after he has landed. The adaptability of folk is rather surprising. A young doctor came to this country a few years ago. He was in ill-health and dropped medicine to take up bush contracts! Everybody laughed at his early, efforts with an axe or an adze or a shovel, because he was so evidently raw and looked so respectable and wore spectacles. In less than a year this young man was the best "hand" with bush tools in the district. He has returned to his medicine now with a new interior, and we only use him as an example of adaptability. The moral is, don't keep a strong "settler out of the country because he happens to have been behind the counter. All sorts (ire required in the melting pot of a new country.

THE PIG. The pig is going to play an important part in the rural industries of the Dominion. Gradually but surely the farmer is awakening to the possibilities of this branch of the farm. Recently the farmers of the Wairarapa combined and established a co-operative freezing works at Waingawa. So successful has this been that they have now decided to extend the co-operative principle to baconcuring, the idea being to export supplies to the Old Country. There is a lesson in this for the farmers of Taranaki, or, rather, of North Taranaki, because the farmers of the southern part have already taken steps to establish a cooperative bacon works and build up an over-sea trade in bacon and pork. Speaking in North Canterbury last week, the Minister of Agriculture (Hon. T. Mackenzie) pointed out that the world's pig herds had gone down by eight millions, and consequently there was an increasingly great demand for pork. New Zealand was excellently adapted for supplying the demand, provided proper methods were adopted. Recent departmental tests showed that out of 22 pigs fed upon pasteurised skim milk and whey, only two were affected by disease—one but slightly in the neck gland and the other probably before entering the test—whereas those otherwise fed showed that out of 381 tested 175 were wrong. The Hi"h Commissioner for New Zealand has reported to the Agricultural Department that it was recently decided by the British Army Council that.fresh port might, at the discretion of commanding officers, be issued to the troops once a week during the winter months, instead of fresh beef, provided that no extra expense was incurred. The announcement specified that the pork must be subject to strict inspection and be confined to that bred in the United Kingdom. With a view to bringing the merits of New Zealand pork before the Army authorities, the High Commissioner communicated with the War Office, pointing out the drastic inspection to whioh all carcases of pork were subjected before being shipped from the Dominion, and requesting that the possibility of including New Zealand pork in the supply to the troops might be favorably considered. A sympathetic reply was received. All this" goes to show that the future of the pig industry is unusually bright, and that local farmers would do well to follow the example of their fellows at Eltham and in the Wairarapit.