CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 237, 16 March 1915, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

"lIIP, III!'. IIURIUII!" To the TMitor. Sir, —Why don't the New Zealandcrs learn how to cheer? I have been down several times to sends-off to several of our gallant lads who are off to the front and it strikes me that the parting cheer is vcrv feeble. ''.llip rav!'' "Hip ray!" "Hip rav!" is a weak and silly substitute for the deep throated British cheer of ''Hip! Hip! Hooray!" inat one hears dven out from the depths of a man-o-warsman's lung;-, when he is called upon to express his feelings. Cannot the New Zealander learn to cheer? "Hip ray" is a poor substitute. —I am etc., "THE WEED."

CHEAPER MANURES. To the Editor. Sir.—Under the above heading in your issue <,f Hi.. IKb inst.. an article appears which is of enormous interest to farmers; there is not the slightest doubt that the pri"c of manures should he looked into, because if ever there wa; exploitation of the man on the hind, the manure business is Hi" chief. We are fold, to account for the ris? in price, that English slag manufacturers can only supply to those firms who have dealt With them for years, and on account of the war. Herman slag, which was used fo keep the English manufacturer "in his place," cannot, of course, lie obtained. Here's a pretty go! And the English manufacturer takes advantage and raises the price, as also does the freight carrier—and we eontrihutctd men [ and money wider the name of patriotism so that we can be charged higher prices! Uni! Now. Air Editor, can you give the amount of tons of slag imported into this country for the last, five years. amA the amount of cash paid out for the same; probabl v tliere is >OlllO mean* of I finding out. If it will pay tlie floverument. as l>v Mr Thorn-oil. and endorsed hv Sir J. O. Wilson, to purelinse phosphate islands and by doing so, perhaps, put a couple of hundred thousand (it's not much —say it quick) into the pockets of speculators, who, may be. would be glad to get rid of a bad bargain, and T maintain a more lasting benefit would accrue to the inhabitantof this Dominion, town and country alike, by hurrying oil the manufacture of our own has ic slag per State manipulation of our enormous deposits of ore at Para para and New PlymouHi. Even if the iron were treated as a secondary consideration, it should he a paying venture for the (lovernment to take the farmers into partnership by the latter taking np a certain amount of shares, and New Zealand, instead of being :i dag-importing country, would in a fev) years be the opposite. "What is wrong with us that we who have such deposits of proved richness will hang back from providing our own manures? This matter is one that should set every farmer renovating his thinking box, and it is tune a pretty strong effort was made over this manure question. No one can deny that someone is making a nice little haul from the mamrvs. and the fad thai iu pasf years we hud to rely on (iceman competition to Veep the prices charged by our own kin to a. normal figure is raOier a na-ty pill, is it, not? Agaij supposing the. Co\em ment purchase these phosphate islands. (lie mixture of lime and phosphates as suggested by :>ir Thomson, will mean--that lime manufacturers are going to get a "bump up." and as a consequence so will the i.ric •. I would like to know if we arc t„ l l:;v , Slafe phosahafo. will We have Sta!" lime? "With the well-known antipathy of the < lovcrniiienf have iu Slate interference with private enter prise (no matter whether it exploits lb farmer or the "lownie", 1 ~a-il; imagine that the people are t,, find the backing pi r (louTiiim nt and (he le>s-es are to get it back out of (hem (the people) ! I,ook out. fellow fanners. 1 011 kef 1 ]) our eyis on l]j)< cfiriipi-r m:nilire prope-al, and just waho up to a combination amongst yourselves for Stiite ironwork- ami our own basic slag. Never mind what your politics, have a go a! -lencthing that ill benefit you. your Kids, and the eounlre.- 1 am. etc -TOE I!'. SIMPSON,