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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 275, 30 April 1915, Page 4

TIIK IMPORTANCE OF AGRIOUI> TURE. One of the great lessons which the present war has taught the nations of the earth is the importance of developing agriculture as one of the greatest factors of our existence. For the last twenty years Sir Rider Haggard has been preaching that the land and its potentialities should receive more attention than in the past. While not advocating the adoption of an intensive system, ho is convinced that there arc many poor pastures and thousands of uncultivated or half-cultivated acres from which a larger return could be wrung, cither of grain or of beef and mutton. New Zealand is only in process of development, but it is unquestionably true that its "productive power is not being utilised to anything Jike its full capacity. The high prices obtaining for primary products will probably cause the enterprising members of tire farming community to take the matter to heart, and, in time, their example may arouse those who are at present apathetic to mend their ways. In a recent article in the American Review the world's wheat supply is surveyed. The writer considers that no one can tell what new portions of the fi.ee of agricultural Europe may he trampled under foot by vast and ruthless armies, and ruined by hundreds of miles of trenches before the harvests of 1015 arc garnered. It is in these terrible hazards of war, even more than in the uncertainties of Nature's response, that the food problems of particular countries are fraught with grave concern to those most interested. In normal times the world's surpluses of wheat, rye, and barley enter with 'the most perfect ease and mobility into the ramifying currents of international trade, a bad crop in one country being compensated for by a good one elsewhere. Since the outbreak of war the traffic systems have been paralysed, and the markets greatly deranged. Professor Carver, of Harvard University, considers that Germany and Austria would probably have no serious trouble in providing as much food as was needfid, while Dr. Deruberg is confident that Germany would for two years at least he able to successfully cope with the problem of self-maintenance. Most students of the trend of current events will be more or less sceptical of these optimistic forecasts eventuating, for it is fairly certain that before long Austria, will be over-run by her enemies, and that the Germans will probably be forced back by the invading hosts of t'ic Allies and her sources of self-main-tenance considerably impaired. France and Belgium, once cleared of the Germans, can, and no doubt will, put forth every energy to grow food supplies. There are great expanses of agricultural land in both France and Belgium that are sufficiently level to render it Feasible to use traction ploughs, while th> smaller areas will assuredly be cultivated for all they are worth. No r-u.' can predict accurately, or even with reasonable approximation, what the Welds for Iflln are likely to be, but there is a fair certainty that they will he less than the average. Germany has l>< en able to feed her people so far, but only by exercising the utmost frugality, and so long as she can nn-om-plish this task the struggle can he continued. Tt must be remembered, however, that this ability has been made possible, by her organisation and development of agriculture, purposefully planned and methodically pursued. Agriculture has been fostered, in tins free of short-sighted urban opposition, and German writers on the war arc pointing with justifiable pride to the strength it gives them. It is also probable that Russia will feel adversely the effect of the war on her agricultural vork, but' not to such an extent as to cause any anxiety. Should the season of mis !ie favorable in Canada, it is fiom that country that the bulk of the wheat supply must come. The outstanding feature of the position is the rod for working the land throughout the Empire, to its utmost capacity. We cp.nnnt lose sight of the fact that in tii" dominions there is a lack of agricultural workers, and this is a grave ir.cna.ee to an Empire of which the people no longer reproduce themselves as

freely as they did half a century ago. The position is that we are trying to held nearly a quarter of the earth with about ft 1,000,000 of Anglo-Saxon population, and if the number shrinks the task will be more than it is possible to accomplish successfully. The problem of feeding the millions at a price Within their means is growing more and more difficult, and the moral is that every available piece of land should be made to contribute its full quota toward;! the maintenance of the people.

TRAVELLING EXPENSES.' The whole of the local authorities in New Zealand are being humiliated because of the extravagances of certain members of local' bodies on the West Coast of the South Island. For many years it was considered a proper thing that men who gavc-thcir services to .the public should receive fair compensation for any expense incurred in travelling, and for loss of time. The Legislature has thought it necessary to cut down travelling allowances to the merest pittance, and to compel members of important local, bodies to sign a declaration before a Justice of the Peace that .their expenses have been incurred in travelling to a properly-convened.meet-ing. This is tantamount to saying that members of. local governing bodies are disreputable persons who make a practise of exploiting the .taxpayers. Selfrespecting .men naturally resent the impi.tation of the Legislature, and refuse to serve the people under conditions which impugn their honesty. Those who give their time and experience on local bodies, for which they seldom receive as .much as thanks, have a right to expect that they will be treated as honorable men, and that they will not "suffer pecuniary loss. The Legislature is doing its best to drive decent men out of public life.—Watrarapa Age.

REASONS FOR ITALY'S DELAY. The Italian Government has been marking time since the war began for the ycry.good reason that until the situation cleared up it'was not possible to say whether Italy's true interests might not be prejudiced rather than advanced by entering upon the war on the side of the Allies. Of entering it upon the side of Germany and Austria there has never been any question. The lion in the path was Servia—with Russia behind her. Italy's future wis grievously tlncatened by Austria, which, with the whole weight of a victorious Germany behind her, would show Italy scant mercy, and might be expected to tear fresh territory from her without compunction. But if she dreaded Austria backed by Germany, sire also dreaded Servia backed by Russia. For Servia which had acquired a large shnre of new territory by her conquests in the Balkan war, was obviously destined to bulk still larger if victory in the present war should go to the Allies, seeing that she was assured of the support of Russia, which had challenged Germany for her sake. A greater Servia, with fortified harbors on the Adriatic, was the spectre that kept Italian statesmen awake at nights, because in the first place they regarded, the east coast of the. Adriatic as Italy's legitimate sphere of expansion, and because, in the second place, a greatly strengthened Servia on the. Adriatic, supported by Russia, might bo a perpetual menace to the long unprotected eastern coast line of Italy, and might conceivably close the outlet of the Adriatic to her navy. It was in order to" counter that danger that Italy occupied Ya'lona, in Southern Albania, one of the two good harbors on the Albanian coast, very early in the war. Servia for Her part must have an outlet on the Adriatic; and, if the statement of the leader of the democratic party in the Russian Duma is correct, the outlet has been conceded by the All''es agreeing to Servia occupying .Dalmatia. Italy is to be granted other concessions on the coast of Asia Minor, and can now afford to give herself the luxury of joining the Allies if she chooses.