SOUTH TARANAKI NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 July 1915, Page 6

SOUTH TARANAKI NEWS.

(from Our Own (Wro. .puudcuU It Is wonderful what int.civ.it pcudnow have in the war. Before our \ 'V. Zealanders went to tin- front one v. on!,! hardlv think Kn-laud wn.-. at war. The scene' is changed now, ih several local men have returned, some siek and others wounded. During a conversation I had with a di.-aliled returned -oldier he give mo an insight into many thiu.es. T:,;e tri|i to Kovpt was. lie savs, very unploa ■- ant. a.-, iiio lieds were' ouderneatii Hii'o. iliuo- place of tlie horses, and ml, and chad' were dropping all over them. Croat indignation was expressed at the obsolete Willis ."jvell 1o the troops by tie

New Zealand Uuverniiiont, but thU w:, - mollilied by a promise that iip-fodale arms wo.'iid be forthcoming on arrival in K-vpt. Mv informant savs the Now Zealand bovs' bad to go right to the Dardanelles' with the old weapons. As

far as presents K iven l>y the people here for the troops were concerned, (he lads saw nothing of them. Several Taranaki men had a look over the transports sent by Canada, Australia, and Kuglaml, and they were surprised at the superior nccoinmoitiition of these as compared with New Zia'and transports, allliiuig.'i thev saw enough on their own boats as regards the luxury of the ollicers. While f am on the troops topic, a word or two ah'.ml our nurses wlim are ";oiii;;- to tiifront may not be out of place. During my travels last week I met a brother of one of these nursee, and he unburdened to nie his dis-ust at the witv the Dcfet Department treats them. ' He savs he liad to forward his .-dster over twenty pounds to buy her kit as per re-illations The Oovcrnincnl allows each nur.-e the Soodiy sum of eight pounds, anil ttrs magnificent amount is -iv< n them when they land at their destination. It costs about twenty-six pounds for each nurse's, equipment, so here is another touch of the wonderful "Kefonn" finance. A oneslioii that will have to be fac 1 after this war is over is the land problem. Take South Taraunki. for instafi'.-. with its rich dairy lands. We have, at the present time, the Swiss people flocking hen on the land. Our own voim:: fellows are away fighting, and the Swiss man is mopping up the best of the hod in his absence. That is one aspect, and another is the aggregation which i« going on. Since the 'frt'eliold of Maori leases has been granted we find the rich men taking up thi.-, tenure, aiid adding to j their already large holdings. Land i wants classifying, and the limitation [ area should apply in each class. Tiie j day is not far distant, when these rich J dairy lands will lie limited to IOD-acre holdings, to be farmed by the owner. , Some of the dairy companies are cum plaining that they have cheese held up, and cannot get it away from this dominion. Cows are coming in, and the factori-s will soon be in full swing again. chec;eniaking.