HERE AND THERE.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 January 1920, Page 6

HERE AND THERE.

i (By D.J.H.). The bomb hurled at smoker* last week has caused trouble in their ranks. Rumor says the Workers' Union of this Dominion are endeavoring to use their power and refuse to handle any smokers' requisites till prices become normal. Of course the merchants with big stocks in hand laugh at all this talk. Every town ought to start a nonsmokers' league pledged to stop smoking for at least six months. VVliat a benefit it would be to the cigarette smoker who joined! I venture to say a glance at a radio photo of his or her internal organs before the six' months and at the -end of it would cure the smoker of the habit for ever. I wonder if Mr. Massey's Board of Trade (save the mark!) will bother themselves over this tobacco and tea rise. Will the bond stores be examined? My crack at Maori land sales in yours of a week ago has been the means of bringing under my notice, four transactions just put through—lso acres at Kapuni, £34 per acre (worth £9O per acre). 150 acres Taikatu road, Otakeho, £27 (worth £6O per acre), 10 acres Moturoa, *£l3 per acre (resold at £IOO per acre), 20 acres. Waingongoro, between Manaia and Hawera, £3O per acre (re-sold for £7O per acre). How would Pakehas like this sort of dealing with their lands? Working men are supposed to be scarce everywhere, but I had occasion to insert an ad. for wood cutters, and had over twenty applicants. Good wages will always bring along the men. There is a feeling amongst hard-headed thinkers that land is too dear, and, readers, don't be surprised if you see several holders of broad acres cutting up their lands and selling them by auction in the fall of this year. These owner? are on a better wicket than the Maori. It is to be hoped that; something more modern than the old style of selling our dairy produce - will evolve out of the discussions now on. We must look ahead to the day when the consumer will rise in his might and right and shake off the shackles he now has to plough through before he munches our butter and cheese. There are at present too many getting financially fattened at the expense of bofeh producer and consumer. More Supreme Court business next month at New Plymouth. What a farce some of the proceedure is! hedged around with its ancient customs, and 'precedents, and none of our legislators game enough to tackle the modernising of the show! The Grand Jury wants scrapping, for' a start, and the Common Jury challenged individually, if necessary, by the presiding Judge. At present the lawyers challenge all those Who have a knowledge of the alleged toffenees so as to haye a jury who, if possible, can be (persuaded. Racing is flourishing in this Dominion just now, and it behoves the clubs to take more interest in the large majority of owners who try to win a stake. 'I mean, of course, the small owners who just now are faced with extra expenseSome of the clubs offer stakes to-day of the same value as years ago. Talking about racing, one is puzzled to understand how clubs encourage the pot hunting owners so much. These gentlemen, mostly of the rich class, enter their horses for what are called "classic races." They go on year after year with the same horses competing for, and pocketing, these plums. Even their geldings are allowed to compete, and it is astonishing to record tl-ey get allowances in weight. In England horses over three years of age are not encouraged so. The good ones are found out in their early life and retire to reproduce their kind, and so improve the thoroughbred. In this country very few of our top notch stallions reproduce race horses a« good as they were, and mare;! who race year after year very rarely indeed throw anything first class. Continual racing in each case has weakened virility.