WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, 5 June 1920, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE RETURNED SOLDIER. HIS CONFERENCE. (Special Correspondent ) Wellington, June 2. The returned soldier has been much in evidence in Wellington during the last few days. He is holding his annual conference in tEe capital city, and by vord of mouth and through the columns of the newspapers is informing the community at large what he wants and what he is determined to get. There is no objection anywhere to his letting his needs be known or to bis praising his claims for their satisfaction with all the legitimate means at his command. He wants more land and more money, and he isr" entitled to every penny the country can provide for him. But now lie is fifty-seven thousand strong, significantly enough just about one-tenth the voting strength of the whole Dominion, a portion of him is beginning to talk aggressively of political action and of risking the goodwill of the public, which has served him so well in the past. In the opinion of many of his best friend? here lies one of his immediate perils.

SAVING THE HERDS. During' t.hc last rear or two grave Apprehension has been expressed by high authorities lest, the growing practice of slaughtering calves at their birth, in order to save the milk they otherwise would consume, should Deviously deplete the herds of the Dominion and ultimately produce a beef famine. The Department of Agriculture, recognising that the peril was not merely imaginary, set on foot experiments with a view tn finding some alternative for the natural sustenanCte of the calves. The experiments were conducted at the Runkura and the Meraroa State farms, and Mr. J. L, Bruce, the superintendent of this branch of the Department's activities, is now able, to report that they have been attended by a very large measure of success. It has been found that by substituting ground linseed, oats, and beans for the major part of the milk formerly given to the calves they can be raised in excellent health and condition to the age at which they can shift for themselves, at a cost, which leaves a substantial margin of profit and gives no excuse for the tragedy. SUGAR. For two or three years past the Government and the Board of Trade have beoit priding themselves upon having made an arrangement with the great Australasian Refining Company which gave New Zealand absolutely the cheapest sugar in the world. As a matter of plain fact the arrangement was largely due to the desire of the refining company to maintain its very valuable monopoly in New Zealand, and to the wisdom of the National Government, oven in the stress of war-financing, keeping the sugar free of customs duty But in addressing the Fruitgrowers' Association the other day the Minister of Agriculture ventured a little too far in claiming that the Government had achieved a great triumph in maintaining supplies and holding the price down, and now tho Post has turned upon liira. After recalling the miserable system of rationing here, the heavy loss of fruit last season, and the rest, it asks: "If all this is success, what is failure?" What, indeed! '

THE JOCKEYS' DISPUTE. There is a general feeling among sporting people here that the conference betwoen Sir George Clifford, the president of the Racing Conference, and the representatives of the professional riders, lias brought what is popularly known as the jockeys' dispute very near to its end. The constituted authorities were extremely lucky in having Sir George Clifford and tho Hon. E. Mitchelson as their champions in this mutter. Their intimate acquaintance with the sport, their personality and their tact always gave them an immense advantage over the leaders of the incipient revolt. Whether or not the recent conference sounded the death knell of the Jockeys' Association remains to be seen, but it is plain already that it will have to considerably revise its constitution and methods before< it can hope to achieve any large share* in the management of the sport. At the same time, in common fairness, it has to be given somo credit for having obtained from those in authority some recognition, of the jockeys' grievances-