THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 1906.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7944, 19 January 1906, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 1906.

In some quarters doubts are being expressed as to the advisability of proceeding further with the proposed Labour Parliament. Accord' ing to the Ghrißtohurch Press, the money would be better spent on the International Exhibition or the baok block roads. The reason for this opinion is the poor support being given to the proposal. The Farmers' Union has decided not to take part. The Otago Employers' Association has declined to dend delegates, while the stipulation made by the Wellington Trades Council is to the effect that no resolution shall be deemed to be carried by the Confer* ence unless a majority of both sides vote for it, and also that the Government allow the delegates expenses of transit. It will thus be seen that the Oonferenoe cannot possibly be a representative one. The Conference was primarily intended to discuss some method ef checking the operations of the Harvester Trust in this country. Now t however, as the Farmers'. Union, one of the most interested parties, has refused to take part in tho Confor-

ence, it does not seem likely that much in the shape of mutual agreement will be arrived at ou the subject. Another coutempuraiy gives as its reason for suggesting that the Conference should be hold that the rrunufacturiug industries of the colony are feeling the Btress of foreign competition. Suoh a thing was only to be expected since the price of labour &nd the restrictions on the employment of it have been steadily increasing, while the protection afforded against the goods of ch»jaD labour couatries has not been strengthened. Further, says the same paper, the "impoverishment of the colonial industries is the natural sequence to the trend of the.labour laws. It was hoped that not the least useful function of Mio Conference might be the arrangiug of a nappy medium of both conditions of labour and protection, so that those lauguHhiug industries would again flourish to the advantage of all sections of the community, while distributing the pressiire equally ou all classes." '

A meeting of those interested is shortly to be hf>ld in Mastertou with the object of forming a Beautifying Association, in connection with the Mastertou Park. In other partß of the colony similar Associations have been established, and are said to be doing excellent, work. In referring to the work done by the Falmerston Beautifying Association, the Manawatu Evening Standard says: —"The appearance of the Square now is vastly, different to what it was prior to the formation of the Association. Two of the Square enclosures have been transformed into veritable flower gardens, while a third enclosure is undergoing very necessary improvement. The townspeople have good cause to feel indebted to the Association, particularly its Executive, whose efforts cannot be too warmly eulogised.. It is to be hoppid that the beautifying work that has been so successfully inaugurated in Palmerston will nut cease through lack of energy or encouragement."

Something like a boom is being de-, veloped in the English iron, bosiPiy and pottery trades. Tbia is said to be aocounted for/ through an in : crease in orders from. New Zealand, Australia, Canada and South Afrioa..; Some of tho provincial manufaaturers state that ,they canant always tell with certainty the origin of an extended demand for their goods, as many of *he purchasers do their business indirectly through Loudon shipping firms. However, it is now known that, after a period of comparative stagnation, a marked improvement is taking place in the trade with. South' Afrioa in several lines. One of these is pottery, of which nearly £200,000 worth has] been shipped from Staffordshire to South African ports within ]|tbe last ten months. This increased trade has also been largely shared";to by Leicester manufacturers. In the same period the exports to New Zealand have doubled. The great activity in the English iron trade, however, is probably due in a muoh greater degree to the requirements in the Far East, which are now exceptional, than to orders coming from colonial sources.

During a lecture" 1 at Mangatainoka last week on the ailments of cattle and sheep, Mr Gilroth, Chief Government Veterinarian, in answer to a question, said that instead of there being too many stouk inspectors, the number, in bis opinion, was insufficient. They wanted men thoroughly qualified for the work, from practical experience, to pass the necessary examinations proving their theoretical knowledge to be adequate. He advocated dairy farmers grouping their oows together for the purposes of examination by veterinarians, to the number of from 6000 to 8000, and they would thus secure the sole services of an inspector. It would pay the farmers to bear half the cost at sixpence per oow, the Government contributing the other half. There was, be feared, too great a disposition to put the whole onus on to the Government, instead of far-; mers being more self-reliant.