RURAL TOPICS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3032, 31 October 1908, Page 3

RURAL TOPICS.

(By^'Aericola.")

THE WEATHER. This month has been charaterised by quite a number of wet and showery days. This has given a great impetus to all classes of vegetation, and crops of cereals an.l grass are now well forward and in a satisfactory state. The cold snap experienced this week left a slight coating of fresh snow on the ranges, which was followed by several rather severe frosts for the season of the year. The latter did a grsat deal of damage to potato crops, and many of the tender varieties of vegetables, which have been blackened and cut down. The bane of the gardener in this j locality who desires to cultivate early A vegetables is without doubt the late frosts which so frequently visit us. The weather during the month has militated very much against the pro- *"** gress of shearing, but the ideal conditions of the past few days has enabled a start to again be made. The Wairarapa is not alone in this matter, as sheds on the West Coast and Wanganui have had to postpone their dates of commencement through so much wet. SEA DAMAGE TO WOOL. Several large parcels of wool from Wairarapa stations were very much injured on the voyage Home last season, trom the effects of sea water. One firm alone recovered over £6OO on account of such damage. THE WOOL OUTLOOK. Reliable authorities affirm that the prospects for our staple product, looking to the future, are none too bright, and that prices will not move upward for some time to come. It is estimated by some wool , experts that the average prices for crossbred will steady at from 5d to 6d per lb. If these surmises prove correct, it is not a pleasant prospect for the Dominion. The one bright ray of hope is that from all accounts the incoming New Zealand clip will be an exceptionally weighty and well-grown one, particularly in . the North Island. THE FARMER AND POLITICS. It has been said that out of evil •cometh good. And what the farmer may look upon as bad in such matters as Labour Laws, Dairy Regulations, -and Shearers Accommodation Acts, may eventually turn out of much benefit, for there is no doubt that these subjects are the spur which has quickened the pulse of this hitherto lethargic portion of the community to take a very much larger interest in the political doings of the Government. This is a healthy sign "wnich should tend to benefit the State. There are not wanting signs . in both the Masterton and Wairarapa ' Electorates that farming and pastoral sections of the people are taking a lively interest in the coming elections. THE GET UP OF WOOL. Many settlers are showing a disposition to take greater care and pains than usual in the classification and get up of their clips for market this season, and a larger number of classers are being employed in the work. It was asserted that there' ■was an absence of skilled labour for this purpose, but this is hardly correct, for there are, still several good men enquiring for sheds. THE SAWMILL INDUSTRY. This ia a subject that is rather prominently under notice at the present time, so much so that there is a proposition to appoint a Royal Com-' mission to deal with the complaints from sawmillers. The position is fraught with many issues. The sawmiller naturally wants all restric- * tions that hamper the industry removed, and also that they should not have to compete with cheap foreign products, such as ~Oregon Pine, which is being so largely imported into the Dominion at the present time. The number of men employed in the industry—estimated at some ' 3,500 are also to be considered in the matter. Then come the mass of the people whose opinion is that timber *is too dear, and who advocate cheap material, so that dwellings and other buildings could be erected at the lowest possible cost, thus reducing j rents, which press so heavily on the poor classes of the community in the cities, and which adds so very much to the cost of living. Then there is the broad question of the rapid destruction of our remaining forest areas which are, according to Governments experts, within measurable distance of being cut out. _ . -Already a great deal of damage [ has taken place through the denu- : dation of forest clad country, reducing the rainfall and altering climatic conditions generally, causing a great loss of land along river creek banks, by the soil being washed away. Seeing that our forests under existing treatment, must come to an end, it would appear to be a •wise precaution to conserve all the timber we can, and procure our supplies of cheap material from outside sources. The Waimarino and other forests adjacent to the Main Trunk Line are looked upon as a most valuable asset. The Tongariro Timber Company having an eye to business, wish to perfect an agreement with the Maori owners, through the Government, to obtain in all some 134,000 acres of land, of which -82,000 acres are covered with milling timber, and the Native Land Commission, who seam favourable towards the agreement being ratified, state in their report presented to Parliament 'on October 7th, that *'Seeing the great advantages that will accrue, both to the Maori owners , and the Dominion, the Government and Parliament should, in our opinion, lend their benefiicent aid to the speedy execution of the agreement." We bear and read a great deal denouncing the evils arising from monopolies, yet here is a proposal to hand over a huge area of valuable milling timber to a syndicate. The destruction of these forests in the centre of the island may have a very far reaching effect, in diminishing the water supply of the rivers* whose sources are within or adjacent to them. This aspect of the question should be very carefully looked into by the authorities before sanctioning any proposal which would destroy such large forest areas.