TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3157, 7 April 1909, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

THE SAN FRANCISCO SERVICE,

It is, of course, true that the present mail service via San Francisco is unsatisfactory, says the "Auckland Star," but in our opinion this should have induced Government to make every possible effort to secure better provision for mail transport by what has long since proved itself to be much the shortest route between England and the Australasian colonies. We can hardly blame the British Post Ocffie fnr urging more expedition; but the conditions jjnder which the new service is to be conducted are such as will certainly not promote the convenience or interest of Auckland in particular or New Zealand in general. The Tahiti—San Francisco service is vary slow and unsatisfactory, and dependence on connections of this sort usually ends in disappointment.

A ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. The time wpuld appear to be not far distant when New Zealand, like New South Wales and the Mother Country, will be possessed of a Royal Agricultural Society, says the "Farmers' Advocate." Already the matter has. been mooted in the South, and, though nothing definite has so far been arranged, the fallowing scheme has been briefly outlined: — That a council consisting of members of the various Metropolitan Associations throughout the Dominion be formed, who would have the initiation of the fixtures. That the .Show should be held annually in those centres where sufficient monetary inducement was offered by the residents of such district, a sum' of about £1,500 would be required to supplement the prize sheet. That the show would, for the time being, take the place ot the local fixture. That the prize sheet should « , be largely supplemented quite doubled—from the subscribed funds, as was doqe by the committee of the Exhibition Show, with the funds granted by the Department. It is not advocated that the Government he asked for monetary assistnce; but seeing that two-thirds of the revenue of the Dominion was drawn from the agricultural and pastoral pursuits and'kindred industries, the Government, therefore, might reasonably be asked to frank all stock proceeding to and returning from the Royal. A grand sale of pedipree stock could be' held, when • bree-iers and others would have the pick of the and to select from. This alone would be a great inducement to send their stock to the show.

CO-OPERATIVE FREEZING WORKS. The scheme to establish co-operative freezing works, which originated in the Wairarapa, has not created any great amount of enthusiasm on this ( side of the Range, says the "Manawatu Standard." Naturally the farmers wish tn be sure of their ground before committing themselves to a scheme which will entail the expenditure of a large amount of money, and they also desire to satisfy themselves whether the new works can be established on lines which will enable them to be run profitably. The his--1 tozy of some past ventures 'of this kind in the Dominion does not make pleasant* reading, and farmers from this coast, before being drawn into the scheme, will have to be convinced that the prospects of the proposed i company are sufficiently bright to ! warrant them giving their support. | In writing in this strain we are not ( endeavouring to throw cold water on the project, but rather to suggest a policy of caution, for it is well that the pros and cons of the matter should be fully considered before definite action is taken. The scheme is bound to evoke sympathy if only for the reason that it would permit farmers tn send their stock to their own works, and thereby secure larger returns, a position which no one can blame them for desiring to see estab-

lished. But the question that re quires deep and earnest consideration is the one raised by Mr Baisillie at the Farmers' Union meeting on Saturday Would farmers stick together and make a success of the concern?" Past experience Is not favourable to an affirmative answer, although it must be conceded that since the establishment of the Union they have shown some appreciation of the value of combination.