OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 August 1942, Page 4

OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS

VEGETABLE GROWING (To the Editor.) Sir,—May I thank Mr L. T. Daniell for his gratuitous reference to "crayfish politicians.” Either Mr Daniell doesn’t know what he is talking about, or it is a personal reference to myself, as I am the only member of Parliament on the committee. So Mr Daniell thinks a fixed or guaranteed price would produce the vegetables? Have we any evidence to sustain such a conclusion? None whatever. Isn’t there a fixed guaranteed price for wheat —twice the price of wheat in the last war —and we cannot get our 5.000 acre quota for this season, let alone 7,500 acres for next season, and 700 acres of potatoes for the Wairarapa. Since the Vegetable Committee was set up twenty-five vegetable farms have been organised, representing nearly 2,009 acres, to grow vegetables for our Armed Forces. That action will help the domestic market and is a great deal more definite and realistic than trying to relieve all citizens of their personal responsibility to grow their own vegetables and letting them put it on “the other fellow” to do the job for them. Does not Mr Daniell know there is a manpower problem and a transportation problem? How better can we solve those two problems than by everyone using their own spare labour on the ground around their own homes? This vegetable growing organisation has not been easy; we do not want to see ’ valuable labour used to grow surplus vegetables, but we must have enough, and if we have a surplus bn our Army farms, it can be used to help the domestic market if required. Our public institutions are growing extra vegetables. The Pukekohe growers have undertaken to grow 425 extra acres of vegetables, 400 acres of early potatoes, 80 acres of onions and in other districts about 200 acres extra will be cultivated by commercial growers. In Christchurch, a hundred acre project has been organised, and in Auckland, Whangarei, New Lynn, Hutt and several other places smaller schemes are in hand.

With regard to distribution, this is a Weak point in our provincial and smaller towns. What takes place in a city market, when a load of cauliflowers goes to the dump, or when a farmer ‘/feeds carrots to his pigs, is no criterion of the domestic vegetable position (even if it is good copy for newspapers and Farmers’ Unions). The will to win the war is the main issue and in view of labour demands and transportation difficulties, our slogan should be to make our homes sJf-supporting, our towns self-supporting, our North Island self-supporting and our Dominion self-supporting. I hope everybody will “get to it” for national service and family insurance.—l am, etc., BEN ROBERTS, Member for Wairarapa. Wellington, August 12. ST. MATTHEW’S CHURCH (To the Editor.) Sir,—l have been taken to task for what I in ignorance suggested regarding St. Matthew’s. Will you kindly grant me space to reply to T.T.D. I would like to inform him that I stand rebuked, with no heart for further nice gestures and that next time I want to go fishing I will make full inquiries about fishing rights, and as to whether the waters are cleai or muddy.—l am., etc., A. C. GAWITH. Longbush, August 12. A NEGLECTED STREET (To the Editor.) Sir—l wish to back up “Ratepayer of 40 Years” regarding Colombo Road south. There is a large mudhole at the corner of Kuripuni Street and Makora Road, with no water table to take it away. Sometimes the obsolete grader comes along the one car track, but it dodges the hole on the corner in case it should fall in. Perhaps those in authority cannot get round this way on account of tire wear, or is it the blackout? Thanking you for space—l am, etc ANOTHER RATEPAYER. Masterton, August 13.