The farmer is seldom articulate. He does not shout his troubles from the housetops; but, sooner or later, something must be done for the farmers ruined on the Taieri.
It is four weeks now since the flood started. Consider the position of the men who farm these lands: Their chaff and oats are ruined; their turnip crops and winter feed are buried beneath inches of mud and 5 or 6 feet of water.
One thing is certain — even if the water suddenly disappeared overnight, there would not be a blade of grass to be seen, and it is doubtful if the Henley flooded area will see any green grass until early next summer. And we have hardly touched winter yet!
The plain fact is that many farmers are absolutely ruined.
From the slump of two years ago they were all slowly recovering — and now comes this dreadful setback.
There is no winter feed; no likelihood of spring feed; a possibility of further floods: blank ruin for many a struggling farmer.
— I am, etc, Fred Waite
Watch your gauge
The instruments set in the dash of the car are there for a purpose, and when they do not function as they ought to something is wrong, and it must be righted before going on.
The ammeter is a delicate instrument, but its purpose is there. When the lights are switched on with the engine not running, the reading on the ammeter should be normally 5 to 8 amps (discharge).
If the pointer should go all the way back when switching on the lights, there is a short in one of the circuits that would soon run the battery down or set fire to the car if the wire is run near any material liable to burn.
With the engine running at about 15mph and no lights on, the reading of the ammeter should be 10 to 15 amps “charge.”
— by ‘Accelerator’
Plunket decries sex abuse
The New Zealand Society for the Protection of Women and Children has forwarded to us a copy of a letter which it has addressed to the Prime Minister with respect to the frequency of cases of sexual offences involving children.
"The society wishes to urge upon the Government the absolute necessity for better protection of young boys and girls, realising that the effect upon the victims is that of a lifelong injury and calamity.
"When a little girl is the victim the ruin of the body is accompanied by a stain on the mind and soul that can never be removed.
"In the case of boys they become possessed of a horrible and sinister knowledge, which may return in the form of a temptation to them for the rest of their lives, and cause them to follow in the footsteps of their betrayers.
"The society feels that the ruin of the innocence of these children is moral murder, and as such is worthy of drastic punishment.
"The society feels that it may rely upon New Zealand men who form juries to deal with sexual offenders as they would wish them to be dealt with were the assaulted children their own." — ODT, 21.5.1923
Compiled by Peter Dowden
