NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 14, 16 July 1931, Page 12

NEWS OF THE DAY

To School on Saturday Morning. The Tramways Committee recommended to the City Council last evening that, on payment of an additional 6d per month, school tram tickets should be endorsed as available for travelling up to 1 p.m. on Saturdays in the case of scholars who produce a certificate from the' principal or headmaste. .of their school that they' attend classes at schools on Saturday mornings. Tho recommendation was adopted. | ■ Journalists's Enterprise. Although the-trend in Australia has been definitely towards tho amalgama-' tion of newspaper interests, news which reached Wellington this week indicates that in the1 country districts of the Commonwealth at least there is still room for the smaller paper of the bright, tabloid variety. In Dubbo a now tri-weekly, "The Evening Post," has made its bow, and its founder and part-proprietor is Mr.' Alan C. Baume, a former New Zealand journalist, who in recent years was associated with the publications of Smith's Newspapors, Ltd., Sydney. Mr. Baume, with many other newspaper men," was left without a position after the recent mergers in Sydney, but he lost no time in launchin"' out on his own account. ' Acquiring an interest in a printing business in Dubbo, he decided to establish a paper, and' tho result has boen the successtul publication of a twelve page tri-weekly conducted on tabloid lines. , Copies to hand indicate substantial advertising support and the inclusion of attractive features. Mr. Baume is a son of Mrs. E. W. Kane, of Wellington. ' ' Get What You Pay For. ' • "It is interesting to note the quality of British goods in connection with tire I King's Wharf station plant," said Mr.1 W. J: Holdsworth, chairman of the j Auckland Power Board, at a meeting l of the board on Monday (reports the i "New Zealand Herald.") He had seen I in use at the station that morning ai machine which had been built 20 years I ago. It' was ' carrying a bigger load i now than, it was estimated to carry when it was built. Mr. M. J. Bennett remarked that they were making better goods twelve years ago. "What is I happening is that we are not getting I tho samo margin of.safety," said the I general manager, Mr. E. H. ■ Bartley. I "You now get from British firms what, you pay for. It is' a • matter of com-1 merce. The margin of safety has been I cut down to enable British firms to con-1 tend with competition from America, and the Continent." I Inter-Empiro Trade. Emphasising the importance attached to inter-Empire trado by the British Government, Mr. K. Darroih, secretary of tho New Zealand Navy League, in an address to Nelson school children, said that £450,000 had been allocated to the Empire Marketing Board this year for the encouragement of tho purchaso of Dominion.and Home goods. Tho board also gave sums for research work at agricultural colleges, which might lead to the farmer, producing more at a lesser cost, and so enabling tho Empire to compete more favourably with foreign competition. The speaker outlined the Marketing Board's system of advertising. : '' You know it is no use having an article if you do not advertise it," he said. Mr. Darroch displayed typical posters which 'the Marketing Board displayed in advertising Dominion and Home products and encouraging tho purchase of such goods, and asked the pupils to always encourage tho purchase of goods from countries in tlio British-Empire. Brisbane's Quandary. ! "Mistakes have boen made in Brisbane which'we on no'account must follow in Auckland," declared Dr. W. H. Horton, on arrival in Auckland by the Marama on Tuesday, states the Auckland' "Star." Dr. Horton has r'oturned from Australia after an absence of two months. "The civic affairs in Brisbane are in a very peculiar position," said the doctor. Thero. was an accumulated civic debt of £19,000,000, and in order to balance the budget this year it had been found necessary to reduce the civic expenditure by £760,000. The figure seemed .incredible, but he had ' obtained his information from a very reliable source.. On the slogan "Reduction in rates"-a party which termed itself the Civic Reform Party had been elected three months ago.- At that time the rates wero 3s 7d in the & on improved value. When the party took over office they found that the city of Brisbane had obtained from tho Commonwealth Bank the sum of nearly £1,000,000 on the security of unpaid rates. Such a position of affairs could not happen in Now; Zealand. "The question thus arises as to whether a Stato Bank, subject to political influence, is of any real value to the community. The general opinion seems lo be that the Commonwealth Bank has put Australia in the position that it is in to-day," said_ Dr. Horton. None of the civic services—electric lighting, trams, abattoirs, etc, —was paying, and the Brisbane City Council had prevailed on the State Treasurer to guarantee an overdraft up to £460,000, in order t.o enable them to carry on. It seemed almost inevitable that the city of Brisbane must default to the Stato. What, action the State would, take' in the matter it was impossible to say, but it had to be remembered that the .State had ''wished" the public services on-to the civic authorities. City Conveniences. , In accordance with notice given. Councillor J. M' Eldowney moved at last night's meeting of the City Council that a special committee should be set up to' inquiro into, the a cost of upkeep of city conveniences. He maintained that thero was room for a good deal of economy. He'maintained that a saving of £1600 could be effected without inter fering with the attention given rhe work. Councillor E. Somple said that he thought the proposal iva. going to 'ridiculous lengths; it was essential that the conveniences should be kept spot, loss, and that undesirable features should bo rigorously excluded. Coun cillor T. Forsyth said that the Works Committee had inquired, into the cost, but had come to the conclusion that it could not carry on efficiently with less. Tho Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, said; that he did not think that a special committee was necessary, and suggested that tho enquiry could be mado by tho Health Committee, to which Councillor M'Eldowney could bo attached in that regard, though not in a voting capacity, as that would not be possible under tho standing orders. This was agreed to. -~..■

Chilean Training Ship. Advice has been received, by the Internal Affairs Department that the Chilean training ship General Baquedano, which was mentioned in Saturday's "Post" as being expected at Sydney shortly in the course of her twentyeighth tour, is expected to call at Auckland between 11th and 28th August. Further information regarding the visit, including the possibility of Wellington being included in the itinerary, is being awaited from the Chilean Con- r sul, Mr. E.A. Craig, at Auckland. Where the White Man Treads. "In the past the whito man has robbed the birds of their homeland, most of their homes, persecuted them, and destroyed them in all manner of ways, laid waste the forests with fire, and imported plant-eating animals in a seemingly hopeless., endeavour to attain prosperity," states the latest bulletin issued by the New Zealand Natives Birds Protection Society. "The Maori did not daily toil from eight to five and lived in health and strength in.the same land for 800 years without laying the land waste. It has been aptly said that we "should give the country back to the Maori and apologise for making sueb a mess of it. A. ray of light is now, however, appearing on the distant horizon, and it may be that the white man will before long realise that he must work with Nature, not against her, lest he perish." White Island' Activity. Travellers on the Bay of Plenty coast road on Monday were struck with tho unusual appearance of White [sland (says the Auckland "Star's" Te Puke correspondent). Sharply silhouetted against the skyline, and rising clearly from a calm sea, signs of activity could be plainly distinguished. High column's and billows of steam appeared to riso from the water's edge,.and drift lazily away into the distance. In the1 clear atmosphere '-Whale Island, Plato Island, the Schooner Rock, and Ruriina Rocks appeared to be but a few miles off shore, and tho long sweep of breakers along the Bay of.Plenty coast was dis cornible.for leagues ••in either direction. The Opotiki • correspondent states that on Sunday "White Island appeared to bo very active. . An" enormous volume of steam came from the crater and rose to a great height. It then disappeared to "the north-west in a long cloud. It is a ■ long time since such a great volume of steam has been seen." School Gardening. Surprise at tho amount expended for school garden seeds for the month— between £&0 and £50—was expressed by Mr. C. ,-H. Nicholls at tho Education Board meeting yesterday. . He said that accounts had been paid for enough 'onion seed to plant tho whole of the, North 'Island. Dr. J. W. M'Hraith (Senior Inspector) said that the rather heavy .account was due to the fact that all the-schools had been asked to carry out gardening- experiments in the growing of onions. The inspectors had been advised to shift the emphasis from indoor wor,k to gardening work out,of doors. Flower seed costs wore being cut down to the minimum, and schools had been advised that flower seeds would have to bo obtained from the pupils' homes. Thousands of quite good plants, said Dr. M'llraith, wero thrown away each spring.. Mr. W H. Jackson expressed the view that the encouragement of home gardens was much more valuable than school gardens! The encouragement of home gardens was the outcome of school gardens, and the encouragement of gardens at. homo could not bo overstressed,' as it taught tho children a life-long habit.