AUSTRALIAN IMPRESSIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 153, 29 June 1914, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN IMPRESSIONS.

. I MAYOR MAKES COMPARISONS. , ' LE-vON.S FROM THE OTIIEH SIDE. ; IXTERESTIXC INNOVATIONS [ PUOI'OSEJJv I ' - The Mayor of Auckland. Mr- C. J. ''Parr. 1.M.C.. returned i" Auckland 1 i I.v the Manuka, after an eight weekc.•'j holiday iv Australia. Seen by a -Star' • 1 representative this nioriiiiig. Mi". I'arr •had some very interc-ting obsorvation--1! to make concerning hie recent tour. MOTOIt IHS V. 'HUM. I In Melbourne, said Mr. Parr, they still . .have cable cars in the city proper. "1 In* leiiise ha- two years to run. and then the Corporation propose* to run electric cars land motor busi-.-. In fact, the motor 1 I bus lias already come largely into vogue •'in Melbourne.'and the Mayor counted 'lover HO plying for hire In that city. ' They compote with tlie trams along tho ' -am'e route, and ,-bar-e ihe ,-ame fire-. jTiiev arc nearly all douhle decker-, fitted with powerful Daimler engines. "The motor ha- come to stay.'' added the j Mayor, "it is a cheaper system than 'tram.-, a- the heavy initial .0.-to' making the track, and =<> on. i- avoided, line cannot help regretting that, thanks to our Cpper House., at the in-taii'-o ol the Tri'.mvvay Company. Ho- city of Auckland was debarred from ever ran- ■ I ning motor burstW LAXD VALVES. •In Collins Street— "Melbourne's principal thoroughfare- 1 noticed that a block oi land wa- -old for .I'llTo per foot, while in lieorge Street. Sydney, a choice site recently changed haul- at ilii.-.o ;ier foot. 1 also road in the "Star - ' the other day that a site in Oueoii street opposite the' Bank of Now Zealand, had been Bold for nearly tSOil per foot. Iv '.ompariug these figure.-, however, wo might not to forget that while Auok■land has 112.000 people, the population of .Melbourne is ir.is.iiui). and of Creator Sydney about 7.""ill.iiiiii. A big population | justifies, or rather oau-e-. high land value.-. Probably our Auckland prices jure not too high, but ai the ,-ame time il is a very good tiling indeed lo keep down any tendency to boom value.*.' A LESION IMP. Al"; KLANH. "Recently." continued the Mayor, "a propnsnl wa.- made to take a railway round ihe Sydney forisiiore in front of the lVitanie.il Hardens. 'Public opinion. ■however, was drill again.-t tiie idea. The necessity of preserving tiie beamy of the I foreshore and of Farm ; ,ye wa,- insisted upon, and ;!ie utilitarians were defeased. ; Hero is a u.-cful lesson for in- in dealing jvvitii the I'a.rnell waterfront. There is an excellent society in Sydney ealbd ■the Town •I'lamiiuo- Association, which jkr-f.js a watchful eye on all vandal proposals. 1: is represent:! live of many i;ilorrsts. and is. essoiuially voluntary. IWe need something of liie'kind badly in Auckland, whore we are only fa-ginning ito wake up to the paramount duty- of i preserving onr city characteristic and natural beauty spots." AN EXPERIMENT WORTH TRYI-N'li. In New Zea'.Mid we spend large sums :I on education, 'out in thi* respect Atls- | t ral-ia. is not far behind us. I: h- true tlttit in .some of ihe State* tin-re is nut free Craiumar School education, as 1,----practieally the ~we with w. They adhere largely 'to tlie sytieni of paying [uipi'is. wiih plenty of bnn-ariir- and ccholarsh.ips for tlie clever children or" poor parcir.s. On the other hand. however. 'X.SAY. is ahead of ns educationally in many There are nnmeTous continuation school* aiten led lat nigh; hy boys and girls vv h... have loft I school, and are earning their livings. I More money i.- spent on technical education. They also have I ravelling hospitals for llie ohildren of tlie hack •blocks, with a doctor, dentist and nurse attached, Indocxl. one of the hit's-, nuggosibins of the New South Wales <;.,.- ernment is io give free deniietry io ill who cannot afford it -otherwise. The . new school buildings are ail two-stor-eyed. Tills is not a bad idea in citi*. because i; leaves more land -for playing • purpei-rs. The building's. ~f course, ur? made .(uitc safe in ease ~, lire. A foa- • lure in yupMlslunH is the open air 'school. Thrr-e are of light eon.-trile-I tion. with one or (wo wa'.is of wood, an 1 with canvas r/.f and sidis for we; weather. So ,-ir-oossfnl has- liio system ! proved, and so large has hern the sav- | ing in 'building expenditure, that ihe ; Chief Secretary is propoising to faring it into operation in the out schools in Victoria. I imagine that if ih-esp cheap | pavilion schools, as they are called, are I'sliila-ble for Victoria, which is. quite as 1 j vet and cold' as New Zealand, an experi- '. > ment might well he worth trying in t!'. : s i country - ' ArSTRAETA'? TAHIxS. ' '-Tn Xew- Zealand the ( ity ( oun.-il-liave lo shoulder ibe whole burden of parks. lii Australia the general ilov eminent make and keep up the parks, or [ when tbe municipality has to do tlie i work, the Government iiivos liberal assistance. In .Melbourne and Sydney the Government maintains the magnilicent botanical gardens of each city, and gets no help from local rates. In M-d----hourne there are fourteen other parks -the maintenance of which is shared equally hy the Government- and the City Council. The attitude of the Government towards the City Councils is; much more henevolent than in New Zealand. In Sydney, for instance, the Governmenr pays il IS.IKIO per annum to the City ( oiincil in respect nf Government huilriinsrs. In Auckland we "el no rates whatever from the Government." FREE HOOKS FOR All NLANT). I | 'T with our Librarian." added the I Mayor, "ihat our system of lending books is out of date. Our line reference library is not fnllilling ils proper fun, ■ jtion. It should be a mine of literary and =oiei,tiiio information ut the genc-i! \ public. At present it is i,,;..,| „iilv '~,■ . tbo,o who have the leisure to c,, ,'],,.,,'.. Mr point is limit hook—-scionlihe. tocliiii'.•al. hi-ioricil. and biographical, at preseni l-.-.ld by a few. should he iirol,_'iil .Vllhill ! tilt- reach of all. Iv other Words, vv.- ---! should Icti 1 any respectable ciii/.-n any book In- vvanis to lead wiilioui m ikiim ! any ,ha rite. Al preseni otn lending' depar: i mem is conlined a!mt:.=t eniirely lo Cm ; latest lb-lion and pn;-boilers, it is ~,,> ,Ihe business of the miinicip.iliiy ;.. | supply in vv hole-ale do-es a lot of lie: in :. which i- right enough in it- prop -r pine: ami "If we want an intelligent population, we should encourag i,,0 reading of the best books, free ~{ c.,.-.. lo the reader, in Sydney this system iin full swing. There the -i-ie;-.,-?-. arts. technical trades, liistorv. so . Ir-i- ---■ vol. are all provide! free. >~mc li.ri.-.n also i- supplied, but it kept, a year behind. Th -re is also a splonded -iii! drcn's scclicn. which U largch i.i,-e-l i... the young people. The reader ha* i « rnk ; in vblvh to read liie book, and ainvjnc t

I who is a ratepayer, and also brings n certificate that he i- a respectable, decent person, can he put on the hooks as a borrower. After careful investigations 1 propose to advise our Library Committee io follow a similar line of action. . The ro.-ult. 1 am sure, of offering free I facilities to the public to read tiie best and most informative literature, will be to rai.-e the general average of culture through the whole community.' 1