ENCOURAGING THRIFT.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 138, 12 June 1926, Page 8

ENCOURAGING THRIFT.

Thrift is a misunderstood virtue; many fail to recognise that thrift means thriving, and that tho<se who practise it are performing a service not only to themselves, but to the whole nation. Too frequently there is a tendency to regard thriftiness as evidence of meanness of spirit, completely failing to recognise that a man, or a nation, whose income is spent as fast as it comes in has no reserve in time of crisis, and is left up in the air if adverse circumstances cause a sudden cessation of the normal inflow.

The value of thrift to a nation was never better illustrated than by the marvellous recovery of France after her defeat in the Franco-Prussian war, when the peasantry, calling upon their carefully collected reserves of coin, were able to discharge the tremendous liability involved in the indemnity within six months, and to resume the normal course of trade as soon as the invader had crossed his frontier. Anything that tends to encourage habits of thrift in a people should receive wholehearted cooperation, and in this connection the work of the Auckland Savings Bank is especially worthy of commendation. For generations that institution, wisely and selflessly administered by publicspirited citizens, has assisted the less well endowed section of the community to save its pence and its pounds, and further has given wonderful assistance in the finest manifestation of thrift of all—the desire to own one's own home.

The bank's latest scheme is the establishment of school banks, a system which will influence the children in the formative period of their career and will assist to inculcate habits which will be of life-long advantage. The scheme has been submitted to the Education Board, and by them remitted to the Education Institute for consideration. Upon their view depends the future of the scheme. It is recognised that teachers have many and difficult duties t" perform, but few will be prepared to gainsay that their most important duty is the formation of character, ami hena thrift scheme must be of undoubted assistance. In New South Wales. South Australia, and Victoria school thrift banks have proved very successful; in South Africa the scheme, starting in a very modest way, has developed into a tremendous affair, many millions having been collected in this way, while the annual inflow is above a million. The proposal is worthy the very careful consideration of the Teachers' Institute.

The Savings Bank is already performing another admirable work in connection with Thrift Clubs' amongst employees generally. The scheme is simple in operation and only requires the goodwill of employers to be thoroughly effective. The bank having received the necessary particulars, the employees elect their own collectors, who receive deposits, generally on pay-day. and enter the amount in the passbook. An officer of the bank calls on the collector, and receives the cash and the necessarydetails. This operation occupies about two minutes without involving any disturbance of the employees work. Thrift Club contributors are on the same footing as ordinary depositors, and have similar facilities as regards withdrawals. Over one thousand employees distributed amongst thirty-seven factories or shops are at present depositors under the scheme, which is thus doing a valu-

The Chief Postmaster has been advised that the Ulimaroa, which is due at Auckland on Tuesday next, has on board for Auckland I'M). Lags of mail and 37 parcels receptacles. It consists of ..'nglish, Australian aud Eastern mails. While coming down the gangway of the Kuapehu yesterday at Lyttelton, Jack Di'onigoole, aged 12 years, overbalanced and fell into the harbour. He struck the wharf, and broke one arm. A lifebelt kept him atloat until be was secured by a rope. He was afterwards removed to the Chrisichurch Hospital.

A cable has neon received in Wellington from Sir Harold Beauchanip deilnitelv accepting responsibility for bell No. 5 for the grand eariilon, which w__ reserved for him as president of tne Wellington War .Memorial Carillon Society. The price oi the bell is -•>*>-• Two prisoners, William Tasman Morris and James William Taxman -Morns, who are relatives, escaped from tne prison at Trentham on Thursday. Une was recaptured about midnight by warders at Upper Uutt, und tbe other early next morning, about 12 miles north ol Upper llutt. A motor lorry, belonging to the ,acuum Oil Company, and containing a load of benzine, collided with an outward bound tramcar iv Upper Queen Street at about a-quarter lo eleven this morning. The front apron of the tram was crumpled, and the head light and front window smashed. The lorry did not sustain any damage. Both the tramcar and the motor \ ere able to proceed under their own power.

During last night an unauthorised person paid a visit to .Messrs. Hellaby Bros.' premises (known as Xeilson'S) in Queen Street, Onehunga, but whether merely in search of a toothsome joint for the Sunday only or with designs upon the safe is not at the moment known. Un arriving at the shop this morning the manager (Mr. Thos. Brain) discovered that one of the wire netting panels on the front door had been torn away in order to get the door un-

fastened. The office had been ransacked, and the tloor was strewn with papers, .but no attempt had been made to force' the safe open. The nocturnal visitor's haul was limited to a leg of mutton. The finding of an empty sack on the floor nearby suggested that the intruder had been disturbed, and that depredations on a more extensive scale had been planned.

The Minister of Internal Affairs has sanctioned the issuing of debentures by the Onehunga Fire Board for raising capital to finance the erection of a fire brigade station with dwelling in Upper Queen Street, Onehunga. A meeting of the sub-committee appointed to deal with the tenders met yesterday afternoon, when the following were received. F. Gardiner, £0394; A. E. Pearce, £.->.5-->.>; J. R. Simpson, £4700; Adams and Hynes, £470fi: T. Downie, C 4.190; A. Lye, £4050; A. Willerton, £4V>.?: W. Morris, £4404; C. Clements, £4351; H. Campling, £-'292: T. RavpiJia'J. £42(10; Methvtrn and Foster, £4100 (accepted!; F. Morton, £40.^.

According to remarks passed at the annual meeting of the Citrus Fruitgrowers' Association, the importation of Italian lemons into this country was described as becoming a menace to the New Zealand industry. It was pointed out that the importation of the Italian product had increased from 122 cases in 1022 to 11,2.35 eases in 102."). The total imports from all sources in the same period had grown from 21,597 cases to 26,070 cases. The figures revealed an increase in weight of 22 per cent, and a fall in value of 38 per cent. It was contended that an analysis of the figures showed that it was the Italian lemons which had mainly contributed to the fall in prices.

''Regarding the buses."' said the Hon. R. F. Bollard, at a function in Wellington, '"the matter is in the hands of the people themselves. If they want to scrap the trams and go in for buses, it is their business, but personally I would be very sorry if it became necessary to do away with the trams. It is a l>ig question, but," and as his eye dropped on the pressmen present, who had exchanged glass for pencil, he suddenly became cautious—"l don't think it would be wise for mc to enter into the matter any further at present."

At a complimentary social tendered to Mr. R. A. Armstrong at Petone by the members of the Wellington Trotting Club the chairman (Mr. M. A. Carr), in introducing Mr. (leorge Baildon, Mayor of Auckland, to those present, said that when Mr. Baildon had been elected Mayor of Auckland he was also created a knight—to his friends. An apprehensive gasp was followed by the words that Mr. Baildon wa.s a K.C.M.G. The explanation followed, for it is said that when Mr. Baildon was elected lie was heard to say ''Keep Calling Mc George."

The Devonport Fire Brigade received a call last evening to the Auckland Gas Company's works in Lake Road, Devonport, where an explosion of ga s in the tar distilling plant had caused a quantity of tar to ignite. The outbreak at once became evident, for the explosion was followed by dense clouds of black smoke. The brigade soon had the fire under control, and was able to confine tho damage to the destruction of tlie roof sheltering of the plant. The plant itself was not injured in any way.

A mass meeting, convened br the Council of Christian Congregations, will be held in the large Town Hall at 2.30 ou Sunday afternoon, when the Rev. C. H. Ranston will preside, and a resolution will be submitted protesting against the granting of a license to the Ambassadors I lot 01. "The whole circumstances."' reads the proposed resolution, "call for the fullest investigation by the Government."

One of the most important land sales which has taken place in Otahuhu for some lime was completed yestcrdav, when a block of land in Station Road belonging to Mr. James Murphy was disposed of. the price being at the rate of £]2~>o per acre. There are 41 acres in the block, which will cut up into about twenty-four building sections. The purchaser is a resident of Avondale. A Press A-sociation message states that the Finance Committee of the Dunedin City Council recommends that an architect be instructed to prepare immediately plans for a town hall, the estimated cost, with organ, to be £90.000. The ladies of the Navy League, who have worked so hard in the past for the men of our naval fleet, are holding a sale of work on July 21 in their rooms. Sinidi Buildings, Customs Street. as advertised elsewhere, and hope to augment their funds, which are needed to assist th" =ailors of the Navy when in port. An important contract has been let by the Te Aroha Borough Council for the erection of a new ferro-concrete bridge across the Waihou River at the town. The successful tenderers are Messrs. Wilcox and Co.. of Auckland, whose r>ri< c ;- £!.">.791 JO. -p ]f , (•;_,,,