JOHN BURNS'S IDEALS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 100, 21 January 1908, Page 10

JOHN BURNS'S IDEALS

. Mr. John Bums,' M.P.," speaking at a crowded, meeting at. Burnley, at wliich he distributed", the prizes 'to the students of - tjib Municipal Technical School imd School of Art, said the advantages of education .were first realised by that very prescient and pushful nationality the Scotch. Sixty per cent, of,the present Government were Scotch. (Laughter.) Ho Appealed to employers to be more considerate to their men, to extend tlie holidays of foremen and leading hands, and to send them through the Continent- bf Europe as itiilustrial Autolycuses, snappers, up of unconsidered trifles. 1 That would help the foremen, arid incidentally develop the industries. 'l'hey wanted unskilled labour, lowly paid labour, t6 be better treated, to be decasualised. As Minister for Unemployment he could say it was .not, true that a man wafc too old at forty. Sixty per cent, of the irien who applied for work at Distress Committees were under forty, but 90 per cent, were unskilled,'casual, or general labourers. Tho fault he had to find with the workiiigcla'ss was the meanness of their wants, tho misery of their desires, the poverty of their aims, tastes, and ideals. Ho wanted education to firo thorn with inspiration, nobler aims, higher ideals. (Cheers.) They had a hundred race meetings and a thousand golf-courses. Germany had- not a dozen. Ho warned them against professionalised football. Ho was not a melancholy "kill-joy." He walked, he could run, he haa been known to box; and he had boon taken three times to hospital for playing football — not looking on. (Laughter and cheers.) They said, "John Burns, has got £200,000 as a Treasury grant For tho unemployed." Thoy askfcd him to make a new heaven and a new oarth with that sum. Why did they not do it themselves, with three "millions a weok wasted on drink, betting, and gambling, and rise to tho level of their duties and responsibilities. (Loud cheers.)

Whirlwinds of small dimensions aro frequently Been oil windy days, but nt Fairlio recently one of proportions very unusual in tliiß couutry was scon by a good many people, Buys the "Timiini Post." An eyewitness describes the phenomenon as follows : —At 2 o'clock a perfect calm prevailed, hut a'few minutes past a light wind arose. A minute later a whirlwind was seen in tho middle of the main street of the township, and for fully two minutes it kept within a space of twenty or thirty yards. ' A : tremendous cloud of dust rose to a height of considerably over 200 ft. Tho pillar of dust was not moro than 30ft. in diameter at the base, while it tapered away to a point.. It.grndually rose, and a minute or two later looked Jike a cloutl.," l - the *fcy«