NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 163, 7 April 1934, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY

A correspondent this morning, referring to the dog nuisance in Wellington, publishes a cofinNlnt which merits attention by the responsible City Council department. While not everybody will agree with the description of dogs in general as “filthy, noisy, and useless,” few will deny that it is deservedly applicable to the apparently ownerless dogs which roam the streets of Wellington, play in public reserves, and pad about on the beaches. It has been said again and again that, in comparison with other New Zealand centres, Wellington has unenviable distinction in the absence of street cleanliness. This may or may not be true, but the fact remains that there is every justification for protest alike from visitors and those citizens who take a pride in their city. Other cities do not forbid their citizens to own dogs, but most of them take drastic steps to enforce the responsibility of ownership by seizing and destroying dogs that appear to be under no control.

Enough point to make New Zealanders stop for thought is contained in Mr. Bernard Shaw’s advice to “drop butter” and concentrate on producing something other nations want but cannot produce. Although Mr. Shaw, as usual’, is speaking in caricature — for to abandon the dairying industry would virtually'spell ruin for the country, so dependent is it on a few staple industries —it might be well for New Zealand to concentrate on developing a greater variety of products, both primary and secondary. New Zealand in fact does produce much more than Mr. Shaw’s “Maori gateposts,” the number and variety of goods produced in the Dominion being infinitely greater than most people would suppose. But, in spite of that, there can be little question that there- is real scope for the development and encouragement of other primary'and secondary industries particularly suited to the country, on an intensive, if not an extensive, scale. All manner of things can be grown in New Zealand. Cannot some more of them than now be grown commercially? All manner of. articles could be manufactured from our own raw materials. Might it not be well to encourage the planting of the necessary industries, always provided they give promise of being able to stand on their own feet later? A committee of experts to explore the possibilities in these directions would prove of considerable worth in our future dealings with unemployment. *

No experienced charitable worker is a stranger to ingratitude. It is among the commonest of human failings, though, fortunately for our creature pride, it seldom manifests itself to the extent experienced by Wellington's City Missioner. He has been made a target for stones thrown by men he has been unable to help, because of lack of funds. Ironically enough, these attacks may serve the Rev. f. Bidden Taylor a useful purpose: they call public attention to the serious condition of the Mission’s finances. As Mr. Taylor admits,, the public “has been done to death in the last few years by appeals”.; yet the Mission’s need is great and urgent. In recent years this institution has played an important part in the general scheme of community relief. It has undertaken, and up to the present has succeeded in shouldering, a burden greater than , was dreamed of at the time of its establishment. As a result its funds have been exhausted. J here will be no meals for hundreds of destitute deserving men, let alone hoodlum stone-throwers, if help does not come. :K * * *

Although millions of pounds of capital have been sunk in the cable systems of the world, and although they perform their functions most efficiently, wireless will almost certainly be the general means of communication over ocean wastes in the future. 1 his makes one question the wisdom of high cable charges, which are causing some concern to the business community. In view of the competition facing cable interests at present, lower charges would probably be of benefit to all concerned.