DOMINION TOPICS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 80, 28 December 1935, Page 18

DOMINION TOPICS

Trunk Air Route. A great deal has yet to be done in preparation for the reception of the two great overseas mails, which will begin to arrive at the end of next year from Safi Francisco and sometime in 1937 from Australia and London. Every centre south of the ocean terminal at Auckland will be loud in protests if the Dominion’s internal air organisation is not ready in time to cope with the now service with expenditure comparable to that used in Hying the mails to Auckland from overseas. The new Government is not to blame for the existing backward condition, but it possesses a great opportunity, if it will seize it, to raise New Zealand nearer to modern air standards. Air service in most countries is no longer a dream of the future but an everyday and practical reality. The younger generation wonders when New Zealand is going to wake up to the possibilities and exploit them. A national trunk route should be one of the first objectives and, as already indicated, there are a great many other directions in which any modern Government should have regard for this new and growing transport factor.—“ New Zealand Herald.”

"Well Played, Wales!” Our third visiting Rugby team has had to “eat the leek” and admit defeat by the one national team respected above all others by the New Zealanders—the team which New Zealand most desired to defeat. Strangely enough, Wales, though always making a good show in club and international matches against colonial visitors, has not the successful international record against the others that it. has against New Zealand, having been beaten three times by South Africa and once iu two games against the Australians. Yet when New Zealand meets Wales the Rugby temperature always goes up far above the point registered in other international matches. These two have sorted themselves out as the countries most capable of exhibiting Rugby in exceisis. They play the same inspired game, throw convention to the winds, hazard the issue at times on one throw, either to win or retrieve. Once again they have thrilled the Rugby world in Britain, and Wales has won the rubber, just as we in New Zealand would have it won—by great football and a narrow margin. Well played, Wales!—“Auckland Star.”

Peace Ballot. It must be an uncommon mind indeed which can express itself in a simple affirmative or negative in reply to many of the questions of which these so-called “peace ballots” are composed. That the people of New Zealand will seriously ponder the revelations of this college questionnaire it would be rash to assume. A few months ago a somewhat energetic local discussion on pacificism found its stimulus in a resolution-of student origin which had been dropped unexpectedly into the otherwise placid waters of a church congregational meeting. The circumstances may have been calculated to convey the impression that Otago University was a particular stronghold of extreme pacificism. Seeing that only 37 per cent, of the eleven hundred odd students at this institution took any notice of the questionnaire, it is gratifying to be able to judge that any such suggestion has been apparently groundless. The “clarifying” value of the inquiry instituted has been just about-what might have been expected.—“Otago Daily Times.”

Broadcast Parliament. The Minister of Internal Affairs’ intimation that he and his colleagues may disseminate their opinions among the people through the use of the radio will leave most of the electors uninterested. It is one thing to listen to a political address during a heated election "campaign; it would be quite another thing to sit happily through such broadcast speeches or debates as might at intervals be sent over the air for three years thereafter. The majority of listeners-in, we should imagine, would find sufficient- energy to walk to the radio set, risk switching on to a crooner, and say, like Queen Victoria in other circumstances. "We are not amused.” —“Evening Star,” Dunedin.

Barrier or Strait. The extent to which Cook Strait divides New Zealand becomes painfully evident at holiday times, for if it could be bridged, not in the literal sense, with less expense than at present it would open doors for greatly extended holiday tours. Quite recently a Picton hotelkeeper stated that far from Picton being one of Wellington’s playgrounds, it was patronised chiefly by South Island people not only because of the cheap fares on the service lines, but because it was accessible by land to the growing number of motor tourists. The matter is of considerable interest to the South Island tourist resorts. One great impediment to their development is the Cook Strait crossing for a motor tourist. The shipping company has reduced the scale of charges for motorcars on a measurement basis to a figure that is much more favourable than that obtaining, say, for a Channel crossing from the Old Country, but there are anomalies, including the fact that Picton has a railway wharfage rate for cars 50 per cent, greater than that of Wellington or Lyttelton. Inasmuch as a cheap rate for car transport would induce passenger business on the inter-island steamers, a strong case could be made out for the most liberal concessions in this direction. The automobile associations should not bo allowed to fight the matter out for themselves, for the whole of the tourist resorts of both islands have an interest in it. —“Star-Sun,” Christchurch.

Big Task Ahead. A big scheme of highways development is planned for the whole Dominion and the Minister incidentally has already made sure of the support of the motoring community by his assurance that the petrol tax will be used solely for road construction and maintenance. Evidently Mr. Semple is starting out on his Ministerial career with the commendable vision of a Dominion-wide scheme of cheap, comfortable and convenient transport, but it is going to be no simple task to reconcile conflicting interests and to give the public the maximum service at the minimum cost. He will need all the help that can be given him and would be well advised to keep a stock of aspirin in the medicine chest. '—“New Zealand Herald,’-

Matriculation Standards. The university entrance examination has been, and remains, by no means a sufficiently severe test of fitness for undergraduate work. Only the stiffer papers approach a fair standard. Teachers may, of course, expect the university to give notice of any definite attempt t-o raise the entrance standard to suit its own purpose; but they should be quite clear with tihemsblves, first, that within the syllabus as it stands papers may be on the hard side or on the easy, and second, that the harder rather than the easier are to be approved. But if teachers feel that harder papers, though within the syllabus, must make the leaving certificate undesirably difficult to earn for candidates who need nothing else, their proper course is to move the university and the Education Department to end the present compromise, the university becoming free to set its own, sufficient standard, the department assuming full responsibility for the certificate. Nothing, at present, can be more harmful than criticism, without distinction, which, if it may be supposed to have any effect at all, can -only have that of maintaining a low university entrance standard, tied to that which is considered high enough for the leaving certificate; —Christchurch “Press.” Board Members.

Messrs. Forbes and Coates rendered themselves impotent by legislating into places of responsibility these boards composed of men devoid of imagination or of anything else that was likely to meet requirements in a hopeless emergency. They were business men who had earned distinction in their own walks of life, but their horizon was limited almost entirely by just that concentration on making their own concerns pay. In running a country there must be a considerable amount of give and take, and it is impossible to lay down a set of rules for the direction of those who control matters. We have remarked before that progress in New Zealand has been restricted in the past twenty years because inspiration has been sought by Prime Ministers from this class of business man who is really a specialist and seems physically incapable of embarking on any project which involves the taking of risks. We speak of the strange variety of caution and thrift which refuses to discount the future even to a mild degree where schemes of development are. concerned, but will cheerfully approve of erecting gigantic buildings that will be demanding taxation on useless space from several generations of New Zealanders. —“Southland Daily News.” Christniastide.

By virtue of the good custom that has blessed the world, families are united at Christmas time by some irresistible influence; indeed, one of the distinguishing features of the Christmas season is that it serves to strengthen the home life of the people. The attraction of the family roof-tree demonstrates the fundamental principle upon which modern society is built, namely that within the family “all are members one of the other.” The angelic message with its expression of love and the manifestation in the ministry of cheer, is still a potent factor in uplifting the world. Right down the years, the bells have been ringing out the old to ring in the new. The invigorating charm of Christniastide, - however, still retains its tonic influence, despite the dark clouds that sometimes have darkened the skies. But it is becoming more patent every day that the solution of the bewildering problems now confronting the world, can be found in the realisation of the Christmas ideal with its human kinship and fraternity of good will.—“Timaru Herald.” Value of Statistics.

The census and the regular vital statistics could be made to yield more guidance on the placing of juveniles. Their lot in the depression years was especially hard. Not only were the usual openings for employment closed; so were the training colleges and recruiting for the Civil Service. Many boys and girls who left school in those barren years may never be firmly placed in regular occupations, while this year’s output is experiencing no difficulty. Study of the statistics should enable this maldistribution of opportunity to be avoided, or at least minimised, so far as official action can influence the position. That is but. one instance of how statistics shoul 1 be exploited to plane off the peaks and fill up the troughs in our economic life. It will not be easily achieved, but Mr. Nash is making a good beginning by seeking to work from ascertained facts. —"New Zealand Herald.” On Thinking.

One is never too old to learn how to think—or too young—and yet it is a fact that very few people ever do think, in the sense of deliberately assembling in the mind all related data at one’s command. The inference is that the habit of thinking is not acquired in childhood, because once it is acquired it is never lost. It is perfectly true that the newer educational methods aim at the development of intelligence and the very “intelligence tests” that are nowadays common are designed to encourage children to think for themselves, but it is a sad fact that in the schools of the Mother Country—and it may be that the schools of the Dominion offend in the same way—the minds of the children are being burdened with masses of unrelated facts and the process of assembling related facts is almost neglected. There is very little conscious teaching of thinking in this sense.’and this is not to be wondered at if it is true, as one publicist asserts, that there is not anywhere to be found a simple satisfactory dictionary definition of thought. —“Star-Sun.” Christchurch.

Gold Exports. The gold that is left in New Zealand is becoming harder to procure, thus necessitating the aid of costly plant, which not even Mr, Webb’s “substantial proportion of the proceeds of the gold export tax” (which yields a mere £100.009 a year', could be expected to cover. Everybody connected with the industry will wish the Minister well in his plans to assist the prospecting and development of new mines, but there must be many people wjio would show a preference for the proposal to abolish the tax and so help companies who are already involved in heavy produelion costs to win payable orc from the earth. There is a feeling abroad that no tax at present levied in New Zealand acts more directly as a drawback on industry.—“ Evening Star,”- Dunedin. _