THE SCHEME OF THINGS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 3, 3 July 1926, Page 16

THE SCHEME OF THINGS

(By M.H.0.)

It is very enlightening to read in "The Leader" of tho new Government tal plans which arc being formulated in. Melbourne just now. It 13 set forth that perhaps the greatest numbers of people in the communities are those whose incomes range from £250 to £300 per annum. They have a certain position to keep up, and find that their money just covers current expenses, with no possibility of saving. When illness comes it is a catastrophe which complicates their financial position, and worries them for months, or perhaps years, after they have recovered from their ailments. These are tho people for whom tho Government now proposes to build intermediate hospitals, to bo | run. on tho 'community plan, aud thus save a great deal of expense. The patients who cannot afford to pay anything will go 'to the public hospitals as usual, but a very moderate scale will be arranged for tho intermediates. It is said that there are over 200 private hospitals in Melbourne, all of which make extremely high charges. It would seem that the room for tho new scheme ia quite undoubted, and that it will supply a real need. This scheme will bo followed with much, interest, as the same need exists in every community. Mention is also,made of the fact that the Government is going to tighten up the censorship of films very considerably. It. is recognised there that there is a world-wide movement in this direction, and Melbourne does not mean to be left behind. The third reference is to new. plans -for tho "border-line cases," which are to be provided for at residential schools, and farms of segregation. They will be taught and cared for and made as happy as possible. All this looks as if real progressive Government is extant over tho Tasman, and it is to be hoped that some of tho "thought waves" will be wafted over the sea to a little country that could do with some new ideas in all three directions. * * •

Interesting mention is made in the "Christian Science Monitor" of the recent Bill dealing with newspaper reports which has been before the British Parliament. The fact that the Bill passed in its first stage. by a large majority, 222 voting for it and only 3 against, does not apparently mean that the Bill will become law as it stands, as the opponents will "fall upon it" in Committee, and those who think that it will interfere unduly with the freedom of the Press will endeavour to get modifications later. What it does men undoubtedly is that all par-, tics have agreed that the time has come to control the flood of undesirable nows now disseminated in a certain description of newspaper which unfortunately exists iv ■ every country. While the decent papers which cater for decent people avoid all "nasty details".in divorce and other proceedings, there are papers which revel in them, and provide reading of the most damaging character for the sort of young and old folk who arc on the look-out for the worst kind of information. Recent books deal so clearly and intelligently with the power of written and spoken suggestion; for good ■ and evil that it is surprising that there are not more educated men at the head of affairs who are aware of the trouble and expense which they are laying up jCaif} uaqAV a[doad pun s;usonu3Aog aoj allow sordid details—which have often little to do with a case—to bo sent forth for the reading of the people. It is reasonable to allow that each and every delinquency should be reported, for publicity is of the greatest value as 'a doterrent, allowing for the suppression of the names of young people and first offenders; but to put in details is simply pandering to a gossiping inclination which is most unworthy in all people. As the Bill is now drafted it provides for imprisonment up to three months, and fines up to £500, for the publication of reports "calculated to injure public morals." • • • A Swedish visitor to Melbourne, Miss Friedner, spoke very interestingly to an assemblage of women about an in- I Btitute which has done very fine work ever since its establishment—the. Fried- . rike Bremer organisation. The founder was a lady whose thoughts were far lihead of her timq, for sho was born in "1801, and died in 1865. She belonged ,lo a good family, and interested her»elf in the welfare of unmarried women, ,who were entirely dependent on the parents, and when, these died had to be taken by other relatives, for it was not thought "comme il faut" for women of any class to work for themselves except privately in the homes of these relatives. The dependant position was often most painful, and Friedrike Brotter set herself the task of trying to remedy it. She wrote her ideas, and formulated them wherever possible, and in 1884 a society came into existence, and received her name as an appreciation of the reform she had begun. Following this a number of women were properly trained as teachers, and then tiicy were admitted' to the Boyal Collogo at Stockholm to finish tlieir training. The society then opened up a number of other fields of work, and later a special society was formed to get the vote for women. Soon after this was accomplished, they won seats in Parliament, and now there are six women there, and several on every community Council. The account is interesting from the point that it was not till the founder of the thought was dead that her ideaa came to fruition. Therefore it behoves every woman' reformer to take courage and think that her plans and ideas will come to pass if they are really for the benefit of humanity, though not possibly in her lifetime. But the real altruist would not mind that, as long as the thing itself was accomplished.