NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 101, 2 May 1933, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Snow on Southern Alp*. Beneath a blue sky, the Southern Alps towards the ond of last week stood out in all the glory of their win' iki, whiteness, states a Hokitika correspondent. They presented a sight to charm any tourist!, • ■ Mayor and "Bed riag.'< The action of the Mayor of Pctone (Mr, D. McKcnzie) in presiding at a May Day meeting at whic)h the "Red Flag" was suug, ha£ aroustcd some unr friendly criticism. An explanation was made by Mr. McKensle to «'Tb« Post" today. "I presided at tho meeting last Sunday," lio said, "as aji impartial citizen at the request of tflie five Section*'of thought that were represented, but I must decidedly dissociate myself from any resolutions that were not loyal to King and country. To my surprise; tho discourteous act of singing tho 'Eed Flag' in my presence was indulged in- at the close of tho meeting." Interest and Tax No Cure. | Those who look to the Government, and to Government money to cure unemployment, may be interested in the following recent statement of the Government of Australia:—"Thiß year, the Commonwealth and State. Governments, in co-operation, have arranged finance for £18,000,000 for .works-to relieve the unemployed. There we only two legitimate sources of money for this purpose—money fforn lbaju and from revenue., No responsible person today would suggest that loan money should be spent on unemployment relief or sustenance. But it may be properly spent on reproductive -works. Neither Government* nor individuals should, as a. general rule, borrow money until they are confident that'they will be able to repay it. Failure to shdhere to this principle would ultimately greatly increase unemployment. Tho other source is money from revenue. Everyone knows that more revenue means more taxation. More' taxation lioday would mean less employment." N.Z. Postal Inventions. In one corner of the Chief Post Clffiee at Wellington a datq-stamping machine has the rapid chatter of * quick-fiSring cun. That machine (writes Mr.. Leo Fanning in the "New Zealand Bailmys Magazine") take* »00 letters a minute, and it haa a hungry hum, as if it w«re eager for even larger feeds. It is pleasant to be told that this speedy stamper is a New Zealand invention, and that it wa« made at Petone. Another vtsry helpfnl New Zealand invention « tfce automatic franker, in use in tho'Mands of private offices throughout tfcc Dominion. The stamp-vending machine at the entrances of a number of poet offices were also invented in New Zealand by a former employee of the Fort Office, and they are ndw being made w this country. ' r ' •"• , The Spelling of Pelorns. Several publications, including K. Dieffcnbaeh's "Travels in New Zealand," indicate ■ that the name of «. well-known Mariborongh sonnd is a misspelling of "Pylorus,** the'name of a.i British brig which visited the Inlet in 1838. Tho question was referred to Mr. Johannes Andersen, librarian of the Turnbull Library, whose researches support a belief that tho ship's name was Pelorus, not Pylorus. "McNaty in 'The Old Whaling, Days,' appeared to have no doubt," aays Mr. Andersen, "but I suppose better authorities are contemporaries, such as A. Russell, in •A Tour through the . Australian Colonies,' 1840, who speaks of the Pelorus examining the recently discovered 'river'—the sound; and better, 'A Naval Biographical Dictionary,' by W. K. O'Byrne, 1849, when writing up Captain Harding, who was on the Polorus from 1837-39, and during tho. tiino she was in New Zealand waters in 1838. I suppose the spelling 'pylorus' would hardly be xtieA, as the word 'pylorus' lias a definite meaning—being the opening o£ the stomach into tho duodenum." The name Pelotus was borne by a pilot in Grecian mythology.

Building Lull. '.. ' The value of the building permits issued in Dunedin for the mouth of April is tlio lowest monthly since >lay, 1918] (states "The PostV' Dunalin correspondent). Only twenty-four permits1 of a total value of £3519 wore issued, while in May, 1918, when thoi-c was v, lull in build nig on uccount of the war, the value was £3294.

Where Is It Going?

Pew people who are in a position to know doubt that silver coins, especially the half-crown variety, arc rapidly disappearing from the Dominion. It is the British-minted coins that aro making an exodus, those of Australian mintage remaining in circulation. That being the case, it hardly needs a Sherlock Holmes to deduce that advantage is being taken of the 25 per cent, rate of. exchange, and that the silver is finding its way to England, smuggled-in passengers' luggage or by other means, and this in spite of the ragulationa prohibiting the taking of more than a small quantity of silver oat of the country. M.ere prohibition! as regards the export of silver are apparently, inadequate for the stopping of the .'practice, and yet it is difficult to sec .how this disappearance of silver is to be curtailed. Short of a drastic search of the person and luggage of everyone leaving the ■ country, there socms no way of stopping this form of smuggling. There may be heavy penalties for those unlucky enough to be caught, but apparently the game is considered worth the riak. "By the end of th» current year," remarked, a banker to a "Post" representative today, "I estimate that somewhere. about. a quarter of a million ia aihrer. will probably have left New Zealand. That will represent a total profit of some £00,000, divided up,, amongst those wJio have been game'enough to take tbe risk."