FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 121, 18 November 1939, Page 11

FIFTY YEARS AGO

ITEMS FROM THE "POST"

LIBRARY AND TOWN HktJ;

?., "The site approved by the City Counl": •., cil. for the proposed Free Public ;''---'iJi:b.rary,.,.ahd--also, no doubt, for the :,;-:/ Town Hall of the future, is an exceed-' kA'L-. ' ingly.. • suitable one," remarks "The s^7v Post" this week fifty years ago. "It is piy .very, centrally situated, is sufficiently j j ; yfv,\ Vlarge, and:ls easily approachable. No can,'-we think, raise any reasonable 'ijfi.:i ; objection to it, and we hope soon to see j ; .)V..: a fine building:upon it. The scheme E'.;' . projidunded by the reserves committee, j.::.> ■ arid approved by the council; for tak- ":": ing'advantage of Mr. Levin's liberal gift ? .; .. of £1000 is a; prudent one, and there £ k-'^ Should be no difficulty in fulfilling the i ;sc; conditions..: The number of subscrip':.';'f.-:: tipns, as yet received, is not as large ought to-be. There are a great >:^f~".-;':in'aliy;-.bf bur citizens well able to contribute, and who ought to. do so, who have not yet communicated with the Mayor on the subject. We would • strongly urge all those who intend to contribute to send in their names at once. We should like to see the success of the scheme assured before Mr. Duthie's term of office expires. It would be a graceful compliment to him that this should be so. Mr. Levin's generous offer came through him, and he has supplemented it personally in a very liberal manner. We are sure he would go out of office with very pleasant feelings if able to hand over to his successor a subscription list sufficient to start the Free Public Library upon. The Town Hall, so.,.badly .needed by the capital city,, m'usf," we' fear, remain as yet a dream of the future. But in the case of the Free Public Library it may well be said, that he who gives quickly gives double, and we trust that the hint will, foe taken." , •. . AMERICAN WOOL DUTIES. "The admission of Australasian wool to American ports, either at a reduced rate of duty or altogether. free, was one of the advantages hoped for as likely to result from the establishment and maintenance of the San Francisco mail service. The hope has not been realised, and realisation seems as far off as ever. Indeed, there is a strong feeling growing up in certain of the States, notably\ in Ohio, in favour of increasing wool duties-very heavily, and to an almost prohibitive rate. They are afraid that the-wool growers of their country will v be driven out of business by Ifte import of Australasian wool. As a matter of fact, however, Australasian wool does not compete with the American article, and, as the Australasian colonies are likely >to ,be very good customers of the States, it seems a' great pity that some sort of j-eciprocal arrangement about trade cannot be entered into. The question an the States is now being treated as a one and the issue being -clouded." ■ ) ■ ■ PROSPECTS FOB FLAX. t "The Agent-General has certainly written a good deal about the uses and "demand for New Zealand hemp, but #he quality of the information supplied hs in inverse ratio to the quantity of 'words in > which it is conveyed. We have read all his communications on ■the subject, but withoiat finding any- ; thing; of-: real value in them. The people of the colony are just as wises now as to -the prospects of the trade ■'- and the purposes to which: the fibre is applied, as they were before Sir Dillon Bell began his inquiries. No practical information of value has been furnished. .The general tone■ of the Agent-. General's communication is 'not encouraging, and we cannot help thinkr " ing that he remembers too vividly the flax disaster of .some years ago when he was in New Zealand, and;that he has not realised'fuliy the great change that ' has taken place both' as regards cost of production and demand for,the fibre, caused very-largely by the-invention of the string-binding. reaping machin- . cry. Sir Dillon Bell seems very much alarmed about possible rivals, and to be intent on warning capitalists against investing in flaxmills, but, despite his warnings and prognostications, the market keeps steadily improving, and • .the demand, 'especially from America, If our flaxmillers could get some practical information as to improved machinery, the purposes to 'which the fibre is applied, apart from twine-making and admixture with Manila* and the machinery used in manufacturing, they, would no doubt make; beneficial use of it. The AgentGeneral^ however, has so far failed to • 'finish this sort of 'information, and he does riot .'appear to have ►gone to they right quarters to obtain.-it.; It would be l wise of the Government to ,4 cable and tell him so and obtain a .report from an expert." V;; ' THE;MAYORALTy.. :. ' :' ■ °'Mr. C. J. Johnston's address to the ratepayers' as- a candidate for the Mayoralty is a plain and practical one. Hedoes not promise too much, but in ) pointed' language- calls attention to %what undoubtedly is the most momentous civic question of the day—the incondition of the city. Mr. "Johnston considers that the question of a drainage jloan will shortly be before the ratepayers, and he points out that they need not fear any, heavy increase of annual expenditure/in pro'viding,on expert advice, for, the car--'iiage of the city sewage to the sea, > thereby saving our harbour from the ■"disgusting pollution which it is now f'subject W There is a.wealth of suggestiveness in the reference to the possibility, of Wellington, owing to mat-'teriti6n-;to sanitary precautions, 'forfeiting the. advantages which properly "'belong ; to. it as the "seat of Government arid the: central port of the colony^- We find'nothing to take ex- . ceptfon^to:. in^^ the; brief • address before ixsV: and if Mr. Johnston is elected Mayor,'as; it seems almost certain he will be, he> could not commemorate his,1 year of office, or the jubilee of the city, in a more desirable manner than by the initiation of a scheme which will carry the sewage of Wellington to ; the open sea."