A UNIFORM WORLD.

Evening Star, Issue 20252, 13 August 1929, Page 8

A UNIFORM WORLD.

Afghanistan* is oxperienciu the common result ot n revolution. It has expelled Arnar.ullpb for Baccha Sakau at the cost of much bloodshed, and Baccha Sakau throatoi t< he ns much a reformer as Amamillali Tho ‘‘ sou of a menial wate> carrier ” finds no loss pleasure than tho descendant of a hundred ameers in dressing like ihe hero of the " movi ■’’ ami driving a Rolls■Boycc car. He has not so far made lus Europem dress compulsory by edict for Ins subjects, but if it becomes an evidence of loyally to do as the king does the compulsion will be not less effective for not being legal. It is only a question of time, evidently, before Afghanistan will he completely Wosteruisod, despite all its mullahs, and oue more country will have lost its charm then for Western sightseers. Tho whole tendency seems to be forth© world to become more and more uniform in its appearance, aud the day may come when we shall cease to at pictures of foreign nations, and judge it hardly worth while to visit them, to observe their differences from ourselves. At the time when a reform society has been formed, with small chance of success, to bring some variety and beauty into men’s dress in Britain, the complaint has been made, on behalf of American tourists first of all, that all over Europe picturesque local distinctions of dress are disappearing, so that the peasant of Franco or the moujik of Russia may soon be indistinguishable from the faun hand of Idaho. Mussolini is supposed to be in favour of a national dress for Italians, something bold and striking, which will differentiate them from tho rest of the world, but he is a man working against the stream The trend has been towards sameness since tho Chinese cut

off their pigtails, and it has proceeded, naturally much faster in tho West than in the Fast. Habibullah, during his brief reign in Afghanistan, tried to turn the tide back in his country. “ Many an American over here,’;* writes one of them from Europe—and British

travellers must have had the same feel-

ing—“ sighs for a Habibullah to fores j bulging petticoats and pretty headgear

on French peasants, to snatch fedoras from European .malo heads and substitute hats with tassels on them, and gold braid, and .funny, brims—such as .you could find in Europe a,few years ago, a few miles from the beaten track, before country folks got ashamed of, not looking like city folks.” Instead, a Ivemal Pasha orders the Turks to throw their red fezzes into the Bosphorus and their long robes and upturned slippers on to the ash heaps, and most peoples in Europe treat similarly all their ageold divergencies of dress without waiting for orders. The London coster, with his buttons as big as saucers and the willow round bis hat, has gone, and the French “ bonne,” who used to be as distinctive of Paris, is following him. Miss Hook of Holland can still wear her “little pink ‘petty’ from Peter,” with nine others from as many more admirers below it, and feel joy in her crinoline appearance; and the country costumes of Spain, Hungary, Italy, and Bavaria are slow to change, but the pressure everywhere is against distinctiveness. The new buildings, probably, will bo as uniform as the new garments, and wo shall only travel some day to observe what is left of the past.

At the close of the Port Chalmers Council meeting last pight the mayor (Mr W. G. Love) stated that the concert for earthquake relief netted £27 17s 2d, and the total amount raised in the town amounted to £l4O. The Post Office advises that the Waikouaiii left Sydney at 5 p.m. on Saturday for Dunedin, with thirty-live bags of mail and eleven parcel receptacles for New Zealand. The vessel should rpach here about Friday. It is hoped that the schooner Paroto, which is ashore at White Island, will 1)0 refloated on Wednesday. Leaks in the bottom of the hull, caused by boulders on the beach, are being temporarily repaired, and further gear, including a large pump, is being sent from Auckland. —Press Association. Adelaide Sniallfield, aged twentynine, a married woman, charged in the Police Court, Auckland, on live counts of stealing goods from shops, pleaded guilty, and was-filled £2O. The thefts ranged over a period of a. fortnight, a number of city shops being visited. Counsel raised the plea of the woman's health, but the magistrate (Mr Hunt) said he might have been able to accept that explanation if there bad been only one charge.—Press Association.

The Canterbury Automobile Association has passed a resolution—“ That any action by Cabinet in tho direction of the diversion of portion of motor taxation for tho general purposes of •the dominion would bo a gross breach of trust, and tho association pledges itself to oppose it by all moans in it-; power, and urges members to do likewise.”

According to one of the borough councillors at Port Chalmers, the School Committee of that town has tho distinction of being one of tho two school committees in Otago to have a pa.id secretary. 'The subject came up last night in connection with a proposed playground for the school children at Mussel Bay. The School Committee had stated"'that it had no money with which to help' forward the proposal. The councillor in question then “waded into ” the protestations of the School Committee, alleging that if the committee was solicitous for a playground one of the committee could have done the clerical work, and thus provided £l2 for the playground, that sum being (he claimed) the amount of the secretary’s salary.

No proceedings were brought forward for hearing in the .Police Court tins morning.

To allow repairs to he carried out to tlio Cromwell' Development Company’s weir, the gates of the Kawaran Dam at Fninkton falls will he closed tonight at 10 o’clock. i'he tall in the river level will allow of .some prospecting of their •claims being carried out bv the Cromwell syndicates, hut no concerted move by claimholders to work the riven- is hinted at._ Two year.-, have passed since prospecting on any worthwhile scale was done. Consolidated Kawarau, witli headquarters in Sydney, then being the largest operators.

That the dredger Otakou had pas.-ed Gibraltar was the last advice received by the Otago Harbour Hoard. The dredge is duo at Malta- to-day, and will then" proceed to Aden, which will lathe final port before the long trip across the Indian Ocean.

In the Magistrate's Court, Ashburton, this morning, William Ernest Clement, a farmer, of Lismore, was fined Lo for being in charge of a car while intoxicated. The police stated that he consumed a bottle of whisky in the early hours of the morning. 1.1 o was convicted and discharged for having no driver’s license. An application for the suppression of his name was refused, hut the bench declined the police request to prohibit accused from obtaining a- license, as llio car was bis only means of gelling his children to school.—Press Association,

The hospital reported to-day that William Henry Hnmman, who was operated mi yotorday, uas progressing; fairly well.

Your eyes are Matures most precious gift. 'Take, care of them. Consult W. V. Simmer, optician. 2 Octagon, Ikmcdin. — FAclvt.] Your diamonds are valuable, and require export attention. Take them to the experts, Williamson’s, next Tho Bristol Piano Co.— rAdvt.] Miss Law will bo cnteihuiii'd by the Otago Women's Club on Thursday afternoon, at 3, when she will speak on * Budapest.’