DOMINION NEWS

Grey River Argus, 5 October 1937, Page 7

DOMINION NEWS

[Per Press Association], WELLINGTON, October 4.

There has developed an opinion among one section of the Nationalist party that a considerable amount of influence is still being exerted to reopen in due course the leadership question. The hope that the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates may ultimately be the leader is not being relinquished in certain quarters, and there are likely to be Parliamentary developments at an early date which will demonstrate that'the-Opposition is a compact party. WELLINGTON, October 4.

Mr. Nordmeyer struck an amusing note near the end of his remarks on tne Budget, asking whether the increase in beer revenue estimated by th Minister of Finance was prophetic of a dry summer. Mr. Nordmeyer asked whether, the Opposition could point to any definite evidence of recklessness. “Would it,” he asked, “cut the defence vote, social services, wages, and pensions?” It was on those lines that the Government was spending the country’s money. YOUTH HOSTELS ASSN. CHRISTCHURCH, October 3. I A decrease in the number of members of the Youth Hostel Association of New Zealand using the hostels is shown in a comparison the figures for the 1935-36 and 1936-37 periods in the annual report of the Association. The figures are as follows (with those for the previous year in parenthesis) :—Total numbers of parties, 74 (85); total number of persons, 240 (365); total number of reservation, 572 (878), cards issued, 225 (259). Two new hostels were opened during the year in the Oxford district, one at Ashley Gorge and the other at Cooper’s Creek. A suggestion that a “Dobson Youth Hostel” should be erected to honour the memory of Sii- Arthur Dudley Dobson, is mentioned. The financial statements disclose the following balances: —Cqsh in hand, general fund £ll 14s 2d. memorial fund £23 Ils Bd, accumulated fund £35 5s lOd. HUMOUR AS A BUSINESS? AUCKLAND, October 4.

Passing through Auckland on the Aorangi, is a man who regrets he cannot remain in New Zealand long enough to see how permanent are laughs that the Prime Minister has brought to the country. He is Laszle Schwartz, Hungarian caricaturist, humourist and violinist. Gathering the laughs of the world, Mr Schwartz has made a serious effort, to probe the roots of humour by interviewing men in various countries.

“I believe a good statesman can be more instrumental in bringing real laughter to the country than all caricaturists, humourists or circus clowns because laughter which a statesman brings is permanent. A good humourist is a good humanist. So few statesmen realise the value of humour. The University of Florida has established a chair of humour. Mr. Savage could become the greatest laughmaker in the history of New Zealand. If I were he, I would create a minister of humour to cultivate good cheer from every angle. There should be tests of humour before marriages.” Humour was embittered in European countries, where dictators ruled, he said. A man who had the capacity of laughing at himself, could not possibly become a dictator. Italy was putting bayonets instead of violin bows in to the hands of her boys. China’s remarkable philosophical sense of humour should be one of her strongest weapons against Japan. MACHINE GUNS AT SCHOOLS. CHRISTCHURCH, October 3. Holding that it is not desirable for schoolboys to handle . artillery' and machine-guns, the Government has ordered the withdrawal of the specialist units from the secondary schools. It is desired that in place of gun practice, the school corps should do more physical, training. The Minister for Defence, Hon F. .Tinies, Confirmed this »nnoimP«Hi>oiil

in a telephone conversation from Wellington this evening. He said that the complete- withdrawal of military training from schools had not yet received the Government's consideration, but it was the general opinion that, as much physical training as possible should be given.

“We do not think that the machinegun and artillery training done in the schools is of any value nor at all necessary,” Mr. Jones said. “Instead, we favour other forms of training, particularly physical education. Hie elimination of military training as a whole in the schools is a question wehave not discussed, but I think everyone will realise that the Government is anxious to do all it can to fostei physical training and that applies both in and out of school. “It is absolutely essential that we increase the standard of the people’s health,” said the Minister. “When one sees the number of young men coming forward for examination for the Air Force and the Army and failing Jto pass the medical test, one realises that it is essential that some action be taken to remedy the position.” DUNEDIN, October 3. Soon after 3.30 p.m. on Saturday, a motor-car driven by Edward Giles collided with another car at the junction of Outram and Gordon roads, near Mosgiel, with the result that the driver and his brother suffered injuries which necessitated their removal to hospital, and three other passengers suffered minor abrasions. Giles’s car was the lighter of the two, and the impact was so severe that it overturned into a ditch, Giles suffering a broken nose, and his brother, Thomas Giles, suffering concussion. Giles’s parents and sister, who were also in the car, escaped with only slight injuries and shock.

An unusual feature of the accident was that the St. John ambulance, while travelling to the scene, was itself involved in a collision. The ambulance was being driven along the Main South road, and as it was approaching Surrey' Street a car was driven from a side street. The driver of the ambulance swerved to avoid a collision, but as he did so the vehicle went into a violent skid, capsizing and turning a complete somersault, to come to rest on its wheels facing the direction from which it bad come. The occupants of the ambulance were not injured and the vehicle itself suffered remarkanly little damage, but it was not able to move under its own power. AUCKLAND, October 4.

Confidence in the bright outlook for the future of the Government fruit control system in Rarotonga, and a belief that its limits will soon be extended to embrace fruit other than oranges, arc held by' D. G. Ball, I.ducation Department, Wellington, who returned 1o Auckland by' the Matua to-da.v, after two months’ inspection of Cook Islands schools. “I will say, however,” added Mr. Ball, “that the islands’ orange trade definitely needs better shipping facilities. In the outer islands of the group I drove over oranges because tnere was no adequate transport for them.” He added that the islands were rich orchard areas, which ought to be fully developed. Under me guidance of the Resident Commissioner, Mr. S. J. Smith, the Agricultural Department had been stiffened up, and trained, and a fruit expert was brought from America. Mr. Ball said that although it was four years since a departmental schools inspection was made, he was very' pleased with Ihe conditions, especially the new syllabus introduced eighteen months ago. The main idea was to keep intact the native culture, stress being laid on the native language, crafts and songs.