LOCAL AND GENERAL

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 3447, 19 November 1932, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

“Professional soldiers always hate war,” said Colonel F. W. W. Dawson at the reunion of Imperial Army ex-servicemen in Christchurch. “War tends to upset all our nice theories of the way in which military o Derations should be conducted. Besides, it brings a lot of civilians into a business we had thought entirely our own.” Comparing the Victorian era with modern days, the Ven. Ai - chdeacon L. G Whitehead, speaking at the Sydenham School jubilee services in Christchurch, said there were not the giants among men now that there were in those days. “A man who would prefer Aldous Huxley and D. H. Lawrence to Thackeray and Dickens—well, all I can say is that his mind is doubtful,” the archdeacon declared. Despite the difficulty 'of the times, the annual census of Scouts taken at 30th September last shows an increase in the Dominion of 588 of all ranks, according to the annual report of the executive, to be presented at this week's meeting of the Boy Scout Council. Compared with last year’s figures, most districts show an incrase, especially the country areas.

After recalling the story of Lot’s wife, the Rev. A. H. Acheson, preaching at St. John’s Church, Woolston, Christchurch, said that a criticism of the system of education in New Zealand was that it did not familiarise the young with the stories and proverbs which were among the riches of the English language. If children were not taught these things then our education was a noverty-stricken thing, and the young were not receiving the benefit of the beauties of the language, he said. There is money in young cockerels if one knows how to feed them “on the cheap” (says the Wanganui Herald). It takes a Maori to make the discovery. Last year in December he bought scores of young birds and was not a bit particular about the breeding. These he liberated in a paddock, where there was plenty of grass seed and allowed them to fend for themselves and roost in trees. It is surprising how well the birds thrived, and they returned the Maori a good profit. Some Taihape youths, who possess a car of pre-war vintage, in which a ride often provides as much exercise as a long walk, had a little more of their means of locomotion removed when fishing in the Lakes District lately (says the Christchurch Times). When reany to return, they found on cranking the ancient tin warrior that a grunt was the only response, the unit refusing to go even on its reputation. The mystery was soon solved; the benzine and the tank had been “souvenired,” probably, it is surmised, by the representative of a car museum. Whether Navy League lecturers should be allowed entry into the schools or not was briefly debated at Wednesday’s meeting of the Wellington Education Board. Several members said that the board should be consistent: it excluded League of Nations lecturers, and it should therefore exclude Navy League lecturers. Members of the board said that it was the principle of allowing outside lecturers entry into the schools that was at stake; teachers should be able to give the instruction that the lecturers gave. The executive’s recommendation that a Navy Legue lecturer be allowed entry to the schools in 1933 was challenged. The voting was equal, six voting each way. The chairman, Mr. T. Forsyth, gave his casting vote in favour of the executive’s recommendation.

“They were about the hardest classes I have ever had to judge,” said Mr. A. Orr, of Wiri, who judged the fat lambs at the Waikato A. and P. Show. “It is not often that such a splendid ot of fat lambs are exhibited ; in fact, • I might say that they were as good a showing as I have ever seen. Each year the lambs at the Waikato Show get better. “Outstanding from every every point of view was the quality of the placewinners in the district group of fat lambs. Seventeen entries were received from all over the Waikato. These lambs were killed at Westfield on Monday and will be shipped to England to be judged on the hooks at Smithfields. The judge, Mr. W. J. Marks, of Auckland, considered the best lambs in these groups were equal to any in New Zealand. Their quality was remarkably even except among those unplaced, where fine pens were often snoiled by one lamb. “I have nothing but the warmest congratulations for the districts which prepared these lambs,” he added.”

Efforts are at present being made by the Women’s Division of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union to have restored in the Mental Defectives Amendment Act, 1928, two of the wthdrawn clauses which, if they had become law, would have prohibited the marriage of idiots, imbeciles, feeble-minded persons, or persons socially defective, and in certain cases would have authorised the sterilisation of certain persons in special circumstances. Four years have now elapsed since these clauses were withdrawn, and eight years since the Commitee of Inquiry stated that the evil had already attained “appalling dimensions” Mrs. T. R. Barrel', of Masterton, a vice-president of the division, who has been authorised to give addresses in various parts of the Dominion on the subject, states that the mental Defectives Amendment Act, 1928, marks a distinct advance in social legislation, especially in those clauses authorising the setting up of a eugenics board of experts with power to compile a register of mental defectives, exclusive of the inmates of asylums and those suffering from senile decay, and makes provision for institutions in the form of farm or industrial colo"nies where those whose names are on the register may be segregated. Those classes whose names may be placed on the register are idiots, imbeciles, feeble-mlinded persons, epileptics, and persons socially defective.

Writing in an English paper after his return home, Mr. R. F. Anderton, joint manager of the English Rugby League team which recently toured Australia and New Zealand, says in tabulating the outstandingfeatures of the trip:—“For scenery I give the palm to the 100 miles of the Southern Alps on the way from Christchurch to Greymouth, in the South Island of New Zealand.” There was an unpleasant surprise for a motorist when he reached a certain spot on the WhakataneRotorua road on Monday afternoon. With a swish he entered a thick swarm of bees. Dozens were swept into the car, but luckily nobody was stung. The father of the motorist had a similar experience in Taranaki some few years ago, but on that occasion the occupants of the car were attacked by the bees, and narrowly escaped a serious smash through the driver being distracted from his business. A rather unusual case was heard at the Greytown Magistrate’s Court recently, when a local resident was charged with obstructing Constable Gregor in the execution of his duty on the night of October 15. From the evidence, it was shown that two men were passing a licensed house when one entered the premises. The constable, who had witnessed the entry, was crossing the road when defendant called out a warning to the other man, who made a speedy exit from the pi-emises. Defendant was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within 12 months. The man who pleaded guilty to being on licensed premises during prohibited hours was convicted and fined £l, with 10s costs.

Far afield as are some of the jobs offered to unemployed boys through the vocational guidance office at the Y.M.C.A. very few of them remain unfilled for long (says the Christchurch Sun). There are still some jobs in town, but the majority are in the country, and though the wages, ranging sometimes from half-a-crown to 6s, seem little enticement, the boys are kept, and while the desire to relieve their parents exists the boys will take the jobs. And of course the spirit of adventure among boys is not yet dead, and perhaps it is this which lures them to jobs with little other to recommend them.

In order to remove a deep-seated prejudice against farming among high caste Hindus, and particularly against touching a plough, which is considered almost a religious crime, the Maharaja of Rewa recently worked a plough while 20,000 of his subjects looked on in amazement. Efforts made previously by the Durbar to overcome the prejudice had failed completely, and therefore the ruling prince decided to set an example by ploughing with his own hands in the presence of his people. In a speech delivered on the occasion he dealt with the economic and social aspects of farming and declared that if there was any sin attaching to ploughing with one’s own hands, he took it upon himself in the interests of his people. The demonstration by the ruler created a sensation.

A net increase in the public debt of £5,909,442 4s. lOd. during the financial year ended 31st March last is disclosed in the Public Accounts, which together with the report of the Controler and Auditor-General, were nresented to the House of Representatives on Wednesday. The total debt is given at £281,942,800 3s. sd. The increase includes £3,030,000 in unredeemed Treasury bills and loans for development works. Referring to the outstanding Treasury bills the Auditor-General states: “Efforts will presumably be made to liquidate this portion of the debt from revenue at the first opportunity, and so to prevent the amount from becoming a permanent accretion to the public debt. At the 31st March, 1932, the ordinary revenue account held balances in cash and investments amounting to £1,058,953, which could be properly set off against the liability of £3,030,000 on Treasury bills.”

When the Kawhia South settlers met the District Engineer, Mr. Albertson, on Wednesday, the latter drew attention to one of the difficulies that were experienced in providing relief work. Men would be engaged in a work—he instanced stumping—and one man, by reason of previous experience or aptitude, would single himself out from the others. Perhaps his knowledge might make it possible for several men to be placed under his direction. But, sooner or later, and very often sooner, a farmer would come along and pick out the finer stamp of man, or the one who has temporary responsibility. “Of course,” said Mr. Albertson, “that is just what is wanted; the men should be absorbed into private employment, but it, along with the usual drift, nevertheless, constitutes another of the many difficulties which the Unemployment Board has to face.”

It is stated that a keener demand for farm properties in Otago exists to-day than has been the case for some considerable time. The reason for this is not altogether easy to see, in view of the fact that the juices for primary produce show no*markecl tendency to rise. It was suggested by one land agent in the course of conversation with an Otago Daily Times reporter that it could be traced in part to the fact that prospective buyers have despaired of land values falling to a low level, and have decided to buy in on the open market as it is. It is the general opinion that the price of land has not come down in anything like the same ratio as the prices of wool and meat. In fact, it appears to be the general opinion that, except in the cases where sales are being forced by the mortgagees, the prices at which transactions are being effected to-day are not more than 15 per cent, lower than they were three or four years ago. As an instance of this one agent stated that he had recently sold a farm in a district not many miles from Dunedin at the price of £36 per acre. There are a number of buyers with small amounts of capital to invest, and finance for these is hot always easy to arrange, financial organisations being rather chary about investing money in farms unless a fairly big deposit has been paid. l

A pleasant annual custom which keeps alive the true Scottish spirit of friendship and goodwill is the distribution at the gatherings of the clans arranged by the Scottish Society of New Zealand of sprays of heather received from folk in Scotland (says the Otago Daily Times). This year no fewer than 120 boxes containing over 1000 sprays, have been received, a larger number than ever before. Each spray has attached to it a tag on which is written the name and address of the donor, and the recipient is asked to send a postcard of views of New Zealand in acknowledgment of it. By this means many warm friendships between Scottish people in New Zealand and in the Homeland have been made in past years, and the annual arrival of the heather, bringing with it the scent of the glens of Scotland, is looked forward to with eagerness by many people.