The World We Live In

Northland Age, Volume 3, Issue 15, 12 January 1934, Page 7

The World We Live In

Week’s News in a Nutshell Thursday, January 4.—Spain proposes to expend £6,000,000 on building submarines, mine sweepers, and auxiliary vessels. fighting in neighbourhood of Peking between Government forces and rebellious troops. Tide Valera sends greetings to millions of friends in America stating Free State engaged in great national struggle and reconstruction campaign. Friday, January s.—As result of an explosion 140 miners entombed in Czecho-Slovakian mine. reached by Japan and India over cotton question. TfPresident Roosevelt addresses joint session of Congress, dealing generally with the recovery programme. Saturday, January 6.—Satisfactory conversations on European affairs between Italy and Britain. States Government to borrow 10,000,000,000 dollars during next six months to carry on recovery programme and meet maturing loans. IfViolent storms sweep districts in North Queensland. Monday, January B—Cyclonic storm in inland areas of New South Wales and torrential rain on eastern coast. Tfßayonne (France) Municipal Bank affair greatest political and financial scandal since that of Panama Canal half a century ago. cotton exporters urge Government to take strong line in protecting British interests against French imports quota reduction. Tuesday, January 9. Seven persons lose their lives in the floods in • Eastern Australia during the weekend. Tfln the United States private enterprise absorbs 1,800,000 unemployed and 4,600,000 are given temporary employment in public and civil work, leaving between 8,000,000 and 10,000,000 still idle.

Mexico Seeks Higher Standards of Living Under the sponsorship of the Ministry of National Economy has been formed the Committee to Raise the Standard of Living. This organisation, formed in connection with application of the new minimum wage laws, has enlarged its scope to take in other phases of social activity implied in its name. The committee is made up of representatives from industrial and commercial organisations and government experts. * * * * War Toys Branded Menace to Peace The Ontario Council of Women decided recently that wooden soldiers and tin guns are harmful and dangerous to the peace of the world, and passed a resolution undertaking to militate against war toys and games. “This is one of the ridiculous resolutions which make us women a laughingstock among men,” one delegate

objected. “We needn’t be afraid of that,” was the reply, “men are already a laughingstock among us for many of the things they do.” * * * * Europe’s expressed fear of Germany’s arms is not justified by ascertainable figures. Germany is shown to have been spending only £34,000,000 on armaments as against £93,000,000 in 1913 ; France, £91,000,000 as against £70,000,000 ; Italy, £52,000,000 as against £36,000,000. France spends 22 percent, Italy 24 percent, Germany oniy 5 percent of the national budget on arms. Germany may, as France declares, have secret arms resources. Outwardly it is more poorly armed than either Poland or Czechoslovakia.

Japanese Trading Concern Opens Branch in Mexico The Tabane Trading Company with headquarters in Osake, Japan, has established a Latin-American branch at Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico, with capitalisation of 2,000,000 pesos. T. Idemitsu and J. Matsuo, president and consulting engineer, respectively, formally inaugurated the new concern in Mexico, specialising in exports of resinous substances to the Far East. * * * • The United States Weather Bureau may soon make forecasting more accurate and more far-reaching. An advisory committee finds great advantages offered by “mass air analysis” from data gathered by highflying pilot balloons and military fliers, who would report humidities, temperatures and pressures reaching almost to the stratosphere. Besides giving aviation invaluable information, these findings would show the duration of a storm by disclosing the lakes of cold air waiting to feed it— Just one more bright idea for extracting any danger or damage out of tomorrow.

U.S. Cities and Slum Clearance Thirty-seven American cities having more than 250,000 population are asked to enter a race in slum clearance and rehabilitation. The scheme, as announced by D. Knickerbocker Boyd of the Philadelphia chapter of the American Institute of Architects, is more than a great dream. It sees the cities preparing their own plans for the work and the Federal Emergency Housing Corporation awarding large grants of money to those cities which accumulate the most property at the least cost and make most favourable offers of participation. The President is asked to back the programme. Thousands of architects, engineers, technicians, social and civic workers would have immediate employment—This is called the most ambitious public works project ever given serious consideration.