LOCAL GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15175, 14 December 1912, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL GOSSIP.

BT JtEIJCUTIO.

v Bishop Julius has been on a visit to the Mother Country, and what- he «av there has given a pessimistic tinge to his thoughts. He, apparently regards the : - economic conditions in England as going >'■ from bad to worse. The rich are bccom-

ing richer, and the poor poorer. Lavish wealth is ostentatiously flaunted in the

face of extreme poverty. The small

1 tradesman is disappearing, swallowed up V*' bv the ever-growing big businesses.. If ' Ve were to take the. Bishop as a reliable

5" guide we should probably be filled with despair regarding the future of Great Britain. But his criticisms are only the y ' i crude generalisations of the casual visitor, $ ■ and are as superficial as they arc common-

place. The thing® that sadden him are V only the things he sees every day of his '<■ life" in Christchurch, New Zealand, multi- ! plied twentyfold. The people of England , still take the storm and sunshine with un\ & ruffled equanimity. If the poor are ■o' poorer," which, however, is not the case, they manage to extract a great deal of | enjoyment and interest out of life. The "/ ~ Old Country, in spite of Bishop Julius's

doleful utterances, is by no means played'

out yet. It is as full of energy and capacity as ever it was. Let the worthy Bishop and his fellow pessimists reflect a moment. Great Britain is carrying on •- the greatest share of the world's trade : .she leads all other nations in wealth and industry her people are rapidly building

up new nations overseas; her mercantile flag floats on every ocean, and her navy " still remains . invincible; London is the ; , financial capital of the world it is the capital of art, literature, and science, and . the inhabitants of the United Kingdom can still boast that they are a, great and

ji - virile people. If we only remembered ft these truths we would have no time for

the lamentations of the wearied and jaded

Jeremiahs who return to the Homeland only to find signs of decay and destruction • ■ writ*, large on the national forehead.

When a motor-car runs anybody down ■ its pace varies from over 100 miles per hour, as estimated by the victim, to about . three miles per hour, as admitted by the dnvor, and 13 miles per hour, as calculated! by the impartial outsider. Why so many persons. should regard 13 miles per hour as the usual pace of any tramcar or - k motor-car involved in an accident is inex- /< .i plicable, unless a subconscious idea that i t v 15 js an unlucky number is responsible.

7 , The Tramways Company is now carrying 100,000 passengers daily, and the time should be : ripening for an all-night carIlii' tervice. The Ferry Company has had an Ut ail-night ; service to Devonport for ten ;.a:1 years or more, and evidently finds it pays, jSill; for the. Ferry Company has never been ac- •/ cused of conducting business wholly . upon s/fe i philanthropic principles. An hourly car- !■,,'> service on the principal lines would make - outlying suburbs as accessible as Devon||p 'port, and would greatly convenience the ; V occasional public which finds itself in the '/small hours several miles from home. In /-if Sydney tho all-night car-service is believed 1 by th? " Commissioners to greatly enoours, age suburban residence, and thus to in- •' ' crease the general traffic of the tramways. . ' This round commercial argument may api, ■ peal to Mr. Walklate. .

There cmi bo little doubt now . that the .{ great room of .the Auckland Town Hall is not entirely what one would desire in the f'ti'j aeortstic properties, nor delfts' design enable 'the occupants of the" main' i i|,plery to easily see the performers on the •i&jjPie. It has been proved, however, that 1 '■ /j*hen the room is well filled the acoustic !|§ qualities are much improved, and now a of mine assures me that the difficulty of seeing people on the stage would be; obviated if the occupants of the gallery " "■would recline gracefully in their seats and v; not lean forward. After a recent experi«Jfe -ence at a Town Hall concert I am inclined ; to believe that there is something in this mpMft but how can people be induced to ;r- refrain from craning their necks or bend- ? ing forward?; There is just about as much 'r>"y hope of prevailing upon some people to % f j alter, their conduct in this respect as there ft: is in. prevailing upon some ladies not to ; wear large hats at concert* and other per- ;; ; formances.

4 .v The opening of new roads into the Waiu latere and Titirangi Ranges, or the im- -' provement of existing roads so that the .; public may be enabled to reach these ;;S Pwtroesque districts easily and quickly, | * will do much to add to the attractions •of || Auckland. Few people realise what Magnificent views are obtainable in an tr fcmr'i} motor journey from the city, or wnjii magnificent camping grounds there fi' { ara m the forest-clad heights which rise 'above the Manukau and the near-bv Pacific fO;;Oceaj. The City Council has obtained -freehold ' rights over a large area of these ranges, and, moreover, holds in trust for i,. , people of New Zealand great reserves ;, "iH '.hind. They have made use of the u. oigh country as a catchment area for the i . *ity water supply, but they have, so far, ■i ' fSV- little to give city people access to ; weir own magnificent but unexploited holi- ,» W. grounds. In summer weather the •' wacing heights of the Waitakeres should if popular resort for jaded city workers, v <*na should not Temain, as at present, a i". «tle-known unapproachable beautiful Wilderness, shut off from human enjoy* ; largely because our local bodies, and ■ir particularly our City Fathers, will not " °Wte roads for health-seekers or pleasure- ■: seekers.

•With the advent of warm weather comes !f74 nev * tab,c series of bathing accidents; W gad bccause usually avoidable, Sin j n were taught to swim, but none ' V"w '*? w^erc the would-be rescuer loses lit# 8 ' n the attempt to save. There are .methods of helping a drowning perbut none so simple as to approach ''■''ft victim from behind and grasp an arm ?el the,clothing. An arm is the best, be- - 6i it gives the swimmer more control 118 subject, and more freedom for his "y ; ' a Movements. The main thing is to mf»<P th® drowning person where he or Hfo . cann grasp you, and to keep them i®* M the water. If you can induce them $ jhrow their heads ttack it requires very lEr'® effort to keep even a heavy person . and a grip on the arm gives a swim'.r, absolute mastery over a person who MP** swim, thus obviating that horrible anger of being clutched and drawn down 'xiS 0n ? who is usually frantic with terror. c &.jf the drowning person becomes tem* Sl'iift 1 £ unconscious little harm is usually jjjpjw • thereby. The point in rescue work to get the drowning one ashore, conscious _ "Conscious, and the chief care of the |I,.«CUBr should be to avoid being rendered fN by a clutch that will destroy both. ' s the great gateway through ! P- ■eh - Governors depart and come. It ; ' .Its destinction 0 £ being the political j 'C'Bi» °* Dominion through one of discreditable Parliamentary inB!? m our history, but nothing can J "'its geographical position in rejjaPffifrto • the great ocean trade routes of ] > • and every year only adds to ~ jin ^l ,nt anc of that position. WcljjpijwjWi' would no doubt have preferred Wd Liverpool should have selected lb® PPrt for his arrival in New Zealand, other Governors have done he has wiser choice, and will land In the lilotytoric city that first saw the founda■Bflte9/':the colony laid. Ho will be relIMW j? '®. by the Prime Minister and the iSft|tfs-£ u ®tice, an( will here receive his ?®cial welcome from the people of l&BpfeßPky ia which he is to have the BB| : 0f acting as the King's represenI'hope Auckland will look its best ay he lands, and that the citizens in according him a right loyal