THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1927. THE CALL OF THE HOLIDAYS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20291, 27 December 1927, Page 8

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1927. THE CALL OF THE HOLIDAYS.

It has been said that work seldom kills. It is mental anxiety and the dissipation and reckless use of a man’s energies that destroy his vitality and reduce his strength. Modem civilisation has rendered life intensely interesting in many ways, but the claims which it makes upon the individual are embarx-assing in their variety. The gowing complexity of existence is apt to leave insufficient opportunity for rest and the recuperation of the nervous system. The performance even ot one’s routine work day after day and week after week is productive a condition of industrial fatigue and of staleness that proclaims the need of refreshment and relaxation, accompanied, where possible, by a change of environment. It is a fallacious idea, entertained by some good people, that every unoccupied moment is wasted, and that it is almost a crime to sit and be idle and lazy for a while, it may even be a serious mistake to be always doing and, so to speak, never thinking; to be always thinking and never mentally at rest, for this is health-breaking and in the long run unprofitable. Those who have placed great accomplishments to their credit, who have achieved the most important successes, not only in the arts and sciences, but also in commerce, appreciate the value of real holidays—of letting the mind rest as well as the body—and realise that the memorable idea often arrives unsought when the brain ceases from planning and accepts the quiet hour as a grateful gift. Isaac Newton might have been supposed to be wasting his time at the moment when the perception of the law of gravitation entered his mind: in reality those few minutes of apparent idleness made possible one of his greatest achievements. Modern psychologists have emphasised the importance of permitting the sub-cou-scious mind to perform its important function. If it is given a chance, it will work for man without any conscious effort or without the expenditure of his nervous energy. But a too conscious driving of the human machine will exclude the sub-conscious processes of thought. It may even rob the individual of what would become inspiration or something akin to it. The poet Southey once explained proudly that his whole time was filled by writing, reading, eating, talking, taking exercise and sleeping. A Quaker lady to whom the recital of his industry was made was not impressed with it. “ And, friend,” she pertinently asked, “when dost thee think ?” Lord Avebury has reminded us of the need of periods of relaxation. “ Rest is not idleness,” he says, “ and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the waters, is by no means waste of time. Moreover air and exercise generally go together so that you will combine both advantages. Everyone, indeed, ought to make it a primary and sacred duty to be at least two hours of the day in the open air.” This, no doubt, is a counsel of perfection, but were it possible for all indoor workers to secure it not only would efficiency be increased but life would be lengthened. There is wise philosophy in the quaint words of an old English writer who once said, evidently in reference to the need of an annual holiday: "Unstring the bow, take sufficient in your pack, and hie to the good, calm country, or to the sea. And carry not with you the cares of your earthly estate nor the song of arms; but let your mind take with it only the thoughts of a child and the song of a bird. Thus, say those who know, doth true refreshing come to the wearied spirit of man.”

WESTERN SAMOA.

The administration of the mandated territory of Western Samoa has again thrust itself, in dramatic fashion, under public notice. Mr O. F. Nelson, the principal trader in the group, has, with two of his supporters in the agitation which led to the appointment ot the Royal Commission a few months ago, been required to depart from the territory. Three other members of the Citizens’ Committee, of whom two are also elective members of the Legislative Council, have been served with notices, which may conceivably be preliminary to orders in their case as well, of temporary banishment. The fact that drastic steps of the kind that have been taken against Messrs Nelson, Smyth and Gurr have followed so closely upon the publication of the report of the Royal Commission is certainly disquieting. Plainly the feeling against the Administration has not dieo out or been overcome. The presumption is that there has been a violent recrudescence of it. As to the causes of it, we are for the present left in ignorance. In these circumstances h would be improper to express any opinion concerning the justice of the stern action which the Administration has considered it necessary to adopt. In all British communities there exists a strong and healthy sentiment against the infliction of punishment of any description upon a person without trial and upon the arbitrary decision of an authority in which is combined the offices of prosecutor and judge. There is a temptation, therefore, to the public to view harshly the exercise of power in the way in which it is being exercised in Western Samoa, it is necessary, however, to guard against the danger of forming a hasty conclusion upon such an occasion as this, it would seem reasonable to suppose that the Administrator honestly believes that the action which is being taken has been forced upon him. it is difficult to believe that so shortly after the publication of the Royal Commission’s report—before, in fact, as the Leader of the Opposition complains, that report has been delivered to members of Parliament—the Administrator would, except upon clearly unassailable grounds, have exercised a power which, from the curtailment of personal liberty that is entailed by it and from the severity of its effects, should be exercised only in extreme cases and, even then, only after the most careful consideration. Moreover, the Administrator no longer possesses an unchecked power of deportation. The Samoa Act of last session requires that an order of deportation must be ratified by the Governor-General in Council before it becomes effective. It follows from this that the Government of the Dominion must have been satisfied, upon the proofs submitted to it, that it was necessary, in the interest of the mandated territory, that the persons who are being deported should be required to leave the group for the periods that are respectively specified. Consequently, while judgment should be suspended upon the action of the Administrator pending the receipt of fuller information, there would seem prima facie to be cause for concluding that it has been provoked to an extent that justified it.

CHANGES IN FLEET STREET,

The announcement of the sale of the Daily Telegraph, a paper which has existed in London for 72 years and during its existence has been the property of one family, possesses an interest that is not, or should not be, confined to journalists. For the tendency, which has manifested itself very powerfully in recent years at Home, towards the concentration of the control of the daily press in the hands of a limited number of financiers, is not one that can be observed without public concern. There are large groups of papers in Great Britain that are already the property of a comparatively few individuals. These groups include papers that are published in London, in the provinces, and in Scotland. The view, which was expressed not long ago by a leading journalist at Home, that it was matter for regret that the control of organs of public opinion should be bought and sold in the market place, with the opportunity this afforded for the concentration of the power of opinion-making in a few hands, should meet with ready endorsement. There were, it was hopefully reflected, strong newspapers in London and the provinces that were capable oi resisting the modern tendency. It is one of these, however, the Daily Telegraph, that has now been sucked into the vortex. The. only aspiration of Lord Northcliffe that was never realised was that he was unable to own the Daily Telegraph. It was not for sale. Apparently, the acquisition of it, to take eflect in a few days’ time, by a group of financiers who jjwn a score oi more of British publications is due to the demand which his public services are making on the time of Viscount Burnham, its present proprietor, a most versatile figure, whose labour as a member of the Indian Royal Commission will necessitate his absence from England for probably two years. The Daily Telegraph has enjoyed, throughout its history, an enviable reputation for soberness, sagacity, vision, and progressiveuess. It was the first daily paper in London to be issued lor a penny. With the exception only of The Times, there has been no London paper that has become such a public institution in the best sense as it has. The announcement that the new proprietors will not change the paper’s policy will not lessen the regret that must be felt upon the transference of the property from the ijawson family to the promoters of Allied Newspapers, Limited. And that regret will be greatly intensified it the sale of the Daily Telegraph has the eflect of severing the connection between Lord 'Burnham and the calling ot journalism, in which, as president of the Empire Dress Union, he occupies the position ot greatest distinction in the British Commonwealth ot Nations.

The sun shone in a cloudless sky on Saturday afternoon, and the conditions were ideal for viewing the partial eclipse nf King Sol which took place at that time. The parcltax in Otago was such, how-eve;, that the visibility of the eclipse foil short of the province of Otago, and as a consequence it was not observable from tins quarter.

The postal authorities advise that tin steamer Karetu, which is due at Qunedin to-morrow from Sydney, is bringing 55 bags and 43 hampers containing Australian mail matter. The mail is expected to be distributed on Thursday. The New Year is hailed with special pictures in the illustrated section of the Otago Witness to be published to-morrow. The front page shows three New Year topics, while others are sown throughout the issue. The effect is delightfully bright and cheerful. The large subjects illustrated are “Old Coaching Days in Otago”—the last of this series; ‘‘Universal Players in Popular Roles,” “The Karitane-Hunt Hospital at, Invercargill;” “Southland A. and P. Association’s Summer Show,” “ Otngo Sheep for South America,’’ and “ Mrs Emu and Family, Auckland.” One-pi-ture subjects of topical news value are tnere in plenty, and include a portrait of the Rev. Forbes Tocher who has lately played such an important part in the Chinese danger zone. The kindest thing the electors of Wai taki could have done for me, was to nave turned me down the first time I stood for Parliament,” said Mr J. Bitchener, M.P., at last Friday’s meeting of the .South Canterbury ' executive of the Farmers’ Union in Timaru, in reply to a member who had jocularly suggested that some good things were going for those who wero fortunate enough to be members of the House (sate/ the Timaru Herald). Mr Bitchener added that he could assure his fellow members of the union that if there were any plums going he had not come across them. As a final port of departure for oversea steamers, Otago Harbour is steadily enhancing its prestige for safety and promptitude of despatch. Closely associated with the history of the port is the house flag of the Shaw Savill and Albion fleet, and one of the steamers of that fine, the Mania, left Port Chalmers on Christmas Eve for London. This fine produce carrier is commanded by Captain G. Williams, and on. clearing Taiaroa Heads at daylight on Saturday the captain set a course southwards to pick up the latitude of Cap© Horn. Before rounding the “ milestone of the maritime .ages ” the vessel vill land stud sheep at Punta Arenas, at the western end of Magellan Strait. The Mahia’s coaling ports will be Montevideo and Tenenffe. The detailed returns of the tramway traffic from Saturday till yesterday are not yet available, but there is every indication that from a financial point ot view they will bo more satisfactory than those for the corresponding period of last year. This is due to the splendid weather prevailing this year as compared with the wet and cold conditions in 1926. On Saturday morning there was a fairly heavy loading prior to the departure of the trains, but after that the traffic was on the light side. In the evening it was fairly good, but not up to that of an ordinary Saturd-y night. The traffic to St. Clair and th« Gardens on Sunday afternoon and to St. Hilda on Sunday night was satisfactory, the public evidently being attracted to these resorts by the bands, but apart from that it was very quiet. Yesterday morning there was a steady stream of traffic, principally to the morning trains. The observation buses have been well patronised throughout the holidays. On Sunday the trips round the Peninsula, round Dunedin, and to Whare Flat were- well patronised, while yesterday two buses did the Waipori trip, one went to the Peninsula, seven to Brighton in the morning. Every bus available was required to meet the demand of patrons in the 'afternoon. Nineteen bankruptcies were notified m last weeks issue of the New Zealand ! Gazette. Fifteen of the number were in the North Island. I It is impossible at present to give an accurate estimate of the railway traffic during the Christmas holidays, as intending passengers had the privilege of booking ahead from December 14, and tne number of people carried cannot be ascertained for a day or two. The returns available, however, show that from December 14 til] yesterday 10,235 ordinary tickets and 9697 holiday excursion tickets were issued at Dunedin, as compared with 9646 ordinary tickets and 10,384 respectively in 1926. The number of seats reserved this year was 4830, as (®mpared with 5542 last year. The returns for yesterday show that 2516 race tickets and 776 ordinary tickets to Wingatui were issued, as compared with 2542 race tickets and 558 ordinary tickets last year. There was a slight increase in the traffic to the Gore race meeting yesterday as compared with 1926, the figures being 40 and 31 respectively. The trains to the seaside resorts yesterday carried 320 holders of excursion tickets and 164 holders of ordinary tickets, as compared with 372 excursionists and 115 ordinary ticket-holders in 1926. The number of passengers to Pcrto’iello yesterday was 281, whereas on the corresponding day last year it was 194. Exhorbitant demands made by a fireman and a sailor engaged to fill vacancies in the crew of the cargo steamer Opihi ! met with a direct refusal from the Lmon j Steam Ship Companys officials at Dunedin on Friday night. The Opihi was ready to sail for Westport, but as a result of the delay caused by the two men, her sailing was cancelled, and the ship was removed to Port Chalmers on Saturday, where she will now undergo overhaul. It is understood that the men asked for a months wages for a week’s work. The other members of the Opihi’s crew, who were signed off the articles on Saturday morning, were anxious to retain their berths, and, consequently, were not in sympathy wirb the two men who were responsible for the laying up of the ship. New light on an old phrase comes from 1 the Literary Digest. According to this authority the expression “ set the Thames on fire ” is so old that its origin has almost been forgotten. “ Some of us,’ it is added, *' still believe that the River Thames in ; England is referred to in the expression, but the temse—spelled t-e-m-s-e —is the channel in which a shuttle travels to and fro, and when one makes use of the expression that some one will never set the temse on fire,’ one means merely that the person referred to will never work fast enough to cause sufficient friction to ireale heat enough to burn tne temse or groove in which the fly-shuttle moves. The first use of the phrase is to be credited to the dramatist Foote, who introduced it in his | ‘ Trip to Calais ’ in 1778, but in 1733, or I more than 50 years before, the temse or fly-shuttle was invented by John Kay, and the expression grew out of the invention.” Few, if any, normal-minded boys find the spiritual solace in a long sermon which •'dults might imagine they do, and most of them have their own ways and means of passing away what, to them, is the most tedious half-hour of a church service A choir-boy in a local church on Sunday adopted a time-honoured method (which, bo it said, is not the sole perquisite f rhe younger generation) but he had che misfortune to be found out. The clergyman had just concluded his address, and was moving to his desk, when there arose trona the choir benches a snore —a hearty, vibrant snore, which resounded through the church like a blast from a trumpet The author of the disturbance, dim.uiitive choir-boy, was soon awakened uv a vigorous shako, and even the priest could not but join in the quiet smile which went round the church at the lad’s discomfiture. On speech-day in rrm lection with the Caulfield School (Victor.a ; . the pr.i ;-pal (Mr William Buntino) referred to the vi.-lt to the school during the year of men who had lived in various parts of Africa, China, India, the Pacific Islands, and even Thibet. Most of the visitors had been missionaries, and there was need to emphasise the point of view that the greatest world problems were more likely to find a satisfactory solution through the work in the missionary than through that of .the politician. The linking up of school pupils by correspondence, with those of foreign lands, through missionary chnmels, would enlarge their knowledge, their sympathies, and thus go a long way towards the realisation of Christian brotherhood. It was with pride and satisfaction that ho told of the departure to missionary work in non-Christian lands of throe young men who had been a few years ago boarders in ti’e --ho. 1 line had cone to New Cui-.ca, one to Centra) Africa, and another was On in- way to Abyssinia, while a fourth was in preparation to go shortly. Practical work of that kind far exceeded anythin" that could be done in the classroom in the way of promoting world peace.

The natives of the South Sea Islands are very keen on keeping Christmas in tno ■white man’s manner, says Jack M'Laren, the Australian writer. At one island, on Christmas Eve, after her husband had told a gathering of native children all about Father Christmas, the missionary’s wife found her supply of stockings had disappeared. It turned out that the children, having no stockings of theigp own, had stolen those of the lady in ortfer to hang them up ! Natives are quick to use this season of gift-giving for purposes of their own. Hera is an extract from a Christmas letter received in the Solomon Islands, where liquor is prohibited to natives, irom a native who, apparently, had been to a mission station: “Please you send to me one bottle gin, so I can feel plenty good■will to all men.” “The best weather we have had for Christmas for many years,” seems to be the general opinion. Some peop e say it is the best we have experienced tor seven or eight years, but the more conservative are inclined to limit the period of twid weather Christmases to three or four. There can be no doubt, however, that? the weather over the holidays has been delightful and such as to encourage people out into the open air to enjoy the insame. numbers of people have token advantage of. the opportunity of the weather to enjoy whatever time is available in the open spaces of the country, and as a result the' town has presorted a quiet appearance. The principal attractions yesterday were the Dunedin Jockey Club’s races at Wingatui and the Macandrew’s Bay regatta, both of which were well patronised. The seaside resorts attracted a large number of visitors both by rail and motor, and for once in a way some of the county districts presented more life than the city did. Reckoning an average of five listeners to every wireless set in use m Australia, it has been etimated that Australia now has over 2,500,000 listeners. This is a tremendous growth within a short timefour years ago the total number of licenses in ali y Australia was only 44,000, and now. New South Wales alone has almost this number, whilst Victoria, with 120-000 listeners, beats New South Wales badly. Waste products from freezing works are becoming more and more v f‘ , “ science is brought to bear upon the problem of converting them into useful by-products. Recently representatives of I^ing companies have conferred with the De partment of Scientific and Ind " search on the subject, with the result that a full-time research officer is to be appointed who will exhaustively study the subject under the direction of Professor Malcolm, of Dunedin. The post has been offered to Miss , Arini Pope, of the mcaical School in Dunedin, who has already done much valuable work on similar lines. Arthur Malcolm, Rheumatic Expert, is retiring shortly. Read new advertisement on another page of this 1 _ is The new “ Dorothy Wedding *““8 18 the popular shape. It s comfortable, too. At Williamsons, next theßristoL Advt. Fishing season now m full ./ D g o Barth Electrical Supplies, Ltd., JU Princes street, are sole proprietors Wilkie’s Fishing Tackle. Send for illustrated catalogue of our large and varied stock. —Advt. For anything electrical consult the Stewart Electrical Co., 171 Rattray street. Installations at lowest prices. Large assortment of up-to-date fixtures. Cut crystal chandeliers a specialty.—Advt. When buying a bottle of perfume secure the latest Viville Futiche and Vogue We have them in all sizes. Dozens of bath salts to choose from.—H. L -. S P r .°®® Ltfl., chemist. Octagon, Dunedin. Advt. Manv years' experience, plus the most up-to-date equipment scientific optometry cl. suggest, entitles W. V Stunner. G.A.0.C.; D.S O.L. Octagon, Dunedin, to guarantee complete satisfaction in all eye W. E. Bagl,, dentists, B. k of Australasia, corner of Bond and Rattray streets (next le!egraph Office) Telephone 12-359.—Advt. Xmas Jewellery.—Compare our values. Just landed, large selection Diamond Rings Reliable Watches, Jewellery, and Silverware.—Peter Dick, the most reliable jewellers, watchmakers, and opticians, 490 Moray place, Dunedin. —Advt.