NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25365, 25 October 1943, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

T>ASING his belief in the fulfilment -*-* of the principles of the Atlantic Charter ns the guiding force in the post-war world. Professor E. R. Hudson, director of Lincoln College, stated at a post-war reconstruction conference in Christchurch that there were signs of “hedging” on that charter. “We all have that tendency to hedge,” said Professor Hudson, “but we must be big enough to take a long-term view instead of the short-term view which takes advantage, of the immediate benefits.” If they did not do that, he said, the future was not bright. It threatened a repetition of the conditions of the past 25 years, when they had experienced two major wars and ?. world-wide economic depression. Stressing the catastrophe that faced western civilisation by the falling birth-rate, Professor Hudson said that unless people met that problem anything else was futile. Shortage of Miners

The fact that two miners added to the underground staff would increase production by 14 tons of coal a day was mentioned by Mr F. Lockingtpn, manager of the Wallsend mine, in giving evidence at a sitting of the Armed Forces Appeal Board in Greymouth. Mr J. G. Quinn, manager of the Dobson mine, commenting on the shortage of miners, said he had not written a report to headquarters during the last 12 months which had not contained a request for men. He added that the mine was also definitely short of mechanical staff. Remedial Treatment

The great value of swimming as remedial treatment for crippled children and other cripples is stressed in a report prepared by a special committee for submission to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association, which opened at Christchurch on Saturday morning. The committee (states a Press Association message) recommends that the services of the association be offered to the Government in this aspect of its work of rehabilitating disabled servicemen, and that representations be made to the proper authorities that, where rehabilitation centres are being established for disabled servicemen, provision be made for swimming facilities in the form of tepid baths.

Dairy Output Declining “The Dominion’s total butter-fat production for August and September shows a decline of 28 per cent., compared with the same two months last year,” said Mr A. J. Sinclair, secretarymanager of the Te Awamutu Co-opera-tive Dairy Company, Ltd. “ Dairy companies are viewing the prospects for this season with grave misgivings. Apart from unfavourable weather and the unsatisfactory handling of the manpower problem, the, shortage of fertiliser is the dominant factor responsible. If New Zealand is to make any showing at all this season in. fulfilling the requirements of the British Government for dairy produce, every effort must now be concentrated on the only practicable solution of this problem—namely, the importation of a minimum quantity of 50,000 tons of finely-ground Tunisian phosphate, shipments to commence arriving here not later than January.” Home for Soldiers Rannerdale Home, in Papanui road, Christchurch, has been purchased by the National Patriotic Fund Board for the accommodation of sick and wounded returned servicemen from the present war. Negotiations have been in train for some time for the purchase of the home from the Canterbury Patriotic Fund, the patriotic organisation of the last war, but the transfer has just been completed. From now on the home will be administered by the Joint Council of the Order of St. John and the Red Cross Society, which will set up its own committee of management. Rannerdale was the home of Mr David Matson, who sold it to Sir Alexander Herdman. Sir Alexander sold it to the Government at the end of the last war. The home itself was established in 1921, and since then about 214 men have been admitted. Of these, 156 have been discharged as fit to leave. The average number of residents over the years has been between 17 and 20. Christian Teaching “ The Wanganui Education Board would be failing in its duty If it did not give the authorities a lead by urging legislation for the teaching of Christian principles in schools,” said the chairman, Mr E. F. Hemingway (Patea) when moving the following motion at the board’s monthly meeting:—“ That this board, realising to the full the meaning of the words of Mr Winston Churchill that the Christian faith is the rock on which the British character has been built, strongly urges the Prime Minister to include in the proposed Education Amendment Act a clause making the teaching of the principles of Christianity an integral part of the school syllabus.” “The \British people.” Mr Hemingway said, “ have evidently realised that the teaching of children to obey the commandments of God is of paramount importance, and in consequence the Home authorities have embodied in an Education Bill now before Parliament a clause providing for compulsory religious teaching in every State school, and representatives of the larger churches, headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, have undertaken to draw up the necessary syllabuses of instruction." The motion was carried, and Mr Hemingway was congratulated on having brought the matter forward.

Auckland’s Future Plans Considerable progress has been made (says the New Zealand Herald) with the first stage of the movement lo co-ordinate the town-planning schemes of the local authorities throughout the metropolitan area of Auckland. Many of these local bodies, notably the City Council, have reached an advanced stage with their individual planning schemes, and the Town-planning Board in Wellington has found it necessary to ask that a master scheme for the co-ordination of these projects should be developed. This scheme in effect will provide for the orderly planning and zoning of all the area coming within its scope, and when completed will provide for three major issues—zoning, communications, and open spaces. The zoning proposals are those now being dealt with. The planning unit under review contains an area of 48,174 acres, and in a comprehensive report which the city engineer, Mr J. Tyler, has prepared it is stated that the population of the unit is estimated at 217,210. 'lt is estimated that (he unit will ultimately be capable of accommodating a population' of about two-thirds ol’ a million, but for the purpose of the present planning the Town-planning Board has indicated a figure of 400,000 at the end of 25 years.