Untitled

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11125, 14 November 1907, Page 6

"There is a part of New Zealand whicli is still absolutely heathen," said the Rev. R. M. Ryburn, -of Wanganui, afc the meeting of the Presbyterian General Assembly the other day. He described how the heathen services of the Maoris m one district of the North Island were preceded by the singing of the Psalms of David to the old Gregorian chants. The psalms had been learned by an earlier Christ i:ui generation, and handed down orally to their successors. According to a London paper there are gratifying indications that the tide of industrial movement from the country to the towns is beginning to turn. It says that at a hiring fair at Swindon for the first time for many years there was a surplus of labor, and a considerable number of men were found seeking employment, instead of there being, as is usually the case, a marked dearth of farm hands. Several large farmers, when questioned on the matter, expressed an opinion that there was a tendency on the part of rural laborers to retain tlieir situations rather than migrate to towns, where employment, though nominally better paid, was really less profitable, "less healthy, and of a precarious nature. They pointed out that with wages at their present level, farm hands could live quite comfortably, while the condition- of life were quite superior to those which prevailed a few years ago, for sanitary inspectors, appointed by the rural authorities, insist on the houses being put m good condition. There only ical difficulty was m regard to the number of cottages, tlie landlords not having seen their way to increase the accommodation. One farmer expressed the opinion that, if some means could be adopted of providing more cottages, there would be many good men willing to leave the towns and return to tlie land.