TOPICS OF THE TIMES

Southland Times, Issue 22489, 25 January 1935, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE TIMES

Maternal Death-rate. Maternal mortality is again causing grave concern in Britain, where the rate has risen in 20 years from 4.87 to 5.94 per thousand live births registered. The medical correspondent of the Spectator points out that the governing factors, particularly those affecting the incidence of puerperal septicaemia, are still little understood. It is a curious fact that poor people living in city slums, in spite of malnutrition, unescapable dirt and all the other undesirable things that go with poverty and slum life, pass, and always have passed, far more safely through the ordeal of maternity than do or have done their richer sisters in the airier and more generally salubrius quarters of British cities and towns. In spite of the great extension of ante-natal work and institutional confinements in the past 10 years, the mortality rate continues to rise and the death rate of infants in the first month of life is practically as high as ever. The great diversity of rates in different places over long periods remains a mystery. The divergence of rates in hospitals is even more marked, amounting in some cases to 400 per cent. It is probable, the writer adds, that many factors contribute to the high maternal mortality rate. Are we quite sure, he asks, that newly-emancipated woman has yet acquired a sound biological bias, or secured for herself a harmonious psycho-physiological equilibrium? It may well be that not the least of the problems involved is an educational and sociological one.

Non-hustling America. As the result of a visit to the United States, Mr Ivor Brown, the English social satirist, is convinced that the American has risen superior to hustling but prefers to believe just the contrary. “He proclaims his eternal busyness; no sooner has he established a reasonable and commendale tempo of life than he proceeds Ho visualize and dramatize himself as a hell-for-leather hustler, the very genius of celerity. Odd that a nation, having achieved a virtue in fact, should glory in a nonexistent vice. On returning to London from New York I was terrified and horrified by the way in which motorcars flashed meteor-like up the main streets of my suburb or raced past each other at enormous speeds on the arterial roads. I went into railway stations where everybody seemed to be shoving and bustling, where there were constant clanging, whistling, and shouting, where, in short, everybody behaved as a member of a feverish and

frantic people, convinced that St. Vitus is their patron and their pride. I remembered Grand Central in New York, its serene, smokeless, antiseptic enormity, where people strolled peacefully to their invisible trains with no more noise than the occasional music of the soft-tongued negro porters. The New York termini have a cathedral quality; a man might sit there and read divine philosophy, meditating quietism. Americans speak far less fast than the English, and they use longer, more formal words. The dignitaries of a classical vocabulary are very dear to them. They do not have a talk; they Go Into Conference. They do not work the lift; they Operate the Elevator. What we call flats they call apartments; the long, the leisurely word is always preferred. They call their Congress members Representatives or Congressmen, not M.P’s. in the snappy English fashion. I began to wonder whether one of the rebels’ grievances against King George might not have been his sad brevity of title. President Washington offered six syllables against two, an overwhelming attraction.

My country ’tis of thee, Land of Celerity, Of Thee I sing. They may think of it that way, but my own dominant impression of the New World is of its quite Old World Charm.”

Last evening the Dominion Meteorologist issued the following information.—A deep depression is crossing the Dominion to-day, while an anti-cyclone is moving from Eastern Australia on to the Tasman Sea; a cyclone is located between Fiji and the New Hebrides Islands. Forecast: Winds westerly north of Farewell Spit and Kaikoura, backing to south-westerly during tonight; elsewhere southerly moderate to strong, and of gale force at places, but decreasing to-morrow. Seas in New Zealand waters heavy on the west coast north of Greymouth, and elsewhere rough. Eastern Tasman Sea: Strong, but decreasing south-westerly winds; seas rough. Weather unsettled and squally, with rain in mos districts, and hail on parts of the East Coast; a rapid improvement is due, however, following a southerly change. Temperatures becoming cooler.

The new lighthouse at Baring Head, near the entrance to Wellington Harbour, which is to take the place of that now operating at Pencarrow, is almost finished. The giant lantern has been mounted and the lens is being fixed, and construction work on the powerhouse—to be finished in the next six weeks—was commenced last week. The station will possibly be in service at the end of March or in April.

In the Police Court yesterday, before Mr M. Miller, Justice of the Peace, a Gore business man, whose name was suppressed, pleaded not guilty to a charge of having been found intoxicated while in charge of a motor truck in Dee street on Wednesday evening. On the application of Mr Gordon Reed, who represented the accused, a remand was granted until next Wednesday afternoon. Bail to the sum of £25, with one surety of £25, was allowed.

“The roads in England are good, but the volume of traffic is tremendous and driving is inclined to be too fast for safety,” said Mr G. R. Ritchie, general manager of the National Mortgage and Agency Company, Ltd., who has returned from England after an absence of nine months, in an interview at Christchurch on Tuesday. Lord Nuffield had predicted, Mr Ritchie said, that in 10 years there would be 10,000,000 cars in Great Britain. “I don’t know how travelling will be possible then,” he remarked. It was now being recognized, however, that something had to be done. Tests for the issue of driving had been instituted this year, it having been possible previously for anyone to obtain a license on payment of the 5/- fee.

Ladies’ Vests.—A very large assortment at keen prices. See our values at 1/-, 1/6, 1/11 and 2/6, all large vests. Wicks’ Ltd., Cash Drapers, Invercargill and Gore.—Advt.

Yesterday saw the Exhibition crowded with bargain-seekers, and Thomson Beattie in their usual modest way state that everyone was delighted with the sale values offered in all sections. No matter how low the price, QUALITY is rigidly maintained by this firm at sale periods as at all other times.—Advt.

SNAPSHOTS that are pictures. Brown, The Chemist, will produce the best possible results. GEORGE H. BROWN, Chemist, 125 Dee Street.— Advt.

Children’s hats at sale prices. Panamas, navy bands, 2/11 and 3/11, flops 1/6, helmets 1/6, maids’ white hats 1/11 at Miss Noble’s, The Baby Shop, Dee street.—Advt.

Super quality School Hose 2/6, all sizes. All schools, including Technical and High Boys’ School. Shirts 1/9, all sizes; School Belts 9d; Boys’ Singlets lid, and many other bargains at Carter’s Stock Reducing Sale. See advert Front Page.—Advt.

PRINTS that will not fade, discolour, or lose their first day brilliance. That’s the kind we make. GEORGE H. BROWN, Chemist, 125 Dee Street. —Advt.

There is nothing my lady wears that is so much appreciated as Furs. The gift of gifts, there is nothing looks better, wears better and gives that added charm as furs do, and they are to be bought cheaply these days. We have the finest selection of quality goods in Southland at prices in keeping with the times. The Mutual Fur Co., Tay street. —Advt.

FlLMS—Bring them to Brown, Tire Chemist, and get better results. Bright, snappy prints. That’s the kind we make. Prices right too. GEORGE H. BROWN, Chemist, 125 Dee Street.—Advt. FOR BEST RESULTS Let STEWART’S PHARMACY Do your DEVELOPING and PRINTING. —Advt. NOT FASHIONABLE TO-DAY. Nobody enjoys a cough and cold at any time, but in summer time these complaints are absolutely devastating. One’s appearance is definitely spoilt; watery eyes,’ a red nose, and a husky voice are not attributes to beauty. _ Keep clear of colds by keeping a bottle of Baxter’s Lung Preserver handy. “Baxter’s” quickly wards off trouble and its tonic properties are greatly appreciated. Pin your faith to “Baxter’s”—l/6, 2/6 and 4/6.—Advt.

“Australians are really more English than New Zealanders in their customs, their churches and their schools,” declared Mr H. J. Robins, who has returned to Christchurch after a stay of 14 months in Australia. “The great public schools, which are really in private hands, have the closest possible similarity to the great English public schols. I also noticed that Australians are far more tolerant of New Zealanders than we are of them. It is a great pity that there could not be more co-operation between the two dominions.”

The impending rivalry of Australia to New Zealand’s fat lamb export industry was mentioned on Tuesday by Mr H. J. Robins, who has returned to Christchurch after a stay of over a year in Australia. “Although New Zealand dairying methods are in many cases far ahead of Australian,” said Mr Robins, “we cannot teach them anything about sheep, especially the fine-woolled breeds. Their Merinos are absolutely magnificent. Some farmers are now investigating the Corriedale, with a view to improving the fat lamb export trade. This step may seriously affect New Zealand’s position in the market.”

The physical unfitness of the Japanese race was given by Mr W. C. Mackay on Monday as one of the reasons why the Japanese are unable to solve their population problem by migrating to other climes. Mr Mackay, who has recently returned from a visit to Japan, addressed the Auckland Rotary Club on “The Japanese Crisis.” He said the race was unfitted to stand the rigours of other climates, and tuberculosis was rampant among them. In one insurance office he visited he found 26 young men of age for military training, but every one of them had been rejected as unfit. Practically all recruits for the army had to be drawn from the country districts-