TOPICS OF THE TIMES

Southland Times, Issue 25386, 13 September 1935, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE TIMES

Herr Hitler’s “Best Seller.” July 17 was the tenth anniversary of the publication of Herr Hitler’s autobiography and political manifesto, “Mein Kampf,” of which 1,930,000 copies have been sold in Germany alone. The royalties from “Mein Kampf and Herr Hitler’s interests in the publishing house have made the Chancellor a rich man, notes the Berlin correspondent ot the Morning Post. The Lokal Anzeiger observes pertinently to-day that no one who has not read Adolf Hitler s ‘Mein Kampf’ knows what National Socialism is and what National Socialism wants.” As the successive editions of “Mein Kampf” have come out, HerrHitler has introduced several small changes into the text, but he has not altered the following sentence: “One must be quite clear that the lost territories will not be won back by solemn appeals to the Lord God or pious hopes in a League of Nations, but only by force of arms.”

Married Women Teachers. The decision of the London County Council, as the largest authority concerned, to revoke its ban upon the employment of married women as teachers and doctors is welcome, says the Manchester Guardian. In doing so tne council reverts to its practice before 1923. The argument then prevailed, and rightly prevailed, that circumstances of exceptional unemployment do not warrant the establishment of a bad precedent. The matrimonial ban would exclude from both professions many women whose services are of the first value. Where it has been enforced it has had the entirely uneconomic effect of terminating the work of a member of the community who has had a long and expensive education, who has usually come to the full maturity of ability, and who has not infrequently been replaced by someone less competent. If the precedent thus set became at all widespread the effect would be to deter from entering the teaching and medical professions many brilliant young women whose work might be of the greatest value to State and municipality. The only valid test of a teacher’s or of a doctor’s value is his or her skill in work, and to introduce in the case of a woman the question of her husband’s ability to support her can find no defence in logic or principle. f Limit of Human Endeavour. During the last two decades track athletes have received a world-wide impetus and countless men (and women) all over the world have taken up athletics strenuously, notes Mr Guy Butler, joint holder of the world’s 300yds record, in a recent article. A natural consequence has been the application of science to the technique of running, hurdling, jumping and throwing. As a result of the immensely increased numbers and improved methods, the standard of athletic accomplishment has risen rapidly. Some believe the human machine to have reached or nearly reached its maximum physical output; some assert the contrary. A few years ago Professor A. V. Hill, the eminent physiologist, made a number of interesting experiments on runners and evolved, among others, a theory that the speed of a sprinter is governed by the viscosity of his muscles. It was his opinion that if man ran very much faster things would begin to break—which is, to a certain extent, borne out by the increasing tendency of athletes to muscular breakdown. I fancy,, although I have not asked him, that Professor Hill would view as impossible the reduction of the world’s 100yds record to 9sec. I myself, says Mr Butler, have a strong feeling that the last word has by no means, been written in the matter of athletic records, and would wager that in the next 25 years they will all be broken at least once. For the factors, human and material, which govern performance are not fixed, and so long as they

remain variable there is the possibility, I if not the probability, of improvement being made.

Last evening the Dominion Meteorologist issued the following information: The central portion of an anti-cyclone extends across the South Tasman Sea and southern New Zealand, while pressure is relatively low over the North Tasman Sea. Forecast; Winds southerly to south-easterly, still strong and squally between Cook Strait and East Cape, but decreasing and otherwise moderate. Seas in New Zealand waters rough between Akaroa and East Cape and in the South Taranaki Bight, and elsewhere moderate. Eastern Tasman Sea: Moderate to fresh east winds, with moderate to rather rough seas. Weather still changeable, "with occasional showers on the east coast south of East Cape, and some misty rain or showers also in the far north: elsewhere mainly fair. Temperatures cold, with sharp inland frosts. The Director-General of the Post and Telegraph Department advises that mails which left Wellington on August 6 by the Makura, via San Francisco, arrived in London on September 3. In the Police Court yesterday morning before Mr W. H. Freeman, S.M., a statutory first offender, who was found drunk in Grace street early yesterday morning, was convicted and discharged on payment of 2/6 taxi hire. Orders in favour of the judgment creditors were made by Mr W. H. Freeman, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday in the following judgment summons cases: H. W. Grace v. Thomas West, sen. (Bluff) for £l9 15/1 in default 21 days’ imprisonment, warrant to be suspended on payment of 10/- a week; A. Brennan v. James Cook (Gore) for £l3 1/- in default 14 days’ imprisonment, warrant to be suspended on payment of £1 a week. Milkmen and others whose business causes them to be astir very early were astonished on a recent morning to see a brilliantly lighted aeroplane flying over Napier before daylight. With the cabin windows aglow and the red, green and white navigation lights _ burning, the machine presented a picturesque sight. The explanation was that two Napier business men had urgent business in Gisborne, and an East Coast Airways machine was chartered to get them there. “Landlubbers” are not the only people who like to sleep in-occasionally on a Sunday morning. Those men who are off duty on the Japanese training ship Shintoku Maru (which has been visiting Auckland) are allowed to sleep in once a week if they so desire. At about eleven o’clock on a recent morning several men were sfill in their bunks. Two or three of them were asleep, but from one bunk from which a pair of small feet projected underneath the blankets came the strains of “La Donna e Mobile,” from “Rigoletto,” beautifully played on a mouth organ.

An 800 miles ocean race, which was won by half a ship’s length, is recalled by the recent arrival of the steamer Simonside, at Lyttelton. The Simonside won this race to settle which vessel should first enter the port of Fort Churchill, on Hudson Bay, which is open only between August and Octobereach year for loading wheat. Each year vessels gather in Hudson Strait until about August 13, when a race to Fort Churchill is started. Four steamers took part in the 800 miles dash last year, and the Simonside got home by half a length after racing neck and neck with her opponents the best part of the way.

The cheapness of many of the articles displayed in shop windows in New Zealand has impressed Mrs W. de Hoog, a visitor from Johannesburg, South Africa, who is touring New Zealand. Compared with what would have to be paid in South Africa, the prices in New Zealand of many of the little things a traveller has to buy have impressed her as being very low. She says she has particularly noticed the cheapness of fruit, meat and vegetables; but she has found also that many manufactured articles are cheaper in New Zealand, in spite of the high exchange rate, than they are in South Africa, where the currency is on parity with sterling.

A mellow, well-matured spirit— DEWAR’S WHISKY.—Advt.

Infants Department. We have all garments baby will need. Our prices are cut fine to popularize this new department. Wicks' Ltd., Dee street.—Advt.

See our prices for Corsets and Corselettes. They are hard to beat. We have styles to suit all figures at Miss Noble’s, The Baby Shop, Dee street.—Advt

Four wonder specials at Carter’s Celebration Sale. Men’s fur felt hats 19/6 reduced to 10/6; latest flannel trousers, all wool 19/6 reduced to 12/6; men’s sleeveless pullovers 11/6 reduced to 7/6; men’s braces 3/6 reduced to 1/11 pair. See advt. front page.—Advt.

There’s nothing smarter than Gingham for holiday clothes; all the colours at Thomson and Beattie’s are guaranteed fast to washing and sunlight, and you can choose from 30 new check designs, ranging from pin checks to bold plaid effects. All 36 inches wide, and priced at 1/6 yard. (Advt.)

Six only northern Musquash Coats, new goods, fresh skins, with a guarantee, all sizes, from 34 to 42 busts, at £3O. This is the finest value in the trade to-day. So nov’s your chance of procuring a genuine bargain that will give the wearer years of hard wear and service. Wc invite your inspection, and compare these values with any in the trade. Every coat carries our guarantee. THE MUTUAL FUR COY.. Tay street.—Advt

STEWART’S HAND EMOLLIENT for cracked hands, rough hands, dry hands. Soothing and healing. Keeps the skin beautifully soft and pliable. All housewives, gardeners, milkers and anyone with a tendency to dry skin should use this HAND EMOLLIENT. In pots at 2/- from STEWART’S PHARMACY. Dec Street—Advt. “WE KNOW NOT TILL, WE TRY.” —Shelley Until you have tried Baxter’s Lung Preserver for yourself you cannot realize what a wonderful boon it is to sufferers from coughs, colds, and sore throats. “Baxter’s” has been New Zealand’s most famous remedy for over 70-years. “Baxter’s” does good from the first dose, soothing and relieving, and restoring health. The biggest seller at all chemists and stores. Three popular sizes—l/6, 2/6, and 4/6.—Advt

A tale of “guilty parties” at a church service was told to. New Plymouth Rotarians by Dr John Dickie, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand, during an address. At a service at Dunedin, he said, the minister noticed a good deal of scuffling in the gallery. Tiring of it, he said: “Would the young couple in the gallery holding hands please see me at the end of the service?” And, said Mr Dickie, at the end of the service sixteen couples presented themselves to the minister. The most startled man at a dance in the Fitzroy Hall (New Plymouth) on Saturday night was the pianist in the orchestra, when the instrument he was playing disappeared over the edge of the dais and crashed to the floor among the dancers. Fortunately the heavy instrument fell into a vacant space among the large crowd. The piano was standing near the edge of the orchestral dais, and apparently the vibrations set up by the dancers and the music caused it to work gradually to the edge of the polished platform.

The standard of the English spoken by New Zealanders has greatly impressed Mr W. de Hoog, of Johannesburg, South Africa, who arrived at Christchurch on Tuesday on a tour of the Dominion. New Zealanders, he considered, spoke much better English than Australians, and with pleasanter voices. It was remarkable that in every part of the Dominion, and in all sections of the community so good a quality of speech was maintained. It really was good standard English without the distortions of the East End of London or the dialects of the provinces.

A description of the workings of an international swindling organization was given by Mr W. R. Lascelles at a luncheon meeting of the Canterbury Chapter of the New Zealand Institute of Secretaries. When he had spoken a member of the institute handed him a visiting card, asking him if he recognized the name. Mr Lascelles replied that it was the name of a person who had worked with some success for the gang of which he had told. The owner of the card explained then that he kept it to remind him of the time when he had put too great a confidence in a complete stranger. The consequences had not been so serious as they might have been, he added. “For the sake of this institute,” it was remarked, “let us hope that this happened before you became a member.”