In Town And Out

Southland Times, Issue 23388, 21 December 1937, Page 6

In Town And Out

A Roy-1 Birthday The Duke of Kent, third son of King George V, celebrated his thirty-fifth birthday yesterday. After spending some time as a sub-lieutenant in the Navy, his Royal Highness later entered the Foreign Office, being the first member of his family attached to a civil service. He was married to Princess Marina of Greece, in November 1934. There are two children, Prince Edward, born on October 9, 1935, and Princess Mary, born on Decemfier 25, 1936.

Sino-Japanese Conflict Predicted A striking prediction of the present conflict between Japan and China was made 10 years ago, according to Mr A. L. Walker, an Invercargill business man. “I met an Intelligence man travelling between Invercargill • and Christchurch 10 years ago,” Mr Walker said, “and he told me then that Japan was preparing for her invasion of China which contained many of the minerals that were necessary for her manufactures.” He added that having consolidated her position in China, Japan would next come into conflict with Russia. Mr Walker said that an indication of the feeling in American business circles towards Japan was the fact that when he was in New York a big American firm had cancelled an order for 2,500,000 dollars worth of Japanese goods. While in England he heard that Mr Hugh D. Macintosh, who had established the milk bar industry there, had cancelled all his orders for Japanese straws.

School Buildings Wanted “The need of buildings is one of our most urgent problems,” said the Minister of Education, the Hon. P. Fraser, speaking at an afternoon tea given by the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute. On a tour of inspection some time ago he had found that there was hardly a habitable police station or policeman’s residence in the Dominion, and the position in the schools was worse. Teachers’ houses throughout the Dominion were in very many cases really not fit to be lived in at all.

New Zealand Farming Methods Farmers in Australia were most interested in New Zealand methods of treating pasture lands, says Mr Eric E. Hendriksen, Wellington, who returned recently from a tour of the Commonmonwealth. In South Australia, in particular, clover for pastures had been introduced with success from the Dominion and had proved much more beneficial to both land and stock than grass. Generally speaking, Australians watched New Zealand movements closely and seemed well-informed of her agricultural and economic activities.

Assisting the Blind “Our thoughts turn constantly to the many good friends we have in the world,” said Sir Clutha Mackenzie, director of the New Zealand Institute for the Blind, at Auckland. “There are those who are always willing to help us across the road, the tramway motormen and conductors who extend us every courtesy, the railway guards and the people in shops. Everywhere we go we find the most marvellous friends.”

Award to Dog A posthumous award to a dog which was of considerable service to the society on days when it made its street apneals has been made by the Auckland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The dog was a collie named Tootie, owned by Mrs Hardwick Shorland, and the medal of gold and silver, bears on it a representation of the dog and an appreciation of its services.

“Stay-in Strike” A “stay-in strike” was the method adopted by a number of patrons of the Karori baths on Sunday of protesting against the closing of the baths by the Wellington City Council at 5 p.m. on Sundays.. Though some interesting developments might have been expected from a form of protest not previously adopted in public swimming baths, proceedings were quiet, and the director had no difficulty in handling the situation. The “strikers” numbered 19, and included less than a dozen adults. As the premises slowly cleared with the ringing of the 5 o’clock closing bell, they took up a position on the grassed terraces and awaited developments. Numerous conjectures were inspired by the presence of a police officer, but he soon departed and there were no developments, even when the exits were locked and the usual purifier of 21b of copper sulphate was thrown into the water. A few small boys among the spectators outside the fence decided to join the “strikers” when a camera appeared, and the director who appeared to be enjoying himself a good deal more than the scantily-clad bathers, sat in for the picture. The last of the “strikers” scaled the fence homeward bound soon after 6 p.m.

ToU Of The Young “While we rejoice that employment for youths is now plentiful, we cannot help feeling regret that so many boys leave school at a very early age,” remarked Father J. Dowling, S.M., rector of St. Patrick’s College, Silverstream, at the annual prize-giving ceremony. “The only cheap labour available at the present time is the labour of the young, and the employers know well how to take toll of it. Far too many boys are leaving the secondary schools in their first or second year. Many of these are working at high pressure during the day and are then attending classes at some night school. The sooner this is remedied by the raising of the school-leaving age the better it will be for those young people.” Grant Of £lOOO Advice of the receipt of a grant of £lOOO from the Carnegie Corporation of New York is announced in the first annual report of the Board of Trustees of the National Art Gallery and Dominion Museum. The money is to be used for the purchase of reproductions of pictures, and the board intends to obtain a collection of fascimile reproductions of old and modern masterpieces, representing all schools of art from the earliest times up to the present day. “As it is quite impossible for this gallery to acquire a collection of original old masters it is felt that the excellent reproductions which are now obtainable l will be far more valuable to students than second-rate originals,” states the report.