THE STRATFORD EVENING POST WITH WHICH IN INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. MONDAY, MAY 5, 1924. CURRENT TOPICS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXXII, Issue 57, 5 May 1924, Page 4

THE STRATFORD EVENING POST WITH WHICH IN INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. MONDAY, MAY 5, 1924. CURRENT TOPICS

COMMUNIST BLASPHEMY FOR THE YOUNG.

! "Danger ahead" is the appropriate . title of a much-needed booklet, issued by the British Empire Union. Tt contains a study of Socialist and Proletarian Sunday Schools which ought to be read by everyone who desires to preserve Britain and the British Empire from the Communistic horrors which have withered the national existence of Russia and deprived many millions of its inhabitants of life'. The fact that like forces striving to bring about like effects now threaten Britain is beginning to dawn on the consciousness of many who have hitherto bemused themselves with the comfortable assurance that the common sense of 'the British working man would for ever preserve him from the effects of a perpetual and all-pervasive propaganda, carried on for nearly fifty years past. That was to expect too much. Th ; s pamphlet sliow.s that the Socialist vultures have now fixed their talons on the young, and have founded Sunday schools in largo numbers for Ihe express purpose of poisoning (heir minds. The fruit of ih". : i' i acln'ng < says a Home paper, is ahead" visible in the gamrs of young roughs who break up political meetings. It could not he hotter epitomised tha M by quoting the blasphemous words of a "proletarian hymn" which was smur in the streets of Loudon by sixty Communist children : They have got the money, And we can't fret a bob. Tliov te!] us to love our Jesus Christ, But there ain't no bleedm' Chid. To print ibis is horrible, but it is more horrible that such hidoousness should be unknown, unnoticed, and unchecked. GRAFT IN A 33 Kit MA. Writing to a friend in Te Awamutu ii. Key/ Zea kinder now resident in Los Angeles says: "Things here are • getting on the slow side; the banks arc tightening up; real estate deals are get tins.': rather scarce; rents are beginning to come down; and all hecause the people are getting wise al last to the over-booming of Southern California. Hundreds of tourists have left Long Beach o vnu: to {lie excessive" rent charges. We have had more unemployment: here in Los Angeles this last winter than ever before. We are having great ructions over the oil scandal and the income tax refunds to rich men: all done by Ihe Republicans, who are in power, and as November is the big ; election time people are wondering what the result will he. It seems to be nothing but 'graft' and co.rr.ption here even in the highest Government circles, and the real American is hanging his head in sorrow the.'.e day:; ever ike scandalous revelations."

WIRELESS. , A writer in the Manchester Giu.r- j dian asks a question which must have occurred to many who have been impressed by tin., trenien hnis hold which the cult of wireless telephony has obtained all over the civilised world. "Where does the t:\ne come from for all this?" he asks. "How was that time spent in a world (difficult as that worm already ?-• to remember) whose landscape (cnev, not the 'aerial' and whose in'. •.• i.,is were innocent of head-phones: v\ere the experimenter s and listeners-in reading novels, or going to or watching kinemas? And, :c they were, is ihere a falling-oil n tli.--patrons of these older distractions' So far, no managers of kin'\u:H, music halls or circulating Minifies have publicly complained that 'here is. Perhaps the boom in wireless i s a practical demonstration of t.»r metaphysician's assertion that lime is infinitely divisible; or it may be that, just as we have always enough philosophy to support the misfortunes of others, so we have always enough leisure to do the things we want. But it is a queer business. If there is as much listening-in us there seems to be, some older ac- > tivities must surely have been plac- ! ed on short time. Perhaps it i s the base business of working for a living which suffers. THE GOLD "FARCE "> Professor G. Elliot Smith P.R.S., addressed the Aldwych Club, Sydney, recently on the subject of gold currency. Having got on moderately well for nine years without gold currency, he said, even if we recognised it as the hidden foundation of financial stability, the question u r osd whether the metal was rtally essential for the maintenance of civilisation, apart from the temporary cir euinstance s that America. seemed ready to accept and to bury in its vaults the world's supply of gold. Having traced the creation of the artificial value of gold the lectur2r concluded:—■"The chief factor in determining centres for settlement in Africa and Asia, in Europe ami America, has not been originally their attractiveness or fertili.v but their richness in gold, precious stones, and metals. The prospector has laid the plans of civilisation, and miners' camps were the instruments whereby the different. countrie s of the world were inoculated with the germs of culture. The exaggerated value thus attached to the useless yellow metal made it the chief material of tribute 30 centuries ago, and a few centuries later it became the material of currency. Thus its power for good and ill, for facilitating the beneficent work of civilisation, and for developing new possibilities for greed has dominated civilisation for 25 centuries. Now that circumstances have curtailed its value as currency and created the paradoxical waste of energy, whereby vast numbers of people, mainly in the British Dominions, ar<> digging out of the earth this substance mainly to enable Americans to bury it again in their subterranean vaults, the question arises whether this farce should continue."

MOUMAHAKI STATE FARM. Tlie Minister of Agriculture, Hon. W. Nbsworthy, wrote to Friday's meeting of the Waverley A. and P. Association, pointing out that the decision to close the Moumahaki State Farm was arrived at only after most maturei consideration. It appeared to him to be doubtful whether any good purpose could be served by his visiting the property at this juncture, for the purpose of discussing the matter with representatives of tho association. Ho suggested, therefore, that the association submit to him its view, and any suggestions it might have to offer in this matter and then, if they were of a practical nature, he would be pleased to visit the farm for the purpose of going into the question. In conclusion, he stated that the policy of the Department was to assist small demonstration areas, rather than big experimental farms. The chairman (Mr Gregor McGregor) said that since receiving the communication, he had prepared a petition in regard to the matter, as lie thought that what was being done regarding ,it was insufficient. He thought they could discuss the letter and endeavour to arrive at some decision in the matter. He read the purport of the petition he had drawn up, in which the benefits of the retention of tin experimental farm were pointed out. H© explained that if farm, products were not selling up to standard, the merchants and retailers were affected. The progress and prosperity o: the Dominion were dependent o'n agricultural and pastoral work. Here they had an experimental farm in their district, but there is very littlo sympathey' held out for it. They were bringing boys out from England to 'each them farming, but they were neglecting this matter themselves. The hack-country was going back in thousands of acres, and here they were allowing their farm tn be taken from them. After discussion, it was resolved that the Miir'ster be informed that the Waverley farmers wer" prepared to take over a portion of the Moumahaki farm, and run it on similar lines to tin Kiratford and Manaia. demonstration areas. providing satisfactory arrangements could be made with tb ■ Government in regard to rental and subsidy. It was also decided th t t'-e Minister bo ; invited to visit the l'i»nn for the pur- \ pose of discussing the proposal. J

TAXATION ON LAND. During the hearing of evidence before Hie Taxation Commission at Dunedin, Mr Walter Gow, a member of the previous Commission, stated that among the things that were the fair subject of taxation was "privilege." That brought him to _ taxation upon land, which was a fair subject for taxation, because the ownership of it carried privileges SfflKch were not common to other sources of income. Sooner or later, the possessor cf land became richer by reason of unearned increment. He was not prepared, however, to say that unearned increment appertained solely to land. There was a community value which applied, he might say for the sake of argument, to income winch mightr"ue earned by a solicitor. In tlie case of land, however, the community value created was very obvious, much in excess of the community value created j n other directions, that was, apart from income derived from land. They could not exclude the income derived from land, and they could not doublet ax the owner of it, but they could preferentially tax him. The community value existed more particularly in the case of town properties. Ho' thought tlie taxation of land was a fair proposition. He did not think, however, it was a fair proposition to make use of the land tax as an instrument for political purposes to break up large estates. If they were to tax land at all. it should be only because of the privileges attached to its ownership. For that reason only there should be a flat rate of land ta x and that should be applied t 0 »dl lands, country lands or town lands. He would make the tax applicable without exemption. A man who owned a section in town was just as much a subject of privilege as a man who owned a farm in the country. They had possession of something to which the community had added .value. That was more obvious in tlie town than in the country. THE LYNCH FAMILY. Campanology, or the art of bellringing, is a very popular form of entertainment, which in this couutry has been the main feature of the well-known Lynch Family of Bellringers for many years. It is claimed by the company which appeared in the Stratford Town Had on Saturday night that the original company way organised in 1867, and has been continuously before the public in some part of the world ever The Family toured New Zealand on several occasions, the last visit to Taranaki being in 1894. Their personnel has seen many changes, of course, but the present head of the company, Mr Harry Lynch, is with them yet, and took hia place in several items given on Saturday night. On the occasion of

the Familjy's last visit, the programme included "Ring the Bell, Watchman," "Father, Corns Home," 'The Dear Little Shamrock" on the hells. A very popular 'item Va a a duet by Messrs Robert and William Lynch, "Rather too old for that now." A parody on "Ta-ra-rAdoom-de-ay," Lottie Collins' i'amoffi dame and song, and a recitation, "Kissing Cup's Race," found a place on the programme, which concluded with a farce entitled "Five Shilling a Week." Saturday night there was some disappointment among the audience at the very few items played on the hand bells: indeed, there was only one, entitled "The ' Blu« Bells of Scotland;" it was deservedly encored. However, other items of campanology included selections on the silver organ chimes and glas-sophone, the latter having invented and named by Mr Harry Lynch in 1888, and pat l *;ted in several countries. The numbers on the organ chimes were "Bridal Marcn' (from LohengrU.), "Litt'j Dream is Oer," "Till We Meet Again," "Eileen Allaaah," ana "Sweet Adeline;" and on the glassophone, "Thou Art So Near," "Love's Old Sweet Song," "Sleep, Gently Sleep," and "My Old Kentucky Home." Mr William H. Lunch was the hardest-worked member, being seldom absent from the stage, owing to fulfilling the duty of accompanist on the piano besides assisting in the campanologian numbers. Mdlle. Brighta Le Marchant, is a soprano

singer of no mean accomplishments, being particularly effective in her higher register. Her best number was "Roberto tu cue Adore" (aria from "Robert le Diable"), but; she greatly pleased the audience with her rendition of several popular songs, such a s "Garden gf My Heart," "Good Bye." "The Gows are in the Corn," and '("Woodland Serenade." Another female member of the company is Miss Adie Reynolds, who is a very clever monologist, with a peculiarly attractive style, some of her number s being "Poor Old Father," "Foolish Questions," and Pot Pourri. Mr Harry Baxter, the comedian of the company, is a versatile actor, and raised much laughter with his patter, of which the nautical breeze. "Nancy Lee" was hid best. "A Woman's Way," "Never Too Obi." "Wonderful Dad." and "How I Won th:.' !).S..\i." were o;ii^raniusing numbers. This moral or is also haid worked, being so; down for five appearances. The audience was small !ut appreciative, the squally night preventing many who intended to renew aoquabnine.; with these old