CURRENT TOPICS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXXIV, Issue 3, 25 October 1924, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS

UNKNOWN AUSTRALIA, There are two points if interest in the extraordinary story of the captivity of white women in Northern Australia and what has followed, says the Auckland “Star.” The human side of the story naturally makes the strongest appeal. If there are such captives. Australians- can-r not rest until,they, are released. The expedition sent out by the Federal Government, however, did not find them, and the Government has come to the conclusion that the story, which it is said rests on the word of one native, arose from the presence of women missionaries in the Far North. It is worth noting that this explanation was put forward by a Sydney paper before the expedition returned' and apparently a full report from the searchers has not. been received. The Port Darwin people are not satisfied. Fresh evidence has come to light, and they are sending two expeditions to Arnheira Land. It i s like looking for a moving needle in a haystack, for Arm heim Land is no man’s land, and the aborigines do not show themselves when a expedition goes through. If they hold white women captive they can easily hide them. The second point that the whole buisness emphasises is the limited nature of the hold Australians have on the Northern Territdry. From Port Darwin eastward across Arnheim Land to the Gulf of Carpentaria is 400 miles, and over the greater part of this territory there is no Government authority.' It is therefore possible for wb.ite persons to be captured by blacks in Australia and held indefinitely. This is an indication of the small progress that settlement has made in the North, which is the part of Australia nearest to the teeming populations of Asia and the East, Indies. THE SCOUT MOVEMENT,

lii his farewell address to the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides of Christchurch Lord Jellicoe .said he found that the movement was always popular among the boys and girls, but no movement of this kind could be really, successful unless it had behind it the interest and sympathy of the whole community. It was of no use boys and girls enrolling themselves unless there was some organisation that would ensure the continuance of the companies that were formed. There was no iinetliod by which that could bo assured unless it was by the. formation of local committees. That was why it was essential that the parents themselves and the rest of the community should have a keen interest in the movement and do all they could to help the executive to carry out the principles of the movement. There was a tendency now-a-days, he thought, for parents to leave others to look after their children. It was on account of that that the father and son movement had come into existence. That should not be necessary. If parents would support the Scout movement thv'v would do a. great deal for the good of their children. One had only to look at those then assembled to see that the movement did good. It was very satisfactory to him, and he was sure it was to her Excellency that the two movements had made so much progress during the last year or two. There had been an increase in the Boy, Scouts of some 1400 during the past year. He was assured by the executive, and he knew it from Ids own observation, that it was not only an increase in. numbers but in efficiency and organisation. Tile number of scout

companies, had practically!."doubled in (be last twelve months. It was very satisfactory to know that there wore, now 2000 people on the local committees. Ho paid a warm ■ tribtfte to the work of Brigadier-General A'ndnew, who. he said, had given up practically all his time in the interests,of the scout movement. The GiiT Guides had met with wonderful success and the progress made had been almost phenomenal. “Stick to it,, boys,” concluded his Excellency; “stick to it. Scouts ; stick to it local commit-