NOTES AND COMMENTS

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18071, 21 March 1923, Page 8

NOTES AND COMMENTS

Stolen Notes: Three burglars drove up to a London house on Christmas Day and stole a gramaphone. Apparently, the men have bad records.— “Reynold’s.”

American Trade: The retail Christmas trade in the United States has been estimated to be 20 per cent, better than last year—states a cable from the Guaranty Trust Company of New York to its London office. This would be. about 15 per cent, greater than 1920, and but little less than the record year of .1919, although higher prices then prevailed. Probably the volume of-trade was greater this year than in 1919.Manufacturing production continues to reflect the basic strength of general business conditions. Manufacturing operations are, as a whole, normal again. A further acceleration of industrial activity is expected, during the first half of 1923. The Government’s final estimate of this year’s cotton crop is 9,964,000 bales, an increase of 1,9 64,000 over actual crop last year, but considerably less than the ten-year-average of 12,000,000 bales. 9 * * Wasted Youth:

One of the saddest things about the wave of industrial depression is the fact that large numbers of boys and girls who leave school start straight down the road to demoralisation (says Reynold’s). There are 200,000 of them between the ages of fourteen and eighteen out of,work. When the time of reviving trade comes, these young people, who. have not the resistance to evil surroundings which many of their elders have, will be a heavy load for the industry of the nation to carry. Go round any of the poorer parts of our large towns, and you will see how these unfortunate youngsters are growing up. The continuation school scheme broke down. It was objected to by parents, by employers, by the children themselves, and by the local education authorites, who would not, or could not, find the money. The present, however, is a different problem. There is no taking the children from work, for they have none. Parents, employers, and the children themselves. would welcome centres where really useful training was given, and good influences

brought to bear instead of bad ones. The holders of public purses may say that they cannot afford to carry out such schemes, however desirable. But the fact, is that they cannot afford not to do it. There can be nothing more wasteful than to let this human material go to ruin, which is vihut we are doing now.