NOTES AND COMMENTS

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 15 November 1924, Page 8

NOTES AND COMMENTS

Soviet Teachers in England: Although Netv Zealand’s Minister of Education lias shown his willingness to look with lavour upon certain educational reforms introduced in tlio Did Country under the Labour regime wo have not the least doubt as to Air Parr’s opinion of the experiment cd an interchange, of teachers and students between Great .Britain and Soviet Hussite Of all the subterranean plots to undermine Britain, probably the wierdest anil most cunning was the decision of the President oi the British Board of Education to arrange lor Soviet teachers to visit England ostensibly to give instruction in the .Russian language. Latest files ol London newspapers coming to hand yesterday indicate that something has been done in tins direction abcadv, whether officially or unofficially it is hard to tell; but, at any rate, groups of British students of working men’s colleges have been wandering about Soviet Russia, where some of them have been represented as saying that, for instance, the Donetz mines are better equipped than the British mini's. .Recently, too, a paity ol Rahlaks, or students of Soviet, Labour Eacu'lties, visited various parts ot England. It is indeed preposterous for Air Trevelyan to assume that the Soviet Government, will let out of Pussia any teachers or students but those of their own choice, thoroughly imbued with Communist doctrine and with Communist ideas ol education without religion and v, 1 1 ho 11 1 moia 11 1 \. They would lmvei- dream of sending to England 1 ho'O unhappy village teachers who now live a wrelched life, with Eng ui.i aid airoll's of a, pitiful

salary, iu filthy schools with broken windows, without pencils, without books. In the towns tlie conditions of many schools under the Bolshevist regime can hardly be described in English and the sort of Russian in which they can be described had better uot be learnt. The Bolshevists have been only too successful in corrupting the younger generation of Russia. Some of them are, indeed, alarmed i t their own success. Mr Trevelyan (President of tlie British Board of Education) might have obtained some enlightenment upon the present state of education in Russia if lie were to read the frank, sincere, and very alarming description of the state of the schools that was read by lime. Lenin at a recent conference of the Russian Communist Party. Lunacharsky himself, Mr Trevelyan’s opposite number in the Soviet Government, has confessed that illiteracy is increasing under the Soviet regime. Did the President of the Board of Education really propose to import Russian Communist methods of education into England under the guise of providing facilities for teaching Russian? The proposal suggests, at the very least, an inexcusable levity. Unquestionably it is an amazing thing that Mr Trevelyan should calmly consider an idea that means sowing the seeds of pestilence among the youth of Great Britain, but we may now breathe a sigh of relief that as the results of the election Sir Trevelyan has been sent about his business with his Socialist colleagues.

The Wool Outlook: Notwithstanding the evil forebodings of certain economists that there was no danger of a shortage oi wool and that the bottom was likely to fall out of the wool business beiore the close of last season, the price movements at the current series ot wool sales in Sydney make most encouraging reading for New Zealand growers. Against the academic calculations of some misinformed economists, we have the considered opinion of the city editor of “Tne Times” who points put that surplus wool stocks accumulated during the war have now been absorbed, and current demand far exceeds current production. “This production,” says this well-informed authortiy, “it is estimated cannot meet more than 60 per cent, of the total textile machine capacity of the world, which is appreciably larger than iu 1913.” In other words, there is not sufficient wool to meet all requirements. Hence prices must rise and among the potential buyers of the Australian and New Zealand clip is Germany, who, thanks to ready finance provided by the Allies is in the market as a cash buyer of wool in large quantities. Jn January last year Mr Walter Andrews, president of the British Wool hedeiution, declared: Personally I am very much afraid that we are nearing tlie, point when wo shall have a shortage of nook The “Bawra” stock has always been to my mind a safeguard during the last three years against a rush in prices. If that safety valve is removed-—and I think it w ill be about next March—we shall be in a position of real danger in tlie wool trade. We may'; if welcome to one of our little booms, have a serious advance in prices which would be very detrimental to the trade. That is the considered view of a very highly-respected authority, and undoubtedly it was takeiil ill to account by wooi-growers. Immediately following the opening wool sales in New Zealand ’ last year, . .the Biadfoid correspondents of the Dominion press were saying:

11 ia uaiicult to aiiodunt, ! in coin facvs, ior tub astonismiig imange oi Uuul as compared nun re hr moutnfc \WiOU Cu**aUtMlCC \\ cl» COiiipaaoij IUUAI iiy U seems, uu um auo to u bom tea realisation oi uie shortness oi supplies, acctiucuacea, by me Heavy docin.e m tne Australian clip. JL'amy also it is uue to. sugktij nhprovea prospects lor trade geneiany, because commodity prices, aicei snowing a declining tendency dining, tno summer, seem to have stabilised and snow a slight rise. Tde rusli to buy, However, at the present prices, seems to be largely due to psychological reasons, and consequently the rise may be overdone ior tlie time being—tnough even at present prices medium anil low crossureus are still relatively under-valued. Since those remarks were penned (early in December, 1925) the prices of medium and low crossbreds have considerably advanced. At the Clinstchurch saie in the second week in December medium crossbreds made from lfid to 16Jd, and.low crossbreds from lud to Md. In January, -IJ-4, medium crossbreds made lipd to and low crossbreds Hid to lid and so on at each succeeding safe. Moreover at the opening sales in Sydney held this month new ’ records were established lor all classes, of wool, whilst one notable feature of the sales in New Zealand and Australia is that the* bulk of the wool is not handled by dealers for speculative purposes, but goes direct to the mills. Such bright prospects should put New Zealand in good heart.