The Star. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1926. AUCKLAND WANTS A RAILWAY STATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18014, 26 November 1926, Page 6

The Star. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1926. AUCKLAND WANTS A RAILWAY STATION.

Dunedin has the finest railway station in New Zealand, or so the Railway Department boasts in the “ Railways Magazine,” and therefore nothing is more natural than that Auckland should want to go one better. Just what Auckland's idea of a suitable station is nobody would venture to say. Dunedin follows the style of architecture known as Flemish Renaissance, and the rather ambitious two-storied building is supported on polished granite pillars —not “ pressed beef ” imitations like those that gi-acc New Zealand’s legislative halls. A handsome clock tower rises over 120 feet at one end, and there is a smaller tower at the other end. In comfort and convenience the station is equally up-to-date. There are even hot-water radiators outside the ticket office windows for the queue of Northbound passengers to warm themselves at It is a very fine station, no doubt, but this very fact raises an uneasy feeling as to what will be required to fill the eye of our northern friends. Auckland has been promised a new station, but it seems that the plans will not be completed for six months, and therefore local members are agitating for a speeding up of the work on the ground that it would give employment to hundreds of men. If this is a good argument for Auckland, it would apply with greater force to Christchurch. Christchurch laid the first railway and built the first railway station in New Zealand. Parts of the early structure still do duty to-day, and even what has been built on to it is hopelessly out of date. If railway stations are being handed out, Christchurch certainly has the prior claim.

Even allowing for the better quality of the Auckland clip, there is cause for congratulation that the Auckland wool sale yesterday showed a decided improvement on the prices realised at Wellington, Napier and Wanganui, and the concluding sales of last season. The sale was marked by a firm tone, and there was keen competition from the Continent, though not from America. If the improved tone of the market can be maintained, it will help in some degree to alleviate the anxieties that are felt by the farming community in regard to the price of butter and other farm produce. There is no occasion for undue optimism at the moment, but the fact that the Continent is a very keen buyer of certain classes of New Zealand wool, and that Great Britain is struggling to her feet after the mining strike, should help to maintain prices for New Zealand wool. The outlook is distinctly hopeful for the market, as very little wool has been carried over from last year, and the probabilities favour a trade revival that will be reflected in better prices for this important staple.

An extensive and pretentious scheme of education by wireless is contemplated by a committee that has just been set up at Home, under the chairmanship of the vice-chan-cellor of the University of Sheffield, to consider the formation of classes all over the country for listening-in to some educational subject put on the air by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The idea seems to be that clasms, meeting every evening or on alternate evenings, would listen to lectures on political economy, history, psychology or similar subjects, with a discussion afterwards, and possibly a paper as a form of “ homework.” It is felt that it will be a simple matter for men and women everywhere to form classes, and existing institutions, like the Workers’ Educational Association, will be approached with a view to adopting wireless instruction. The scheme may go further, and provide for the marking and correcting of papers done by student listeners. At present, the scheme is in the hands of a committee of educational experts, and their report wall be awaited with interest. At Home it is considered inadvisable to disturb the present balance of broadcasting programmes, and for that reason the aid of regional stations capable of transmitting alternative programmes would probably be invoked. Obviously, education cannot be forced into the ears of listeners who desire merely to be entertained, and this is a big problem at Home. In New Zealand, where there, is an undoubted difficulty in obtaining good broadcast programmes, the same objections may hot apply. At all events, some form of education by wireless would be welcomed, and perhaps Dr Hight, who has taken a very keen interest in the work of the W.E.A., will be able to bring back from England some modified scheme that will he applicable to New Zealand conditions.