NEWS IN BRIEF.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 146, 22 June 1931, Page 4

NEWS IN BRIEF.

A Dangerous Time. “ Apart from the present financial crisis we are in a very dangerous. time as regards human culture,” said Professor Shelley in an address to the W.E.A. on Saturday. “We are , about to mistake the fundamental things. The things of the moment occupy our time, but if most of these were swept away it would harm us very little culturally.” He said that man was only vaguely aware of his own existence until he had found something that he could control. Man could not control himself until he could control the various material forces in his environment. If all culture was wiped out, it would probably take just as long to recover it as it took the human race to develop it. Land Settlement. The great interest being taken in the political questions of the day was again demonstrated on Saturday evening, when Mr W. Lee Martin, M.P., addressed a very largely attended meeting at Little River. Mr Martin traced the political history of the past thirty years, drawing a comparison between the financial depression which had preceded the coming into power of the Ballance-Seddon Liberal Governments and the present problem. As an active policy of land settlement had rescued the country in those days, so a similar policy now would have good results. He touched also on the unemployment problem, advocating that relief workers, instead of being employed on work of little actual benefit to the - country, should be put to work clearing Crown lands for settlement. The bulk distribution and control of New Zealand’s produce on overseas markets was also dealt with by Mr Martin, who stated that such a scheme would lead to stability of prices. Railway’s Board’s Inspection. The Railway Board will pay a visit to Kaikoura on Thursday next. The party will be in Picton on Wednesday and will stay there overnight, proceeding to Kaikoura on Thursday, and continuing on to Parnassus, where connection will be made with the Christchurch express. The board will inspect the route and the work being carried out on the South Island Main Trunk railway from the northern to the southern terminus. Lessons in Farming. Amusing stories of how he began farming in the Waikato were told by Mr W. Lee Martin, M.P., at a meeting in the Trades Hall last evening. When he bought the farm as a novice, he said, a land agent told him that the land would carry fifteen cows. A neighbour advised him to reduce the number to eight, but he decided to split the difference and put on twelve cows. He did that with the result that every blade of grass was eaten and he had to sell the cows to save them from starvation. Not in Favour of Strike. Mr 11. E. Holland, M.P., when asked at Millerton whether the Labour Party would favour the calling of a general strike to defeat the wage-reducing policy, replied that the calling of a general strike was no part of the Labour Party’s policy. That was a matter for industrial unions. In any case, a strike under existing conditioiis could only be a flash in the pan. Those like himself who had been through many strikes and lock-outs would know that industrial conflicts were won on rising markets and not when the markets were falling. With thousands of men Unemployed, the dice were heavily loaded against the industrial workers. In his opinion an effective fight against wage reductions could only be made at the polls.