General News

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 286, 4 December 1933, Page 6

General News

Tribute to Press. A tribute to the Press of the Domin ion was paid by Mr. F. Milner, when giving a resume of his tour through America to an audience in Timaru the other evening. He said that people might complain about the newspaper in this country, but they were not phil anthropic institutions, and one had to travel to appreciate the standard oi journalism they maintained. One of the plots in America was the vulgarisa tion of the Press, which lacked cultural influence. Disastrous River •Cruise.” Although the river Avon in Christ church is comparatively shallow throughout its length, and does not offer any danger to boating enthusiasts it can be exceedingly unpleasant tc those who are sufficiently lacking in respect as to change seats in mid stream A young man and woman—visitors t< Christchurch—who were rowing on the river a few days ago decided to chang. seats without taking the precaution o pulling in to the bank. The boat cap sized and both were thrown into th< water. Oars, cushions and other para phernalia floated downstream while th< young man floundered about in an ef fort to regain them and his companioi struggled, dripping, up the nearest bank. Both took the mishap in a ven good-natured spirit. Douglas Credit System. “The Douglas credit system is a hoax that has been exploded for year, in countries where it was first intro duced,” sflid Mr. E. S. Spooner, Nev South Wales Minister for Local Gov ernment. “It was introduced to Aus tralia just after the war and revive' two years ago. The reason for its con tinned existence is that few peopl have thought of it with sufficient seri ousnass to explode the most palpabl* inaccuracies imaginable.” Mr Spoone said the policy of the movemen was to obscure the minds of the peopl who would be interested. Any subject any doctrine, was brought within th range of its teachings. It had becom* as versatile as the Lang plan. Th< main object of its leaders appeared t< be an attempt to influence the mind of tlfe people against the present finan cial system. None of the recognise* leaders of finance, eommcrce, o. economic thought bad approved th< system, which was so full of obviou. pot-holes that the leaders of the mow ment were obliged to preserve public interest by all manner of dissertationdiscarding from time to time those tha did not attract attention. They wen to great lengths to prove that no infla tionary step was intended, but Alajo Douglas himself had asserted that th credits issued would be convertible ini notes upon demand. “The Dougla system,” added the Minister, “is : hignly complicated. quaintly-camou flaged paradox, originating from mechanical brain and calculated to pro duce chaos. It consists of strange con tradictions, opposed to all experience and all sense of practicability, hopeles jumbles of meaningless phrases, unin telligible to the average man in th' street, and ridiculous to those who cat sense imperfectly the intention tha'. lies behind them.’"

Good Singing Appreciated.

I n I was very glad to hear you people ' sinj the National Anthem prettily and ■so accurately,” said the Governor-Gen--1 oral, Lord Blcdisloe, when addressing I the school children at Cheviot. There • were few persons in the Dominion who ; heard the National Anthem sung so I often as Their Excellencies, Lord Bledisloe continued. Many times he ■ and Her Excellency had heard it sung ! out of tune, out of time, and often very ! nervously. At Cheviot it had been I sung in good time, in tune, and with ’confidence, as though the children ' really believed that they had a great | King and a great man ruling them. '•‘You have not only a great monarch, but one who has set a brilliant example to the Empire. Nor is there a woman 'who has set a nobler example to the women of the British race than Her ■ Majesty the Queen.’’ Big Chimney-sweeping Job. ' Two thousand live hundred chimneys lin the the Auckland railway district •await the sweeper for whom the New (Zealand Government Railways is now I advertising. Given a free pass over | the railways, the successful tenderer is 'required to sweep all the chimneys in ' railway buildings and houses from ■ Opua in th 0 north to Frankton JuneItion in the south, covering also the I Kaikohe branch, Kirikopuni branch, i Kaihu section. Frankton-Thames section. Rotorua branch, I’aeroa-Taneatua section, Cambridge branch, Glen Alton 'branch. Onehunga branch and Waiuku •branch. His 2500 chimneys arc scat- , tered. therefore, along many miles of ! railway. He will lead a roving life, travelling free from station to station I with his bundle of brooms, and bearing i always in mind, of course, the condiI tion of the contract, “sweeping to be (done in a workmanlike manner, and 'premises to be kept clean and tidy to the satisfaction of the district 'engineer.’’ This contract is let an--1 nually. For one man. it provides 'about nine months’ continuous work, and is therefore eagerly sought after ’by the local sweeps.

Farmers’ Confidence. An indication of the faith of the farmers of Canterbury in the future was given at Addington on Wednesday, when 18s 4d was paid for ewes and lambs, all counted, in the store sheep pens. The ewes were by no means outstanding in quality, but the price is the highest that has been paid for three years. All the store sheep offered sold remarkably well. Hoggets made 235, also the highest price for some time. Business and Private Life. “Take a man out of his business and meeet him as man to man, and one finds he is a really good fellow, but there is a tendency in business to take up an attitude that in private life wo would despise,” stated Mr. J. E. j Strachan in an address in Christchurch • (reports the Times). “Business men jshould not think too much that the j wages costs should be kept down, but that the wages arc proof of the success of the business just as much as are the dividends paid to shareholders.” Sunday Funerals. The question of Sunday funerals was discussed at a meeting of the Southland Ministers’ Association, says the Southland Daily News. The frequency . of Sunday afternoon funerals was commented on, and several speakers expressed the opinion that a habit was , growing upon the community of leaving funerals over until Sunday wherever possible. Lt was agreed that (while every consideration and sympathy must be shown for those in trouble and no absolute refusal to take Sunday funerals could be entertained, , still the practice should be rigorously discouraged. It was stated t-hat they added to a minister’s burden on a day already very full; and, in addition, involve Sunday work for the cemetery and undertaker’s staffs. The association agreed to inform undertakers that in future funerals will be conducted on Sunday only in exceptional circumstances. where there is real necessity; and that where such funeral is unavoidable it shall take place not later 'than 10 o’clock on the Sunday morn-