DISTURBERS OF THE PEACE.

Evening Star, Issue 21743, 11 June 1934, Page 8

DISTURBERS OF THE PEACE.

What was predicted a few days ago in a message from London has come to pass. Blacks and Reds have clashed violently. Sir Oswald Mosley provoked tho trouble when he organised a great mass demonstration of Fascists at Olympia. The Communists, equally provocative. attempted to break up the meeting. A riotous scene followed, in which force was used on both sides, and numerous minor injuries were reported. Now a lively discussion is proceeding, with complaints of Fascist brutality to the interjootors. The ‘ News-Chronicle ’ waxes indignant, and declares that a hundred and fifty members of the House of Commons, mostly Conservatives, regard the Black Shirt methods as un-British. Evidently they were, but no particular sympathy will be felt for the Reds who were involved. They went looking for trouble, and they found it. What is to be deplored is that these “ private armies,” imbued with the idea of using physical force to effect their plans, should have been established in Britain. One member of Parliament is reported as declaring that public nausea as a result of the violent measures employed had “ killed Sir Oswald Mosley’s movement in a single night.” It is sincerely to be hoped that he is a true prophet, for whatever has been or may be done on the Continent the British people will not tolerate the sacred halls of its traditional liberty being invaded by irresponsible sections of the community imbued with extreme ideas. It may be true that the way the Communist doctrines have been presented in Hyde Park and other places, along with insidious propaganda from Moscow, has been in part responsible for the stimulation of the Fascist arms, but the arbitrary and aggressive methods of Sir Oswald Mosley and his followers are not likely to be welcomed or condoned by the British people. They are firm in the belief that it is the duty of their Government to- see that law and order are maintained according to constitutional practice, apart altogether from party and sectional predilections.

The Communists declare that the British Union of Fascists is heavily subsidised by large capitalist interests. Such statements are manifestly absurd. It is to the interest of those who hold the reins of finance and industry to see peace and prosperity in a country, and not to assist in sowing the seeds of civil discord. The words of a British Minister, in commenting on the Olympia disturbance, are certain to be widely endorsed. In effect, they were that Britons as a nation would not tolerate any ambitious or irresponsible sectional leader to undo what “ it took our people, with Magna Charta, the Bill of Rights, and the abolition of slavery, centuries to win." Sir Stafford Cripps, the Socialist leader, quickly recanted when his recent references to the Royal Family were resented, and if Sir Oswald Mosley is wise ho will declare with emphasis that his Black Shirts have no affinity with Continental organisations. Sir John Simon, in a recent speech, said: “It is the essence of British political liberty that justice should be administered with complete impartiality and as speedily as possible; that those who are prdved innocent should receive and enjoy their freedom ; that governing should be carried on under the authority of a Parliamentary Government; and that order should bo kept by responsible authorities, for whom Ministers of the Crown and elected local bodies are answerable. By these means, and no other, Britain at least can be made ‘ safe for democracy.’ ” Those words place the matter in the true perspective. It would be hard to imagine Britons yielding their heritage of freedom to a dictator such as Sir Oswald Mosley, with his erratic political past, or to one like Sir Stafford Cripps, holding the extreme ideas of the advanced section of the Labour Party. i

The ‘ Timaru Herald ’ to-day attained its seventieth birthday (says a Press Association telegram), and in commemoration of the occasion a special forty-page number was issued. The paper has grown up with the town, and tho history of the ‘ Herald ’ is synonymous with the history of the district. Weighed this afternoon, the fat bullock, for which weight-guessing competitions were hold at the Winter Show, turned the scales at 1,516j1b. Mrs W. Murray (Balclutha), who guessed 1,5231 b, won the ladies’ competition, and Mr R. N, Gunther (Milton), won the men’s conpetition, guessing 1,5131 b. After long faithfulness to sex novels, the reading public appears to have turned its attention to western yarns, according to a city bookseller, who stated this morning that the taste for lighter reading appeared to have switched. A good many were buying all types of novels, but there was a distinct swing toward the outdoor story. Prisoners for sentence will appear before His Honour Mr Justice Kennedy in the Supreme Court at 10 o'clock on Thursday morning.

Under tho Family Protection Act, Helen Jane Wilson made application before His Honour Mr Justice Kennedy in the Supreme Court this morning for further allowance out of the estate of her late mother (Margaret Walker, of Milton), who died in July, 1933, at the age of eighty-eight. Mr A. C. Stephens appeared for the plaintiff, Mr J. H. Thomson for the executor (David Ogilvie Davidson), Mr R. S. Frapwell for three of the beneficiaries (Rosie Davidson, Roy Davidson, and Keith Davidson), and Mr E. J. Anderson for another defendant (Annie Sewell). The application of the plaintiff was opposed by the other parties, and, after counsel had addressed the court, His Honour decided to take time to consider his judgment. ‘ The city organist (Dr V. E. Galway) will give a recital in the Town Hall on Wednesday afternoon at 3 o’clock. An, interesting and varied programme has been arranged, including such works as ‘ Theme and Variations ' (Miles), ‘ The Holy Boy ’ (a carol of the Nativity) (Ireland), andante, from Beethoven’s ‘ Fifth Symphony,’ ‘ Allegro Moderate ’ (Borowski), Bach’s ‘ Fugue in E. Flat,’ ‘ Melodie in E Major’ Rachmaninoff), ‘Toccata in G’ (Dubois), Schubert’s ‘ Ave Maria,’ and a paraphrase on a Handelian air by Guilmant. There will be no charge for admission.

Mr W. H. Naylor, who has the contract for the altering and reconstructing work on the administrative block of the Dunedin Hospital, is well forward with the preliminary operations. A new sewing room has been built on the ground floor to servo instead of the upper room that is in the part to be pulled down, and carpenters are now putting up temporary office accommodation inside of the main hall on the ground fleer, up against the front wall which is not" to come down. A start is also made with the preparation of another front entrance. The existing entrance is to be blocked up, and the new entrance is to be a passage alongside the Houghton Ward, towards the •north. It is a tricky pb to carry out these and sundry other preliminaries with a minimum of inconvenience to tho staff, but Mr Naylor is personally supervising and thinking out every detail. The new front is to attach at the southern end with the Dominion and Plunket Wards, taking away the sanitary annex now there, and on tho north end the builders will make a new erection over the Houghton and Miller Wards.

Charged with wilfully attempting to defeat the course of justice in the trial of John Atirau Asher for alleged false pretences by asking a Crown witness, William James Scott, to alter his evidence in a material particular to assist Asher, Eric Troutbeck Hutton, aged thirty-two, a carrier, of Tokaanu, appeared before justices of the peace in the Hamilton Magistrate’s Court. Evidence was given by Scott that he was approached by the accused, who asked him to modify his evidence at the trial. The accused was committed for trial to the Supreme Court, bail being renewed. Dunedin felt yesterday morning the sort of frost to which Central Otago is accustomed at this time of the year —a frost that caked the ground, iced the puddles, and held fast till the sun was well up. All yesterday the temperatures were low. At 5 p.m. a thermometer on the grass at Anderson’s Bay registered 20, or 12deg of frost. The only soil-workers who do not like such a stiff frost are those amateur gardeners whose roses have been early pruned. It is nice to see the beds tidied up soon after the fall of the leaves; but for such tidying a price may have to be paid in the spring. Pruning in June means a quickening of the budding, and if the buds appear in very frosty weather they are apt to be nipped and weakened, thus leading to weak blooms at the beginning of summer. Far better to follow the practice in the Botanic Gardens and defer the pruning to about the first week of August. His Honour Mr Justice Kennedy this morning gave his decision in the divorce case of Eileen Martha Cicely Denny (petitioner) v. Ernest J. P. Denny (respondent), in which application was made for permanent alimony. Mr C. J. L. White appeared for the petitioner, and Mr A. C. Hanlon, K.C., with him Mr E. A. Duncan, appeared for the respondent. His Honour said he had looked at the case to which Mr White had referred him, and considered the draft order submitted. He thought he might make the order suggested. An order for alimony would bo made in terms of the draft submitted.'

As soon as the carriages had become comfortably warm—and it was not long before they did so —patrons of the Railway Department’s “Southward Ho!” excursion yesterday were able to view with equanimity and appreciation the beauty of the frost-bound countryside through which the specials were racing. A promising eastern sky gave the assurance that Old Sol was going to be right on the job. His advent was heralded by the fast spreading mantle of goldpink, which coloured the summit of the snow-clad Maungatuas and which later gave place to a glittering panorama of field and hillside, as his rays set to in earnest on the task of dissolving the formidable partnership of frost and snow. No snow had fallen in the lower part of Southland, but so severe was the frost that it was difficult to determine where the former ended. Excursionists greatly admired the fresh loveliness of the Southland bush, which made a delightful picture set in a background of hills and far off mountains. In Invercargill itself there was beauty and to spare. Evidence of this may be vouchsafed by the wanderers who visited the Waihopai Reserve, there to negotiate the network of bush walks and admire the provisions which the City Fathers of Invercargill have made for picknickers and juveniles off the chain. One is prompted to ask, moreover, if anything more pleasing to the ear could be experienced than the pure and mellow notes of three tuis which were kind enough to stage a kind of musical “ triangular tost.”

A chimney fire in a house in Arawa street, Tainui, received tho attention of the City Fire Brigade at 8.37 p.m. yesterday. The telegraph polo at the corner of St. Matthew’s Church in Stafford street was smashed by a taxi in the early hours of Sunday morning. The car skidded at the intersection and crashed into the polo and, although it was extensively damaged, no one was injured. The slippery road surfaces on Saturday night made car traffic on the hills dangerous, and several minor accidents occurred in various parts of the city. A daring bag-snatcher robbed a woman of her handbag, containing over 30s, in Onehunga on Friday night. She and another woman were returning home_ after shopping when a tall man wearing rubber shoes ran up behind them and snatched the bag from her. Both women pursued him, but he escaped. The atmospheric frigidity which prevailed early yesterday morning did not prevent nearly 400 people from finding their way to the Dunedin and Caversham stations in order to board the two excursion trains which the Railway Department, in continuation of its enterprising policy, despatched to Invercargill. The first of the two trains, both of which provided comfort and warmth for the travellers, left at 7.20, and, after passing Caversbam, stopped only at Milton and Clinton in order to allow its 200 passengers to refresh the inner man, . The second train left Caversham with about 170 excursionists, but it stopped more frequently, and by the time it reached the southern centre it must have been carrying enough people to bring the total number on the two trains up to nearly 500. The fast runs made by both specials were much appreciated, those who wont on the trip having over six hours in which to visit friends or relatives or amuse themselves in any way they thought fit. No snow had been encountered in Invercargill, and the hard night’s frost was followed by a bright, sunny day, made cold only by a light breeze which, coming off the snow-clad ranges in the back country, was rather chilly. The train-running officials and those at either end of the line have perfected the arrangements for these excursions, a fleet of buses being available at Invercargill to take visitors either to Bluff or on an observation tour. The playing of the Ist Battalion Band in the Public Gardens was much enjoyed by all who made their way to that (harming rendezvous.

An Ashburton Press Association telegram states that the first snow of the season fell on Saturday night, an inch falling in the borough. It was correspondingly heavier towards the hills, where a fall was experienced on Saturday morning. The dental profession in New Zealand is concerned lest the expulsion of Jewish dentists from Germany by the Nazis should result in their coming to the dominion and practising dentistry in this country. Tlie Government has been approached by the New Zealand Dental Association and asked to take steps to prevent these people from entering the dominion. It was pointed out that there was a steady now of New Zealand dentists from the Otago Dental School, sufficient to meet the demand. The association has been advised that the situation is receiving the close attention of the authorities.— Press Association.

“ Hero is a young man with a mother-in-law complex,” said a medical witness at the Police Court this morning during the hearing of a maintenance case. “ What do you mean by a mother-in-law complex?” queried the magistrate (Mr H. W. Bundle S-M.,). “ A man who has a tremendous hatred of his mother-in-law for no reason whatever,” replied the witness. He had seen instances of it often, and frequently there was a change for the better.

The postal authorities advise that the Wainui left Melbourne on Wednesday with sixteen bags of Australian mails and two parcel receptacles and the Monowai left Sydney on Friday with seven bags and one parcel receptacle. The Wainui’s mail is due on Monday evening and that by the Monawai on Wednesday afternoon. Fashions change in every walk of life. One noteworthy mutation in recent years is to make direct appeals for money in aid of church and charity funds instead of promoting sales of work, bazaars, etc. The newer method minimises trouble. Its disadvantage is that it does not catch on with persons who are eternally seeking bargains or something for nothing. A Dunedin resident thought out the problem some years-ago of how to minister to bargain-hunters as well as freegivers, and he tried an experiment that worked well. He promoted a cnbbage-and-euchre tournament, entrance fee half a crown. He ran the affair single-handed. In each section the names of the persons entered were drawn in pairs. Mr A., notified that his opponent was Mrs B. and that they could play wherever they pleased at any time up to a given date, reporting the result to him. The first round being finished he drew winners against winners, and so the tourney went on till reaching the semi-finals, when the eight survivors met at the promoter’s house and had a pleasant social evening with the playing off and the presenting of the prizes. The half-crowns were clear income, since the prizes were given by well-wishers, and there were no expenses, excepting the one man’s time and trouble. Given a really enthusiastic and well-known promoter such a tourney is no trouble to anybody, and it is the sort of affair to be popular, one means to that end being that any person not a card-player can be assured that a competent substitute will be appointed. On Friday, June 22, at 2.18 p.m. the sun will attain its northerly limit. That day is therefore the shortest of the year for the southern hemisphere.A sentence of eighteen months’ reformative detention was passed by Mr Stout S.M., on William Henry Blacker, a young man, on ton charges of theft, including wool belonging to several farmers. The police stated that the offences ranged over a period, from August 1933, to April of this year. The magistrate said it was evident that the accused had been using his business of a fruiterer as a cover when going round stealing.—Palmerston North Press Association.

Save your eyes. Be wise and consult W. V. Sturmer, optician, 2 Octagon, thus conserving good vision for old age.—f Advt.) The public are invited to attend the annual meeting of the Children’s Rest Home. The society which controls this home is the only one of its kind in the dominion, and its necessity is of tbe foremost. The work is undenominational, and everything necessary is done to make the life of the children happy while under the control of the society. A new building has been erected to meet the over-increasing demands of caring for children while their mothers are in hospital, sanatorium, or maternity home; but although in operation the building is not quite completed because of lack of funds, which it is hoped will be forthcoming in the near future. Further details can be learned by attendance on Wednesday next at 4 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Town Hall.

The drawing of the " Happy-Go-Lucky ” art union will take place in the Dominion Farmers’ Institute, Wellington, at 9 a.m. 10-monow, anti, as usual, will Vic open (o ilm pulihc.