General News

Horowhenua Chronicle, 17 June 1911, Page 4

General News

The expansion of Sydney, the capital of New South Wales/ and the "mother city" of; Australia, as shown by the census, has been phenomenal. A bird's eye view of the development discloses new suburbs radiating from the city in a ring continually deepening out and extending broadly, to the Pacific, to George's river, to Parramatta, to Hornsiby, and to Narrabeen. In census figures all this promises to mean that possibly 150,000 people 'have been aded to the metropolitan population since the year 1909. At the ned of 1909 the population of Bristol was very little more : than 143,000, so that in two years Sydr ney has added to itself about the equivalent of tho Queensland capital. It is. an addition far beyond the present population of Greater Auckland, the largest metropolitan centre in New Zealand, and more than equal to thait of Perth and Hobart put together. Commenting.on tho expansion the Telegraph eays that the city iteelf virtually needs making over again. It is the same iheait as was the source of life and motion for tho metropolitan system in its youth, but has not grown with tlie rest of the body as other hearts do. Its streets are too narmw, its main-travelled highways too few, and its arterios are not all b. ; - enough to permit of the desirable liee circulation. Remedies proposed are underground, overhead, and circular railways, with the "Haussmannising" of many of the main avenues of traffic, now so narrow.

The progress of prisons and industrial schools reform received interesting and intelligent treatment at the annual meeting of the Prisons and Industrial School© Reform Society. held in Dunedin Town Hall, says tho Otago Daily Times. The chairman (the Rev. Gurzon-Siggers), referred to a phase of the movement which he considered might possibly call for the sounding of a noto of warning. Thley had lie said been paying so much .attention to those who got into prison that there was just the possibility that a cartoon tibat had appeared in Pnnoh might ho applicable. The lesson of the cartoon was that if one was to receive any sympathy or Melp it was firsfc necessary to get into prison. While so earnest about the welfare of the criminal classes they might be neglecting those who, owing to some slight mental defect, might be unemployable, and while tho Government was taking in 'hand the of tho prisoner and providing for him in gaol, it was also bound to attend to tlie other class as well. What they wanted, in order to cope with tihis aspect of the question., was a farm colony. This he had been agitating for now for some -time, and he meant to keep on agitating for it. Other speakers also referred to the necessity for the establishment of an institution of the kind.

Japan is devoting every attention to tlie teaching of Englisih in her schools, where the study of our language is made compulsory. 1' our years are devoted to its study, and every common school sr.idiuate can both read and speak English. The •Taps cam see a good long way in front of them, and are leaving no stone unturned in the preliminary stops towards the attainment of their objective—becoming one of the crreat Powers of the world, and a; factor in international relationships that will have to be considered.