WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 31 May 1926, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

AFTERMATH OF EXHIBITION. DUNEDIN “ HOLE-DOWNS.” (Special to “ Guardian.”) WELLINGTON, May 28. A deputation organised by the retail confectioners and introduced by Mr Robert Semple waited upon the City Council last night to protest against the granting of licenses to the *‘ rolldown ” shops which are taking possession of the best selling sites in tbe city. The “ roll-down ” shops, it seems, are immigrants from the Dunedin Exhibition, where, perhaps, it was well enough to permit forms of enterprise which would not be tolerated in ordinary business circles. The complaint ol the deputation was that the “ rolldowns ” were not only diverting trade from the shops which were paying rates and taxes and observing industrial awards; but that they also were attracting crowds of ‘‘undesirables” to localities which previously had been free from these pests. A member of the depuration stated that these places acre taking as much as b‘2oo a week and that one small shopkeeper had shown his takings to have declined by b'ls a week since the arrival of the unfair competition. The Hon R. A Wright, the new .Minister of Education, who was sitting for tin; last time as a city councillor, asked if the ‘‘ rolldown ” was a game of chance and the spokesman of the deputation replied that it was the biggest gamble .going. You can get an even chance at twonp.” ilio added, “hut with the rolldown the chances arc about 20 to I.” Upon the withdrawal of the deputation the Council resolved that every step within the law should be taken to remove the peripatetic; dealers at ' the earliest possible moment. A GAMBLING SCHOOL.

The publicity given to the operations of the “roll downs”; and the comments of the protesting shop-keepers upon them, have revived many entertaining stories concerning the gambling that went on in one of the amusement sections of the Dunedin Exhibition. •• It was a veritable school of gambling.” a family man. who spent a week in Dunedin, mostly at the Kxhihition. recalled to-day. “At first f was asahmed to he seen in the place with my hoys and girls, hut the good Scotch people of Dunedin showed no scruples about entering into the tun, and 1 suppose that at holiday time we should not he too punctilious. At any rate I found the gambling for chocolates and other things, dips into lucky bags, games of chance posing as contests of skill, and scores of other devices of the same kind holding strong attractions for the youngsters and so we went along every day for our little fling. But, fancy Dunedin people—the shrewd, canny, grave descendants of the Presbyterian Pilgrims—doing this sort of thing and doing it in increasing numbers for live or six months!” And so and so on. in lighter or graver vein. Dunedin is being held responsible for having given a distinct impetus to the gambling propensities of the community.

EDUCATION. The local papers continue to quote frank opinions of the qualifications of the Hon R. A. Wright for the ofliee of .Minister of Education and it is no wonder the new Minister himself. always a modest man. is a little diffident about his ability to aeeom.plsh all that is expected of him. Ill's first public speech in his ministerial capacity was delivered at the annual conference of tile Secondary Schonnls Association now sitting here and it must he confessed it was not a particularly happy deliverance. ‘6 I feel 1 have merely picked no a few pebbles on the seashore." he said in reply to an allusion f'-at bad been made by the president of the conference to his experience in educational matters. “ I know very little of the larger issues. J do understand. however, and have understood for some time,- that there is a great problem that needs solving, and I believe can be solved. That is the question ol the number of eliildt’en wlm are receiving a (higher education. I ;remember the time—in the old dnvs—when tli e .secondary schools were only attended b\- children whose parents were able to pay. The consequence was that the number of children who attended secondary schools was limited. Now we have a much greater number of children passing into the secondary schools. As a result of all this higher education I fear that the professions will become congested. 'I here will not be sufficient openings lor them. Everyone knows that the i average man and woman is ready to make sacrifices in order that their | children may receive a good education, ! ‘"1 their object appears to ho that their children should not have to toil | as they had to toil." What the mod-1 est man had in his mind no one can see ; but from bis words it might he easily assumed that lie thought the children of the Dominion were receiving too much education. That would he a view his audience could not share

with him. ' O.AIPLKTIOX OK THE JOB. Though no tangible indication of the Prime -Minister’s is available, it is generally assumed hero that the lion .A. I). .Ak-I.eod will be >vjrustwitb the portfolio of Public Works n>yl that the leisurely reconstruction of the Cabinet thus will be completed. .Mr .Mcl/eod. however brusque his manner may be at times, and however daring his disregard for precedents, .is distinctly one of the strong members of the Ministry. The mama of Sir Walter Buchanan has fallen upon him to some extent and in addition to doing a vast amount of work himself lie manages to obtain a good deal of sendee from other people. Busy bodies who supported his claims when the succession Lo Air .Massey was in abeyance are pluming themselves now upon the development of the situation. The AF,mister of Lands is one of the most loyal of the Prime .Minister’s colleagues, ns lie is one of the most capable ; hut his faithful service is allied with high; aspirations, -oiiie folk have assumed that Ah Contrs lias it in his mind to appoint vet another Alinister to complete his Cabinet, hut with the number of his colleagues already raised to the war limit and to more than one-sixth of the members of the House, it is incredible he can be harbouring such a notion. -Any further recognition of party obligations must be made through the medium, of the Upper House, where there still are vacant seats at the disposal of the Government.