PRESS COMMENTS

Hokitika Guardian, 22 January 1929, Page 6

PRESS COMMENTS

It seems inevitable that there wi' be a further call on tbe public for th relief of unemployment distress nex winter. The public’s response is goim to be less hearty than heretofore if tin impression gets abroad that some men and especially some young men, are s lacking in enterprise as to iinagin that it is the duty of the commiinit; to find them work when ami wber< they wish.—Christchurch “Sun.” A famous author once said that r test of writing ability was to hr found in the choosing of a suitable name for a kitten, and it might he suggested in amplification of this sav that no man should take his seat or the City Council or a borough counci unless lie give .satisfactory proof o! his ability to name a street. Administrators with this precious gift- art sorely needed in and about Auckland, where the duplication of street name? is the cause of endless contusion tc persons whose' work demands that they should be able to find place quickly. Postmen, of course, become familiar with restricted districts. bu\ taxi-men, and. worse still, visitors to the city, are in a constant maze. The bewilderment, b-sides causing inconvenience, seriously affects the efficiency of those workers whose task it l to locate addresses with speed.—Auckland “Sun.” The total amount of the deposits, fixed and current, in tin* banks at December 31st. was more than six and a-lialf millions in excess of the amount at the corresponding date in the preceding year. While it is usual for the advances to exceed the,deposits 1 at the close of the year, on this oc-

casion the deposits exceeded the advances by more than three and a-half millions. The conclusion to which the figures lead .is that there are funds, or what the bankers themselves may call loanable credits, in abundance in the country. It is highly gratifying that this should be so, but it is by no means so satisfactory that the holders should l>e content to entrust their funds to the banks and not themselves to seek avenues of investment for them. Tor this plainly points to the existence of nervousness on their part concerning the use to which their money should be put. The owners of fixed deposits to the amount of nearly 29£i millions prefer to accept the rate of interest which they receive from the banks than to incur the risk that might be associated with the employment of their funds in industrial securities or in other forms of investment. The circumstance is one that invites investigation.—“Otago Daily Times.” When Mr Coates drew up his programme of railway improvements six years ago, he allotted £200,C00 to he spent in eight years on crossing improvements, and it was contended at the same time that the alloc.'.ucr. was gravely insufficient. Tt woo’d he interesting to know exactly what lias been spent on this leisurely prog anm o •>p to date. The number of crossings that were equipped with warning deuces during the last railway year was only ten, making a total of 96, a rate of improvement far too slow for the nver-growing needs of the community, fn the past the Railways Department has attempted to place the rcsponsibilty on those who use the crossings, but granted that some onus is upon tnem, die State lias an important duty in this matter. Docs anyone believe tnr.t if the railways were in private bands :lie management would be allowed to keep so many crossings in a dangerous rtate ? -Auckland “Star.” A young country like New Zealand, vhich is becoming yearly more self conscious, more aware of its own nationality, should aim, wlui it apiears on the screen, to produce something characteristic. One rules out at once mere scenic pictures which hove been taken in the past and are i? relevant for present purposes; but then, does seem to be a genuine opportunity for pictures with a colonial, or even a novincial atmosphere having or their ackgrounds one of our up-country homesteads, says, a West Coast mining >r timber township, or, in fact, any recognisable aspect of our . n.tional life. The field is rich and is still yirlu soil; there are a variety of types, from the plougman to the prospector, there is • undoubted scope, and well done, the home-made picture would afford relief from the surfeit of imported heroes and heroines, nearly all jonvontioually unconventional, and aearly all as essentially alike as peas n a bottle.—Christchurch “ Press.” There have been features of the remit depression that had no obvious explanation, and one of them has been die relative stagnation of some of our secondary industries. It will be interesting to see whether, with the prospect of easier money, these enterprises reap the benefit that it is to be expected. The question is one of special importance in view of the prevalence >f unemployment. Another aspect of the matter is the probability that lend~rs will be a little more liberal than they have been in the matter of martins for advances on land. That ruling rates for mortgages will be reduced goes without saying, but the margin question is really one of greater moment, because, in very many instances, it is the amount of the advance desired rather than the rate of interest that causes the borrower most anxiety.—“Lytteltou Times.” It can be claimed that 1928 saw sume progress made, something of value accomplished and that the prospects are brighter. The Dominion has experienced a very sueeessfui year from the productive point of view, having ei- _ lected a splendid recovery from the leprossion that hampered development :n the prceding year or two. Adniil--cdly there remains much work to be done, and it will lie necessary to hold firmly to the new sense of direction, "id allow of no slackening of effort, national or individual. Jt may be true, as a great thinker in tbe Mother Country has said, that “the vast irocession of. men is slowly turning to face another way.” We, as a progressive people, must see to it that we play our part, and that our children are fitted to live in tbe new social organisation.—“Lyttelton Times.” Town children have a certain advantage in that most of them are taughtto swim; but there is no doubt that some sort of arrangement should bo made whereby country children slioukl have similar facilities for acquiring a simple art. No child should pass through school in any part of New Zealand without learning to swim. During the summer most Now Zealanders spend a portion of tluur time in the open, and in the hottest days there is an irresistible call from the water. There is no reason at ail why every bather. should not be a swimmer, and if this were so, the grim toll, taken for the most part among the younu, would be mercifully lessened. —Auckland “Sun.” A few years ago a twelve-seator motor-bus running between the city and suburbs was a novelty. To-day srreat vehicles carry people in comfort for 50 or 100 miles. They so.t up to 20 or 30 people with ease. Every tendency is for tile motor bus to increase’ in size and if sleeping quarters and other refinements are adde'• these tendencies will be aggravated until the buses demand almost a monopoly of any road they are traversing. This will become intolerable to tbe private motorist, and still another transport problem will have arisen, —Auckland “Sun.”