CURRENT TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 11 March 1914, Page 3

CURRENT TOPICS OF THE DAY.

(FROM VARIOUS SOURCES.)

"In the young men of New Zealand and 1 have a high opinion of them, I se6 a likeness to some of the rivers of New Zealand, and more particularly to those of Canterbury," said Bishop Averill, of Auckland, in an address at the Young Men's Christian Association in Auckland. "They are good for sport, and in some cases veiy sluggish. Unless you can harness them they are not much good for the country." Men required to be harnessed by Christian ideals, concluded the speaker, and they would then give their lives to unselfish service for their God and humanity.

The National Committee for New Zealand of the Y.M-C.A. is planning strong forward movements this year in connection with the Territorial camps, in order to' provide social attractions for the men in camp A further improvement of rural work, with a view to doing something towards making the life of the boy and farm youth in the country villages more attractive, and so to help in stemming the diift towards the towns and cities. A. care-fully-planned scheme is to he tested in Canterbury, under tha leadership of a specialist from America, who has already Ind live years' expeiience in New Zealand. The tested methods of the first two years' work in Canterbury will then be applied to other districts throughout New Zealand under similar experts.

Addressing his constituents, Mr Veitch, M.P. for Wanganui, said he was not a Freetrader but thought New Zealand had gone Protection mid. He quoted the timber industry, which had an enormous protective duty, giving it the whole of the market. Yet there was timber going into workers' housos, here in Wanganni, foo, that would not stand up til! the loans on the houses were paid off. It simply meavit that the life of a house, "with the timber now being used, would bo only 25 years. If the}'- took the duty off timber they would si ill employ as many men in the tiniberindustry. Men would still be wanted to saw importe I timber, and would still be wanted to handle it in the yards, and the timber would be cheaper and the houses would last longer. Th« time had come when they should consider building in concrete rather t'>an in tim'oor. Such houses would be pivi .ticaljy as cheap as wood, and would last longer, .consequently loans could be granted for longer periods and insurance premiums would be less.

The rubber tree ,va* discovered by a Jesuit missionary. Father Mancelle Espevanee. He fouud it while on on« of liis apostolic journeys among the Cambebas Indians of South America, and gava it the singular na-.ne of the peringueira, because he remarked that the savages used the sap of this tree, which hardens quickly, to make rude bottles that were shaped like a syringe.

To date the fruitgrowers of the Dominion, and of North Auckland particularly, have done little to improve their position or to open up new markets. Nominally a united body they have not worked in unison, and with divergent interests, have been standing still while those interested in other industries have been forging ahead. They have done nvmy tilings indiffei'ently well instead of doing a few things very well. They have tried to grow many varieties of fruit instead of growing a few varieties, and above all they have not placed the fruit on the rmket in an attractive manner.