NEAR AND FAR

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 167, 8 March 1932, Page 4

NEAR AND FAR

Staggering, Attack. Leg'isla'fion described hy Christchurch solicitors as "certain to spell the death knell of the mortgage-lend-ing business" and "a staggering attack on the rights of mortgagees" is eontemplated ds a means of assisting men on the land, reports now current say, It is helieved that it is intended to do away with the personal covenant provision of mor^gages, by which the mortgagee has access to assets outside the actual seeurity for the mortgage. Similar legislation was brought into effect in New South Wales last year, the claim being that the burden would then be lifted from those having mortgages over proper-" ties.— Christchurch Sun. Army of Boys. "Fourteen thousand hoys are born every year in New 'Zealand," said Blr. R. J. Jackson at the luncheon of the Wanganui Rotary Club this week. By the time they were 16 years of age, he continued, some 2000 had fallen by the wayside, leaving ahout 12,000 to he provided with work. Recently Arhitration Court proceedings had limited the number of apprentices, and the only oecupations which were unrestricted to youths were the professions (doctors, lawyers, dentists), and those of unskilled lahourers. Every boy should be entitled to go into any industry to which he was attracted. If he could not it would probably be found in future years that in addition to exporting goods New Zealand would be exporting her trained men. Pressure must be brought about I to ensure that every boy was given an opportunity, said the speaker, otherwise the General Lahourers' Union would have to form a federation and refuse to allow the restrietion of youths in general trades. The result would be that the Lahourers' Union and the British Medical Association would he crowded out.

I Queensland's Economies. One of the first acts of the Moore Government in Queensland on at- i taining office was to reduce the pay- : ment of members of the Legislative ' Assembly from £750 to £500 a year. j One of its last acts will also be in the | direction of economy, for it has reduced the number of electorates from 72 to 62. The next State election must take place during or before May, Beyond an announcement hy the Premier (Mr. A. E. Moore) that a Bill had been prepared and submitted to the members of the Government party, there are as yet no signs of a restoration of the Upper Housse in Queensland. This is the only Australian State with a single Chamber Parliament, although for some time the Labour Party has been agitating for the abolition of all second Chambers, including the Federal Senate. Spite ! An unauthorised person attempted to start the motor of a small car parked in George Street, Hawera, one evening, but was unsuccessful, the owner having removed a part of the engine. Apparentiy as an expression of his annoyance the miscreant pushed the car downhill for some distance into a creek in the vicinity of the borough stables. Youthful Tramper. Mr. L. C. Cheriton, manager of the Milford Track, is very proud of a feat recently aceomplished by his son, Eugene. Eugene, aged 41 years, recently wallced both ways over the track without receiving any assistance whatever. It is common to see men and women of 60 or even 70 years of age on the Track, but Master Cheriton must be the youngest tramper ever to have done the trip. He has a rival in Miss Lang, of the Milford Hostel, aged six years, who has twice done the track. Model of Uprightness. "I suppose you're a model of uprightness, are you?" demanded couru sel in a rather seathing tone of a plaintiff in a civil case heard before Mr. E. C. Lewy, S.M., in the Magistrate's Gourt at Invercargill. "No, I am not!" came the somewhat unexpected to reply in an emphatic voice from the plaintiff, and a smile lighted the faees of the magistrate and eounsel, at this unusual piece of ingenuousness. N.S.W. Railways Criticised. Severe criticism of the New South "Wales railway system has been made by an investigator, Mr. W. B. Rogers. The railway tracks, he declares, are in a very inefficient state, involving danger to the travelling public . Thou•sands^of pounds have been spent in crbating unnecessary positions in the railway service. 'The waste is unbelievable. Unless means are taken to control eapital expenditure the burden will hecome far beyond the possibility of the people to bear. He had no hesitation in saying that the annual administrative expenditure could be reduced by from £500,000 to £700,000, at the same time giving a more efficient control over all seetions.