FROM THE WATCH TOWER

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 69, 13 June 1927, Page 8

FROM THE WATCH TOWER

By the LOOK-OUT MAN. “AS SHE IS SPOKE ” A judge at tlie elocutionary competitions in Christciiurcli lias issued a timely plea for the better speaking of our language by the youth of to-day. "Surely outdoor sports do not take all their time?” he asks, adding that next year he hoped that men would come forward to the competitions who could express themselves in their own tongue. Although New Zealanders, as a whole, speak English well, there is certainly room for improvement. “Come and have a cup of tea” is just as easy to say as “C’mhave a cuppertea.” So “I’ljiaddaya gointa do about it,” you young people? SPEED MANIA Members of the Wanganui Automobile Association are reported to be yearning for greater speed on the public highways. Apparently the mortality from motor accidents isn’t high enough to interest the Wanganui enthusiasts. One speaker said that motorists travelling from Auckland to Wellington travelled at 50 to 00 miles an hour. ' Another member said that wasn’t fast enough—they wanted 78 to SO miles. There is no reason why those who desire to race along at 80 miles an hour between Auckland and Wellington shouldn’t do so—provided that they have constructed a separate road for speed maniacs and leave the present thoroughfare for people with some pretensions to sanity. WAR AND CONSCRIPTION A proposal for general conscription in war-time was turned down by the Empire Service League convention at London. It is significant that no people has ever yet conscripted themselves, though Governments have conscripted them. In the American Civil War the Northerners refused conscription; in the Great War of recent years the Australians twice defeated the proposal, though nearly half-a-million out of a total of 5£ million Australians enlisted voluntarily. The argument of those opposed to the conscription of men for targets is that, if you conscript human life, you should also conscript private wealth, and they express the certain opinion that if the latter expedient were resolved upon, there would be no war. There seems to be something in the argument, too. The great financial interests would not blow too loudly on the war trumpet if they had to pay for the war. THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY

There Is considerable interest in New Zealand In the statement of the chairman of the Australian Development and Migration Commission that £90,000 was available for furthering the possibilities of tobacco-growing in the Commonwealth. It is proposed to spend £30,000 of this in the first three years, not only in investigating the methods of growing, but also the improvement of the aroma. Australian tobacco is as yet of poor quality, but good work is being done to improve the leaf. It should be known that New Zealand tobacco is of admittedly good quality, even if it could be improved upon, and that there is any amount of land, particularly in the North, eminently suitable for its growth. The big tobacco interests are finding two-thirds of the investigation fund in Australia. Seeing that approximately £2,000,000 worth of tobacco, cigars and cigarettes Is imported into New Zealand annually, it ought not to be too much .to ask that these interests should assist financially the development of the industry here. If New Zealanders send up two millions sterling a year In smoke, they can at least ask that some of the money be spent in encouraging the local growth of pipe-fuel.

THE WAY TO DO IT The action of the Te Awamutu borough engineer is an example of the proper way to do it. Things being rather slow and funds rather low, the engineer besought the council to grant him leave of absence, without pay, for three months, so as to relieve the borough finances of the load of his salary for that term. The council accepted the offer, with a tribute to the generous spirit which prompted It. One tiny drop of rain from Heaven—and the shower follows. Soon it may be a common thing for an employee to say: “Sir, would you be good enough not to pay me any wages for a few weeks, until business brightens? Things have been very slack and the firm Isn’t making anywhere near the profit it did this time last year—in fact, I have not shown a profit of more than £IOO in my department this week.” (Tears.) Or this from the employer: “Mr. Brown, would you condescend to accept three times your usual salary for the next month at least? Business is very bright and your department is showing more than the usual 300 per cent, return. Besides, we know that you have had very bad luck at the races lately, and the extra money will be very useful to help you get back your losses at the next meeting. (“Oh. thank your, Sir!”)