FROM THE WATCH TOWER

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 131, 24 August 1927, Page 8

FROM THE WATCH TOWER

By

“THE LOOK-OUT MAN”

BRAINS A XL) WATER “There is widespread recognition of the need for legislation to govern the recovery of the petroleum resources of the Dominion; but official lips are absolutely sealed on the question, and the most persistent inquiry fails to elicit an official hint of what is likely to be done.”—SUN report. The secrets of officialdom are sealed i with seals of steel, And all the probing pressmen of the land 'may not reveal The hatching of its mighty plans for this Dominion’s iveal. Officialdom 7,-nows what is what, and sometimes cold from hot, Though often, it must be confessed, it knows not. what is not — And when it gets a new idea, it gets it quite a lot. When officialdom strikes something new, it nudges and it winks j It smiles the knowingest of smiles and blitheri)igly blinks , And sometimes (very rarely) it actually thinks. Its intellect’s amazing—to the man of lesser worth The wonder is that sometimes it becomes a theme for mirth; With such extraordinary gifts it ought to oion the earth. Its latest inspiration may entail no little toil; It has to simmer slowly ere it's brought • right to the boil—(I refer to legislation re petroleum oil). But (ah, and. how unfortunate!) the reason’s sadly plain Why its ideas arc always drowned before they grow to gain — Officialdom's disease ain't oil — it’s water — on the brain! F.U. THE NEW "JERBEY&” The owner of 15 acres of land at | Papatoetoe, having leased 15 acres j of land to Chinese market-gardeners j at £ls an acre, is reported to have re- | ferred gleefully to his tenants as the most profitable “Jerseys” he has yet heard of. Yes; £225 a year from 15 | acres without the white owner having to exert an ounce of toil for his return is certainly easy money. In addition to the rent, the tenants pay all rates and taxes. This is where the Yellow man takes up the Whte man's burden. Now we may expect those owners of acreage around Auckland who have been yelling for the exclusion and deportation of Chinese to yell for the removal of all restrictions upon their entry—so that they, too, may stock their holdings with these profitable “Jerseys.” Antipathy to the despised “Chow” is apparently more a question of pocket than patriotism. TO EIGHT THE GLOOM “It’s a blessing for Auckland that THE SUN started in Auckland, for it’s about the only sunshine we’ve had for the last six months,” writes “D.A.M.P.” to the Look-out Man. “When I awaken in the morning and peer through my window at the drizzling landscape, I say, ‘Well, thank goodness THE SUN will shine this afternoon.’ Looking back, I wonder how' we managed so long without THE SUN to germinate the seeds that lay dormant in the mind. Your paper has opened many new fields to our vision. My only grouch is that you don’t perch up in that Watch Tower with your telescope on Sundays, as well as week-days. However, I suppose you need your day of rest—just as I do. May THE SUN keep shining, chief luminary of our little universe.”

THE DWINDLING EARTH Those mathematicians have been figuring things out again and making themselves uncomfortably aniious concerning the welfare of future generations. They have discovered than in 300 years’ time, if the present rate of increase is maintained, the population of the world will bo 8,000,000,000. This they declare to be the maximum the globe can support. With science so very clever the wonder is that it does not tackle the job of increasing the size of the globe. But no. The most brilliant scientists of the world are about to meet to discuss birth-control, among other things. It might profitably be considered that if science wants to keep the earth for the white man, it had better teach and preach birth-control to the swarming and prolific East—and tread on the soft pedal when playing the limit-the-population tune to the white race. Otherwise, a pugnaciously inclined China and Japan of the future (not to mention some other Eastern nations) may save the Western peoples all their worry concerning over-popula-tion. If science, economics, religion and politics were to be combined for a grand endeavour to do more for the masses among whom the good things of the globe are now so unequally distributed, they would render greater service to this dwindling globe than by perspiring over the needs of posterity. It -will be noted by a student, of history that posterity has always managed to look after itself.