SYDNEY'S FEELINGS HURT

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 210, 24 November 1927, Page 13

SYDNEY'S FEELINGS HURT

THE RUN’# SYDNEY LETTER

ALDA’S CRITICISM MR. AMERY POPULAR (Special to THE SUN.) SYDNEY, November 17. A\ ith the flags of shipping still at half-mast out of respect for the victims of the ferry disaster, it is Impossible for the populace to forget that sad event, but the keen edge of sorrow is beginning to dull, and the big city goes on her way as usual. bydney has expressed much indignation over the frank remarks of Madame Alda, the singer, who, on her arrival at Vancouver, denounced Australia which, in Sydney, is chiefly Sydney its people, hotels, railways and other inventions. The fact that she eulogised New Zealand in the same breath, has not sqftened the blow, though it must be said that Sydney people do not grudge New Zealand the praise. Mr. Amery and White Australia

Mr. Amery Secretary for the Dominions, has endeared himself tj all Australians whom he has ~m p , t and their name is legion, especially in'the country, whare he travelled at high pressure, till his strength failed him. As a tonic he went surfing at Coolongatta, over the Queensland border, with his guides and mentors. Doubtless they were just as pleased at his relaxing for the moment, and maybe he also learned something new about surfing, for surely nowhere else in the world does one find such magnificent beaches and surf as on the east coast of Australia. Mr. Amery’s warm advocacy of White Australia is another reason why Australians respect and admire him. Men Who Count Maoris as Black It is this pride of race which prompted Mr. J. A. Thompson, of West Australia, on reaching Sydney from New Zealand yesterday, to declaim upon the lioerties given the Maoris by white New Zealanders. "Cheeky and presumptuous,” he called them, assessing them as coloured people. To New Zealanders living in Sydney, this attitude toward a people of Ayrian descent and high-caste, is puzzling when they see the movement growing to treat the Australian blackfellow as an equal. The blackfellow, with all his virtues given in, is a black man, of possible Egyptian descent, and he could never mingle with the whites with advantage to them, though he might develop his native intelligence as rapidly as the negro has done. One strong point in favour of the Maori is the absence of homicidal tendencies, which are always found in the blackfellow. This is always dormant, just as they are in some European people. This absence of murderous tendencies in the Maori is seldom commented on**. yet it is a big mark to his credit. Migrants Who Get Off the Track The same cannot be sa.id of all of the migrants who have arrived in Australia in recent times, for some serious crimes have been committed by men from both the north and south of Europe, not excepting England. Almost every steamer sailing for Europe takes back migrants who have been

found to be undesirables. One of the most striking instances was that of a lad brought out under the Dreadnought scheme. He attacked a kindly Australian, who gave him shelter in his camp, and almost killed him; all for the sake of a little money and food. This Jad is being sent back to his native country, with a recommendation to the police there to keep an eye on him. With the migrants taking many of their billets from them, the Australians are getting weary of the whole situation. Undoubtedly the migration schemes should be conducted i.i conjunction with a lands settlement scheme. Otherwise it means that easygoing Australians, who are good spenders, are being ousted by men from a land where life’s struggle is keen. Critics Who Won’t Give Things a Chance .The first train from Sydney to Broken Hill had hardly pulled into the station at the mining town, when critics began to write to the newspapers to declare that the 700-mile line would never Only 13 passengers, they said, made the trip in the second train, and for their benefit in addition to the regular train staff, a chef and five waiters were provided in the dining car. The fact is that in a country with vast tracts like Australia, some of her railways will never pay. though this may not apply to the Broken Hill line for long. The Transcontinental, for instance, loses money every trip, yet nobody would ever ask for it to be scrapped. The Broken Hill line is a section of the Trans-Con-tinental route, which will’ eventually reach from Sydney to P:>rt Darwin by rain, and it is an important link in the chain of railways which will eventually cover Australia. The railway authorities are confident that with the coal traffic from Lithgow to Broken Hill, and cattle from Trida and Menindie, to both Sydney and Broken Hill, the line will soon pay its way. WILL LAWSON.