FROM THE WATCH TOWER

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 223, 9 December 1927, Page 8

FROM THE WATCH TOWER

By “THE LOOK-OUT MAN” NO SHIP TO PAWN A young man jvas yesterday remanded for sentence on a charge of having stolen a camera, which he pawned. It was stated in explanation of his action that he was “a sailor without a ship.” A good thing he didn’t have his ship with him, too, or he might have been driven to pawn that. AN ALERT BODY A further instance of the alertness of the City Council is to be recorded. Daylight saving having been in operation for six weeks, the councillors discover that it permits of longer playing hours, and recommends that the '' sing times of the city parks be extended. No doubt the recommendation will be given effect to some time between this and the last day of daylight saving. PEA-SOUP PROSECUTION It is a scandal, the way this gambling goes on. One fearful example is that of the chairman of the Grey Lynn School Committee, who pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court to a charge of having established a lottery. He and his confederates had actually connived at a competition In which visitors to a bazaar which was held to raise funds for school Improvements were urged to guess at the number of peas in a bottle. The demoralising effects of such evil competitions upon the community may be imagined when the magistrate dismissed the charge as too trivial upon which to convict. A visitor from England who witnessed the proceedings was deeply impressed by th-is prosecution. He said that when he returned Home he would write a book about it. He said that in the past he had frequently tried to guess how many peas went to a gallon of soup in the best hotels, quite unaware of the wickedness of such conduct. This, however, would be a lesson to him, and he hoped, to the whole of the people of New Zealand. RACES AND BROADCAST The proposed ban on the broadcasting of racing is one that has already excited comment that is none too complimentary to the clubs concerned. There has been a very large demand for this form of wireless service, and thousands of people who cannot attend the races, but like to know of their progress, have expressed appreciation of it. The idea of the clubs may be that if people can hear the races described by wireless they will not come to the meetings, and their admission money (not to speak of their contributions to the totalisator) will be lost. This is not the common idea, however. There is no description of a race that will satisfy in the manner that actually seeing it will satisfy, and it is very doubtful whether broadcasting facilities induce many people to remain away from the course. On the other hand, there are thousands of people who cannot possibly attend the races, and it is these upon whom hardship will be inflicted. At the big trotting meetings, horses from all parts of the Dominion compete, and naturally people all over the Dominion are interested. It is to be hoped that the clubs may be induced to view the question from other than a selfish point of view.

■■ONE MAN ONE JOB ” The old axiom of “one man one job” is not religiously adhered to In this country. With all due respect to teachers, and every sympathy for their grievances when they have any, one must very cordially agree with Mr. G. Brownlee, one of the Board of Managers of the Technical College, who considers that the complaints of hardships to teachers are greatly exaggerated if a headmaster, with a salary of £6OO a year from the Education Board, is able to undertake further remunerative work in the evenings. Mr. Brownlee’s observation was prompted by the consideration of night teachers in the employ of the Technical College—there being three headmasters of day schools so employed—and he was supported by Mr. J. P. McPhail, who emphatically condemned the principle as a wrong one and declared that if a teacher was earning a living wage in day employment he should not have a job on the evening staff. Apart from this aspect, and its effect on curtailing the number of persons In employment when there Is already not enough work to go round, there naturally arises another question. Are headmasters who work elsewhere at night in a sufficiently fresh mental and physical condition to do justice to the work in the day school—that work which is their primary duty, and for which they are well paid? It is a question which should have the serious consideration AJi the authorities.