A New Zealander In Sydney Town

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 494, 25 October 1928, Page 12

A New Zealander In Sydney Town

(THE SUN’S Correspondent) SYDNEY, October 18. Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith and Flight-Lieutenant Ulm spent their first day in Sydney, after completing their memorable trip across the Tasman, in making private calls and attending to business matters. For some time past Kingsford Smith has had an office in the city, and there he ’ was back at his desk early next morning as if nothing untoward had happened. The airmen are off to the United States very shortly, though whether they will take the Southern Cross with them or not is not yet . settled. The fact that they had only ten minutes’ worth of petrol left on the ! return flight from New Zealand is evidence of just how closely they "sailed to the wind,” so to speak. The country between Sydney and Newcastle, over which they traced their tracks, is heavily wooded, and generally extremely dangerous from the point of view of a hurried landing. New Civic Commissioner? Although the Premier, Mr. Bavin, Las made no announcement yet as to who will be the successor of Mr. Fleming, the late Chief Civic Commissioner, it is rumoured that the office will be offered to Mr. Clifford Hay, secretary to the Premier’s Department. It was Mr. Hay who made the New South Wales arrangements for the Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of York. In fact, he has played an important part in connection with the visit of all prominent callers to this State. Clifford Hay is to New South Wales what our own Mr. Hislop was to New Zealand for so long. Sir Henry Braddon, who recently retired from the head of Dalgety and Co., Ltd., and who is well known in New' Zealand, where his prowess as a footballer is still remembered, it is reported, was offered the vacant position. But Sir Henry for personal reasons declined it. New Art Director Seven applications have been received by the Public Service Board for the position of director of the New South Wales National Art Gallery. The position became vacant upon the retirement of Mr. G. V. F. Mann. An announcement is expected shortly. Mr. Mann visited New Zealand some years ago upon an important art mission. He was recently awarded the Medal of the Society of Artists for his services to art in the Commonwealth., Romano’s Raided Fashionable Romano’s >vas raided the other night. A wedding party, too, was in progress. As a matter of fact the wedding party was held responsible at the subsequent Court proceedings for the presence of so much liquor. But the magistrate turned a deaf ear, and fines were inflicted totalling £9O. These proceedings are the height cf absurdity. Why some form of wine licence cannot be arranged for after 6 p.m. it is difficult to say. There are few restaurants in Sydney, for that matter, where one cannot obtain wine after that hour. Almost every proprietor is prepared to take a risk. Occasionally there is a raid, but after the lapse of a few days everything goes on as usual. Adela Pankhurst Walsh Much too quiet for the Communists these days is Adela Pankhurst Walsh, wife of Tom Walsh, the seamen’s leader, and a member of the wellknown English suffragette family. Mrs. Walsh was chased out of the Domain the other Sunday for airing her moderate views. Her explanation that she had materially altered her previous views, and that the present was no time for direct action, led to such heckling that Mrs. Walsh had to be removed in a motor-car. In fact, she had an extremely narrow escape from violence. £70,000 for Troughs One day we read of the magnificent gift of £220,000 to Sydney University, and the next of a man leaving £70,000 to erect horse-troughs in- different parts of Australia and the Empire. George Bills, the wire-matress manufacturer. made this extraordinary provision in his will. A widower, his estate is valued at £BB,OOO, and it is believed that after paying legacies and duty, about £70,000 willbeavailable for the h*orse-troughs. They are to be inscribed “in memory of George and Annie Bills.” The Hordern Will Mention of wills recalls the fact that the estate of the late Lebbeus Hordern in New South Wales is by no means as large as was generally expected. So far as can be estimated it will approximate £250,000. The widow', Mrs. Francis May Hordern (sister of Roger Barry, the actor), will receive the income from this sum. Mr. Hordern made no provision for his son, Lebbeus Anthony Hordern, as he is provided for under the will of the late Mr. Samuel Hordern, in which Lebbeus Hordern had a life interest. The lad’s mother—the first Mrs. Lebbeus, who divorced her husband, and is now in England—has a settlement of £B,OOO, free of all duty, which remainn untouched. Maori Proverb “The house that stands without the fort is food for fire.” The Maori proverb was quoted by Captain Cayley, officer in charge at Garden Island, when impressing upon Australians the other day the importance of being prepared for war. The development of a sea-sense, he emphasised, was a paramount consideration. New Zealanders likewise lack a sea-sense to any appreciable extent. For the last 80 years or so, like the Australians, we have been so busy developing the primary resources of the country that it was neither necessary nor altogether possible, to turn our eyes, as a people, in the direction of the sea as our fathers did. In the future, however, this must be altered. World changes, and the part the Pacific must play in coming events, demand it.