CURING CRIPPLES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 830, 26 November 1929, Page 1

CURING CRIPPLES

BIG ROTARY CAMPAIGN STARTED IN SYDNEY

AUSTRALIA DEPRESSED The Sydney Rotary Club has embarked on a wonderful campaign. It is arranging to have all cripple children in the city examined by surgeons. Mr. G. Vi*. Hutchinson, who returned by the Ulimaroa this morning, gave some particulars of the campaign. He stated that Rotary members will collect the children in their cars and take them to clinics where they will be examined by leading surgeons. After examination each child will be card-indexed, with full particulars of its illness. The club hopes to raise £15,000 by public subscription and a citizens’ campaign and with this money every cripple child will be properly treated. A general committee which has charge of the arrangements for the campaign is headed by Sir Henry Bradden. During his stay in Sydney Mr. Hutchinson endeavoured to do something toward removing the deposit which now has to be paid on all tourist motor-cars arriving in New Zealand or Australia. He was unable to see the Minister of Customs. however, but he talked the subject over with prominent mhn in the motor world in Sydney. He is of opinion that some agitation will have to be started in New Zealand. ABSURD SITUATION “It seems absurd that two countries so closely associated cannot come to some reciprocal arrangement,” said Mr. Hutchinson. “Sometimes the deposits on cars run into anything from £BO to £IOO and this money could easily be spent by the tourists while they are in the country.” In New South Wales the roads are not posted with direction signs as they are in New Zealand and Mr Hutchinson said he noticed the difference. The National Roads and Motors Association had a membership of 55,000. Roads in New South Wales had improved wonderfully since he last visited th% State, -but mauy of the macadamised roads had gone to pieces. It seemed to him that they had hot been put down properly. Mr. Hutchinson went to Sydney to attend the biennial conference of the Australasian Institute of Secretaries and while there he was elected president for New Zealand and Australia. AUSTRALIAN FINANCE He also attended a lecture by Mr. Stevens, State Treasurer for New South Wales, who gave his audience an interesting word picture of the financial position as far as the State departments were concerned. Mr. Stevens mentioned that the Federal revenue had fallen by £30,000,000 on exports. This meant that the margin of security for borrowing was reduced. Australia still had £12,000,000 which was short-borrowed last year aiid £30,000,000 which was required far the current year’s expenditure, with the result that the Commonwealth was not able to get money immediately. Australia was working on a bank overdraft. At present this amounted to £12,000,000. for which the Commonwealth was paying 6 per cent.

With the exception of West Austral lia, the Commonwealth was very depressed. One big Melbourne firm was advertising a “depression slump,” which Mr. Hutchinson said only made the position more obvious. Sydney was worried about its traffic problems which would become more acute with the opening of the Harbour Bridge. All traffic would then swing toward the bridge in a continual stream.

During a talk with the town clerk of Sydney, Mr. Hutchinson was told that the widening of streets in that city had cost millions. “No opportunity should be lost in Auckland while streets could, be widened with economy,” commented Mr. Hutchinson. “Instead of providing only for our immediate needs we should also prepare for the future.”