CURRENT TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, 29 July 1919, Page 5

CURRENT TOPICS.

- ' I ANOTHER ASPECT OF THE ' I ' HOUSING PROBLEM. l There is one aspect of the housillS problem in New Zealand, par-ticular_ly_ in the larger centres, which has been somewhat lost sight of. Since the epidemic notices have been served on many owners of the poorer type 0f ‘houses that they must improve the lcondition of their dwellings. The alterinative is to have them pulled down, [and in many cases this course has ibeen adopted. Since the beginning of the year some 60 houses have been gpulled down or turned into stores in ‘Auckland alone, and the same thing .has doubtless been done in other citiies_ The question arises: What has {become of the occupants? Practically ‘no new buildings of this type have {been erected. The inference is that the ‘tenants. have gone into tenements or ,have moved into more modern houses, land this has undoubtedly accentuated ian already acute position. If all the ‘houses which are sanitarily and stru‘Egturally unfit for habitation were [rigidly dealt with the position’ would ibe an impossible one. . I —"‘7__""' l_ IRELAND AND HEMP GROWING. i It has been stated that hemp is a. substitute for flax, though this has ‘not yet been proved, but there is little ‘doubt that there is room for both. It ihas been used largely in America ‘during the years of war for binder twine_ The most familiar use for hemp is the waxed thread used by shoemaklers and saddlers for sewing leather. ‘Hemp is said to grow best on a lime-v istone soil in a damp climate, and llreland has plenty of both. Flax in ilreland is a costly and risky crop and only pays when high prices can ‘be, counted on, as it cannot compete with.‘ the cheap and equally good Russian.‘ ‘flax. As long, as Russiaefails toycomc [into the market as an exporter oi; ‘flax, it V: will pay Ireland to grow ’it;*; ibut it Willnot be cheap. 1 in REFUGE FOR THE HOHEN- ‘ 5 ’ ZOLLERNS. T ' 3 The Grand Duchess of Me‘chlenburg- : ‘Scllwerin———an othsome place, 'surely!+—. E~‘Was asked the other day at her place lief refuge in ‘Switzerland what she lgthought about the fate of Der Kaiser ;(Tlle dear old dame replied that she 3 wasn‘t the least bit interested in the _ head of the Hohenzollerns. What a t shock Wilhelm will get in his Dutch 3 retreat when he learns the news_ For [git happens that the Schwerin dame L is the Crown Prince’s ma-in-law. How .!these Prussians love one another-in :_defeat! W'hich reminds us that the I'rc.-public of Switzerland is becoming ‘ivory uneasy about the invasion of ritheir country by the uncrowned heads ;of.Europe. Karl of Austriaand -his [family are already in residence, and ‘so are Constantine of Greece "and his family. including Tino’s wife, who‘ lis the sister of Wilhelin of Hohenzollern. Many German princelets and {Junkers and Austrian and Russian ggrand dukes also fled for refuge into lswitrerland. But, when von Hinden_ qbllrg applied for permission to take up ‘his residence in a‘ house he had fbought on the shore of beautiful ‘Lake CODSfaIICe, the Swiss papers yelled out loud against the invasion. (Hindenburg is a pretty... heavy last straw on the back of patient Switzeriland_