EVENTS OF THE WEEK.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 43, 14 January 1921, Page 8

EVENTS OF THE WEEK.

The exceedingly hot and trying weather experienced in Southland in the early part of the week emphasises the great disadvantage that Invercargill suffers under in the matter of swimming^ faciliti.es. Other towns in New Zealand, almost without exception, have some sort or respectahle bathing place. jCravel where you will, in almost every town one is able to enjoy either a dip in the briny, a plunge in a clean river, or a cool swim in the mnnicipal baths, but in Invercargill unless one has the time to spare and a conveyance to get out of town, he has to forego the pleasures of a swim and be con. tent with what enjoyment can be gained by a wet at home. This isn't good enough. In any collection of people a swimming place is an essential insti'tution and yet in this progressive (?) fifth city of New .Zealand the thing is conspicuous by its absence. Tuesday was a day to make Diggers sigh for a swim. They could carry theif minds back to tle bathing parades in many parts of the world and recall scenes where naked men revelled in cool or warm waters, but where in Invercargill could a citizen en-

joy a decent swim? Invercargill will never be compiete until swimming baths ar,e established and, the pleasures of swimming made possib.'e for the average citizen. At present a bathe may be obtained at the back ~each Greenhills, the Bluff, Riverton Beach or the Aparima River, but we do not t-ii own motor bikes or Ford cars. The construction of proper swimnnng baths is a matter for the City Council, and being one of such vital importance to the health and welfare of the people, s''ouid be a matter of first consideration. Let the Mayor and City Councillors consider the question, and if in their wisdnn it is seemed desirable that a pool shoutd be provided let them ascertain the cost, sound the citizens by a poll, get on with the work and let us swim. A pubiic swimming hath in Invercargill, witn ro few counter attractions, should easily pay expenses and interest on borrowed money without adding to the rates. rnvercargillites will soon he numhering amongst their daily experiences the sight of aeroplanes in flight. On Tuesday night the De Haviland machine belonging to the South Canterbury Aero Company brought two passengers from Dunedin, and on Wednesday it crossed to Stewart Island on reconnaissance work. During

Fehruary a couple of 'planes will be stationed in Invercargill and joy rides may b e indul ged in by you n g and old. It is hoped that hefore long Invercargill will be the terminus of a regular servfce with Timaru as the northern terminus, and a side-line is likely to be established between Invercargill and Stewart Island. Diggers in search of homes should take note of the sections that are now open for selection in the Waikiwi town settlement, a hlock of land recently acquired by the Government from the Acclimatisation Society and cut up into town sections. These sections vary in price from £70 to £100 and may be acquired for cash on lease with an annual rental of five per cent on the capital value, or on the deferred payment system which enables the purchaser to pay for the land in twenty years. Advances may also be made to returned men up to £900 for the erection of a house, so for a five pound note paid down, a Digger is in a position to commence getting his own hom^ together. The cables do not paint very glowing pictures of the conditions at present prevailing in England and America. The estimated unemployed in England at the present time is a million, whilst in the United States they are quoted at six millions. Qne of the methods being tried to overcome unemployment is emigration. Mr Lloyd George has introduced his emmigration Bill under which the Govern-ment-is empowered to send ex-service men to the dominions overseas. Whilst we are prepared to receive as many ex-ser-vice men in this country as we can absorb, the scheme requires very careful handling. Europe is in a very unsettled condition and amongst the large num'ocr of unemployed are a host of very undesir. able characters, and it is up to the Government of this ccuntry to take steps to ensure a proper supervision of immigrants befofe they depart, for once here it is a more difficult matter to deport them. When it became evident that the price of wool was going to tumble we were somewhat cheered to mark a speech by the Prime Minister to the effect that the Government would eland loyally by the returned soldier settlers, in their hour ot n,eed and soe to it that. they ohtjain returns for their produce in keeping with the high prices paid for the land. The majority of soldiers have now clipped and are putting their wool into the saies, and although the prices seem to be firming a little, the return is inadequate, and unless something is done, the outlook for these men, who twelve months ago, put their bit of capital into high-priced land and ehee^l, is gloomy. The established wool-grower is in a position to hold his wool in the hope of flfetter prices, but the return sd soldier with a big mortgage on the land, needs must sell now in order to get ready iffbney to pay his interest. What is the Government going to do for these men ? If the Government intends to make advances to returned soldier woolgrowers to, enable them to hold the wool for foetter prices the seheme should have been formulated and made pubiic before this. The wool is already in the hands of the agents for sale and it is now up to the Government to redeem their promise and guarantee a minimum price. Our recent visitor, Sir A. Conan Doyle, in addition to being an authority on spirits and the art of communication with the departed, now considers that a strong case has been made out for the "rairies. " In an article contributed to the Ghristmas Number of the Strand Magazine he puts the case. Fairy photographs are the basis of the argument. The photographs (two in number) are alleged to have been ta,ken by two igirls "under circumstances which seem ito put fraud out of the question." The identity of the youthful photo. graphers is hidden under an alias but we have Sir Arthur's word for it that the girls helong to_ a "well-known and respected" family. The sorvices of an expert professional photographer of , many years' standing were recjuisitioned and after a careful analysis the expert asserts "the pictures were entirely genuine unfaked photographs of single exposure, both straight untouched pictures, " Other professional photographers, while unable to detect any faking, declined to testify to their genuineness. Whilst the photographs may be genuine enough it would not appear impossible that the fairies themselves are faked. It would be remarkable if fairies were to be found exactly -like the pictures painted by imaginative artists, yet the "fairy" photographs bear a very close resemblance to the conventional form. Sir Arthur no doubt will contribute further articles on the fairies. We would like to know some-

thing of their doings in fairyland. W« gather from his description of an "elderly male" and "romping young women" that they are born, live, grow old, and fade away. We presume that they then beoome fairy spirits. Sir Arthur will have to make out a better case for the fairlea before he gets many fairy believers. Ha claims to have collected a lot of evidence from people who have seen fairies but he has not quoted and instance. It is not uncommon for individuals to "see things" but they don't call these visions "fairies." Apparently Sir Arthur has applied the wrong name or has been regaled with some pretty tall fairy yams antl has swallowed them whole. We reg,.et to report the death by drowning of Mr J. F. McKenzie while bathing in the "Devil's Pool," Waihopai, on Tuesday. The deceased served with the N.Z.E.F. and left with the 16th Reinforcement, being drafted to the Rifie Brigade. He carried on with his company in France until the battle of Messines, where he wa» severely wounded by a bomb, that hurst within a few feet of him. He emerged from hospital carrying a number of wounds and one of his eycs Was considerably affeeted, he being forced at times to wear a shade to protect it. In addition to his eye he received several serious scalp wounds. After leaving hospital in England he was returned home, and received his discharge from the Expeditionary Eorce about two years ago, since then he has been,' when his health would allow, working on a farm at Limehills. We desire to express our deepest sympathy -with his relativea in their sad bereavement.