Swift retribution
By telegraph — London, August 10 (Received August 10, at 10.10pm): Sir Henry Wilson’s murderers have been executed. — A and NZ Cable
Five a nice round number
There seems to be a growing feeling in favour of lengthening the term of the New Zealand Parliaments. The triennial turmoil of a threeyearly contest at the polls, to say nothing as to the great saving in money that would be effected by lengthening the term, are factors in this connection. A general election costs the country
between £250,000 and £300,000. The plea for a lengthened term was supported by Mr P.F. Hockly, the member for Rotorua. He said it was recognised that the threeyear term in Now Zealand was too short, while the sevenyear term in Great Britain was too long, and the general opinion here seemed to be that we should have fiveyear Parliaments.
Rubella in city
There is a fair amount of German measles in Dunedin at the present time, and the attendance at a number of schools has been affected to some extent, but as the disease is not a notifiable one, it is impossible to arrive at the actual extent of its incidence. Parents whose children have been affected are advised to keep their other children away from school for a short period so as to avoid spreading the infection. In order to allay any possible apprehension it may be said that the disease is of a mild type.
Protection for girls sought
A deputation representing the women’s branch of the Social Hygiene Society waited on the Prime Minister yesterday with the object of securing an alteration in the Crimes Act in order to provide better protection for young, girls. The speakers said that sexual offences against young girls were far too numerous, and they desired the removal from the Act of the provision which allowed a man to plead that he had reason to believe that the girl was over the age of consent.
They also considered that the present six months limit before which the charge can be brought allowed many guilty men to escape. Mrs Robertson stated that there were several cases last year of girls becoming expectant mothers and suffering from venereal disease. Mrs Henderson Begg said that many of the offences were premeditated, and were committed by men.
I’m not racist, but
Possibly to counteract the influence of the advocacy by the South Australian Premier (Sir Henry Harwell) and Mr Tom Walsh (secretary of the Seamen’s Union) of coloured labour for Australia, the Prime Minister (Mr Hughes) has just made at Bendigo a stirring defence of the policy. Mr Hughes declared that the White Australia policy was the cornerstone of the temple in which they lived. The committee of medical experts had reported that the white race could settle in any part.
White Australia, said Mr Hughes, was a gospel. No man or woman who had had experience of countries where coloured labour had been admitted could doubt that Australia had chosen the better way. The introduction of coloured labour meant the breeding of a mongrel race, the pollution of blood, and the watering down of qualities.— ODT, 11.8.1922