Centralian Advocate (Alice Springs, NT : 1947 - 1954), Friday 26 January 1951, page 13


Redback Plague Continues — :o: — The plague of redback spiders which appeared in Alice Springs about a month ago does not appear to have abated. In fact some householders maintain that the in-sects have increased over the past fortnight. Usually confined to the darker spots in houses, outhouses and gardens the spiders this year are being found anywhere, and their webs are a distinct nuisance to people walking past hedges at night. A number of people have re-ported being bitten and some have been made extremely uncomfortable as a result. No explanation of the plague, except possibly that breeding has been accentuated by unusually

humid weather, can he offered. The only method of combating the spiders in the continual removal of their web, the removal of all empty tins, bottles and heaps 0f rubbish from gardens and back yards, and frequent use of in-secticides in all houses, outhouses and sheds.

When rayon was just put on the market, a committee appointed by silk manufacturers to study its possibilities declared it a transient fad. (What about wool and syn-thetics today). A widespread sentiment against printing was expressed by a Gov- ernor in 1670 — "I thank God there are not free schools, nor printing, for learning has brought dis-obedience and heresy into the world and printing has developed them. (Heaven forbid him from ever reading today's press !).