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NOTES OF THE DAY
Verandah Smiuorts.
Tho Hobart City Council draws tho
attention ot air property-owners to the
fact tiiat within tho central portion of
the city, and throughout certain of tho
main thoroughfares, all columns, posts,
or pillars to verandahs on both sides of
tho streets uro to be completely removed
before tho first day of January. 1920.
Tho central portion of tho city affected
I comprises all that area bounded by and
Including Hunter-street, Macquarie
! street, IJnrk-strcot to Brisbane-street,
along Brisbane-street to Harrington
street, along Harrington-street to its
junction with Montpelier-road, and
thence along that road to its junction
with tho River Derwent. Tho main
thoroughfares referred to aro: Mac
quarle-street, .Harrington-street devia-
tion, Cascade-road, Montpelier-road,
Elizabeth-street, Main-road, New Town,
High-street, Sandy Bay, and Sandy Bay
road.
A Curse and a Blessing.
Tho black cloud under which Hobart
has Iain for twelve months through the
awful curso which was placed upon it
lust Commemoration Day was yesterday
lifted, for citizens awolto on a bright and
sunny morning to see upon the. hillside,
whoro the familiar advertisement of a
certain condiment was the tlay before, a
stately and dignified revocation of thc
edict of 102« in the words "Heaven's
Blessing," auguring, perhaps, a prosper-
ous year for Tusmu ilia's capital city. The
lanour entailed by the transformation
was not so immense as lt would seem at
«rat glance, the effect being produced
by masses of white paper pegged down
to tho ground, the original lettering
being first blotted out by paper of
another colour. But it could not have
been a comfortable .task on a night such
as it wus, with icy wind and rain on a
dark, dismal hillside. Tho "corporate
spirit" of thc University dealt with by
tho Chancellor in his speech on Monday
would seem to have arisen with a ven-
geance! At any.rate, we aro all glad to
have thc ban lifted, and in return hope
that'"Heaven's Blessing" may follow tue
University rowing crew to Sydney in tho
neut futuro and let them return with the
honours of thc day.
Work fur Unemployed.
Tho Mayor (Alderman H. J. Rogers)
and representatives of the returned sol-
diers waited on tho Premier (Hon. J.
A. Lyons) recently, and brought under
his notice tho unemployment that exist
e i as far as the returned soldiers
were concerned. They asked that some-
thing be done to alleviate the distress.
Mr. Lyons indicated that the Govern-
ment would be prepared to co-operate
with the City Council, as in the past,
on the £1 for £1 principle. Tho Mayor
said the Council was not in a position
to co-operate to that extent, us it had
no funds at its disposal now.. The Pre-
mier stated yesterday that tho Govern-
ment was doing Its b6st to get road con-
tracts out, and they proposed to put In
order soldier settlers' properties that
had heen vacated and needed attentl m.
In addition, the, Minister for Forestry
(Hon. A. G. Ogilvie) was having plans
and specifications prepared by which he
was hopeful that work would be pro-
vided for at least 200 men In the For-
estry Department. Mr. Lyons said lt
was hoped that that scheme would be
ready In the course of n day or two,
and then it would bo submitted to Cabi-
net for approval.
Repairing thc Gothen.
From tho particulars of un insurance
recently placed in tho London market,
it appears that tho cx-tlcrman cruiser
Gooben, now thc Turkish warship Ya
vouz, ls to bo dry-docked for repair In a
floating dock which has recently been
assembled ut Cohljuk, near Constanti-
nople, utter being sent out from Ger-
many in sectluns. The insurance ia
something of a triumph for British un-
derwriters, for tho amount covered
reaches nearly £1,500,000, the Yavouz
being valued at £1,100,000, and the
floating dock at £300,000, while there
are certain ancillary Insurances ' Tho
risk covered Is thut Incurred during the
lifting of the vessel by the dock, and
though this ls expected to take throi>
hours at tho most, tho policy covers 24
hours from the commencement of tho
operation. It is understood that, al-
though German and Turkish interests
alone are Involved In carrying out tho
repairs, less than £100,000 of tho insur-
ance lias been placed in the German
market.
Loan Council Meeting.
Thc loan requirements of tho State
will bo dealt with at tho meeting of th
Federal Loan Council which will tak
place in Melbourne on Wednesday am
Thursday next. The Treasurer (Hon
J. A. Lyons) and tho Under Treasure
(Mr. P. J. Strutt) will represent ch
Tasmanian Government at the mooting
and they will leave for Melbourne m
Monday.. It will bo necessary for then
t3 arrange for renewals of local inscrib
od stock, which tho Tasmanian Govern
mont is unable itself to renew over th'
Treasury counter, and also arrange to:
tho raising of money for tho purpose!
of the Public ? Works Execution Acts
passed by Parliament last session. i
is likely that thc method of investmen
of sinking fund contributions will corni
up for consideration. Mr. Lyons ex
poets to bc absent from tho State abou
a week.
Advice on Marriage.
Several hitherto unpublished letton
written by General Gordon wore re-
cently reproduced in the "National Re-
view." They include the following
dated February 29, 1S80,,addressed ti
a friend:-"Prince Albert said to Col-
onel Duplat when the latter told him 1«
was going to bo married, 'You are
about to be an honest man.' A man
who is not married cannot know hit
faults. A man's wife is his faithful
looking-glass. Sho will tell him hit
faults. Some men who have sisters
may know themselves, hut lt.is rare;
therefore I say to you (as I have said
before)-Marry! Till a man is mar-
ried lie is a selfish fellow, however bc
may wish not to be so. Remember
that by marrying you are no longer
free for quixotic expeditions. You nvo
bound to consider your better half.
Nothing is moro selfish than a married
man seeking adventures which his
wife cannot partake in. To ono aged
and having gone through much trou-
ble, it seems that to marry in this
way is tho best thing a man should do,
and It is ono which I recommend all
my friends to do. You say. 'Why do
not you follow your own advicoV I
reply, 'Because I know myself suiri
cicntly to know that I could make no
woman huppy.' "
Ur if aili's National Income.
A comparative study of tho income of
tho United Kingdom in 1911 and 1924
lias been published by Professor Bowley
and Slr Josiah Stomp. Their conclu-
sions have boen summarised In thc
"Observer" by Mr. William Graham,
M.P. In spite of increased unemploy-
ment and the reduced working week,
real home-produced income was very
nearly the same per head In 1924 as in
I Ml; the distribution of income between
wage-earners, other earners, and un-
earned Income was changed slightly In
favour of the earning classes; manual
workers on tho average make slightly
Increased real earnings, to which must
br. added transfers for their benefit In
Insurance schemes and other public ex-
penditure. Profits as n whole, reckoned
before tax ls paid, form nearly tho name
proportion to total income nt tho- two
dates. Industrial advance Is represent-
ed by tho fact that within the wage- j
earning classes women and unskilled ]
workers have received a substantial real j
ndvnnco In wages: tho great majority
of skilled workers mudo ut least ns much
(after allowing for tho riso of prices)
in 1924 as In 1911. The comparison also
suggests that when tho full effects of
taxation are considered, tho rich have
less real Incomo uvuilable for saving or
expenditure than before Hie war. Al-
lowing for risc in prices, luxurious ex-
penditure ls definitely less than In 1911,
but Its concentration In small areas, and
consequent advertisement, give lt a place
Ip public discussion to which Its eco-
nomic merits do not entitle lt. Taking
« popular line through the thirteen
years, taxation has laid a henvy hand
upon tlie wealthy In particular certain
sections of the mnsses nspeolnllv women
and unskilled workers, hove Improved
their purchasing power; but the rest are
economically very much where they were
in,1911. Moreover, It is clear that mere
redistribution of the burdens of taxation
ai, a method of social or industrial im-
provement is at 1 cst of limited value;
hope lies in far greater efficiency within
Industry itself.
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