A bar to trade at Greymouth

The wreck of the steamer Ngahere at the entrance of the Greymouth harbour last week came just at the time of a local agitation for the infusion of more energy into the policy of the Harbour Board, particularly in regard to the development of the trade of the port.

At a meeting of the board last week a member declared that the board would have to go "eyes out" to keep its trade, and he urged that an endeavour be made to attract more ships to Greymouth. The Greymouth Star, in an editorial comment the next day, remarked "It is admitted by those with any knowledge of the subject that, whatever may have been the case in years gone by, Greymouth is now a very safe port for ships. The once-dreaded bar has lost its terrors, and rarely nowadays are ships kept outside, waiting a crossing."

 

"Dear Civis, Would you please tell me which is the correct pronunciation, Man’uka or Manu’ka? I am a visitor from the North Island, and am continually being told that I mispronounce that word — as I always say Man’uka." There is no "correct" pronunciation. In the Union Company’s fleet is a vessel which shipping people call the Man’uka, accent on first syllable, but if you are buying firewood ask for "manoo’ka" and see that you get it. Words taken over from another language, barbarous or civilised, we pronounce as we choose, asking no leave from the original owners. In this case the choosing is incomplete; for the moment we halt between two opinions. Usage, one way or the other, will prevail in the end, and from a prevailing usage there is no appeal. When a foreign word is being naturalised as English it loses all rights. English is mistress in her own house. — by ‘Civis’

 

Mr Charles D. Hurrey, travelling secretary of the World's Student Christian Federation, at present visiting Dunedin, holds pronounced views on the importance of promoting international friendship and goodwill through the students of the world. Nobody is in doubt about the necessity of securing international goodwill, and Mr Hurrey, who knows more about the students of the world than most men living, holds that in their hands to a very remarkable extent lies the power of securing that goodwill. In conversation with a Times reporter yesterday, Mr Hurrey pointed out that we are now in the midst of the fourth great international migration of students. The earliest of these was to the Greek centres of culture when Greek learning became dominant throughout the world. The second was to the Roman and Italian centres of learning, and Roman law and science to-day arc almost universal. The third most notable migration was to German-speaking centres of learning. Now we are in the fourth migration, when students are going to the Anglo-Saxon centres, notably to the United States, where there are now 10,000 foreign students representing 30 different countries pursuing their studies, and to the older universities of the British Isles. It is becoming increasingly clear that the presence of non-Christian Oriental students in the universities of the Western nations is accomplishing much for an interpretation of the reality of the Christian life and broadening the sympathy of Western Christian people towards the followers of Oriental faiths.  — ODT, 24.5.1924