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By Sydneysider

Sydney is the hub of the South Pacific, and its news is va news. Here are some of the things that made June headlines

Sydney’s hottest May on record slid off into a near heat-wave in early June, clocking up 79 degrees on the sth day of Win ter. Sydneysiders were boasting, “We haven’t had a fire yet”; coal and coke merchants were despairing; and the big stores were having their fashion calen dar disrupted as showings of Spring cottons were rushed on before selling had commenced in the woolly pants dept.

Scientists said it all was be cause the world was getting hot ter, and the Polar ice-caps melt ing. But before those with de sirable waterfrontages could think of unloading, right at the end of the first week in June, along came a high pressure system, down went temperatures, back came Winter.

It’s us for the woolly pants; and no Spring cottons —not till next September. * * * Leader-writers, politicians, fi nancial experts and others have all been having a go at the all time Australian record £ A 11,676,000 profit announced for the year ending Dec. 31, 1957, by General Motors-Holden’s Ltd., early this month.

Criticism is that Australia is not getting enough out of it.

Australia is getting plenty, of course, hut mostly indirectly.

What is directly apparent is the £5,678,000 that goes to the General Motors Corporation in the US which holds all the ordinary shares in GM-H.

The US company has got its capital hack many times over and it sees that it gets its divi dends out smartly. Only £33,695 goes to Australian holders of six per cent, preference shares. (The other £5 million-odd is ploughed back into the company).

All this is a bad drain on our . dollar resources, say the quid nuncs. There should be more real Australian capital in the Co. In 1945, of course, when the then Labour government invited motor companies to build an all- Australian car, GM-H’s bid for the honour did not look such a bright idea as it does today.

Biggest “ shareholder” in the outfit is the Australian Govern ment. Its rake-off in 1957 was £8,000,000 in tax directly from the company and another $24,000,000 in sales tax paid by

the customers when they boua the cars.

The first Holden appeared 1948; success was immediate a\ has continued phenomenal 1957, 46.3 per cent, of all m passenger and commercial v. hides registered in Austrai: were Holdens.

Biggest squeal of all is for tt company to pare price of t vehicle to bring it hack into Hi with that early promise of “people’s car”. (It is calculate that a passenger vehicle ne •about £l7O profit). * * * THE PRESS: The montE headline that rocked us most appeared in the Sydney S\' during the height of the Gaulle rumpus) “W OMAj

With No Arms To Marr'i*

* * * SPORT: Bookies will banned from mid-week races leaving the held to the tote. Tl' jack-pot tote, after a six mont; trial run, will cease havii failed, it is said, to attract moc people to races, and havii benefited only big punters. Tl' Australian Empire Games teai got another £B,OOO expense mom from the Australian Governmes —after first being refused b: cause the team “could saj £6,000” by travelling Qantas i:i stead of by Canadian Pacific previously booked. The Gover:* ment heart-change came aft) the Games organisers also had] change of heart—and decided travel Qantas. * * * CULTURE: The Australis Encyclopaedia, in 10 volumes ai published by Angus and Roben son Ltd., made its appearano.

Price £5O. At their first conco in Sydney, London’s famox Amadeus quartet stopped plaj ing in the middle of an iteie told off a chorus of coughed Audience was “shocked inr silence”. No more coughs. * * *

Personality: H. B. Fan

combe, one of the most higlrl decorated men of his time, wh in 1951 retired from the with the rank of Rear Admin after 38 years (including see going) service, was admitted the Bar in Sydney on June