THE PASSING SHOW.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 36, 12 February 1929, Page 6

THE PASSING SHOW.

(By THE MAN ABOUT TOWN.)

Hikurangi is tlic little coal town a dozen miles from Whangarei where a mistake appears to have been made and a Lit of the swamp has been drained into the THE SWAMP. coal mine. Time was when

you walked straight into the mine as you might walk along a street. No nasty cages. Remember that you stopped half-way to '"get your eyes," otherwise you could see nothing, lamp or no lamp; an eerie feeling. Thenadays (Mr. A. J. Murdoch. M.1 , .. who was a little lad there, will remember) stupendous logs from the wayback bush used to roll in there and people used to sometimes climb up Hikmaiigi .Mountain and gaze out on the terrific swamp ami wonder what on earth it was good for. (imndiggei s might >j>lo>h around and prod for gum. j;nd the constable (now in happy retirement) might catch a stray inebriate now and again, and the main street might be crowded with two people and the tailor. That swamp which has stopped the How of coal for a bit may in the years to be make Hikurangi a tar greater town than Whangarei is. It j s impressive in its size, and there arc plenty of other suanms in the north. Some day ten acres of such land will keep a large family in comfort, but at the present moment when tin- coal can't be worked Hikuraiigi folk have a thin time. Hits of old Auckland, falling splinter by splinter into decay, .show that our immediate forefathers built their wee-bit houses close up to the street line, apparSPACE. eiitly anticipating the time when the population would be so thick that lluic'd be no land left. I rl.iin areas are -till regarded as extremely precious, am! the man with a frontage of fifty feel think.-, lie"- a Miiall earl. A tourist who (••>!::.•> tVi;i.-i Ma:iclu-*ter (the most dciiseh-popui .• ; .; ; ; ~, Kmpire), noting the persistence v. it;. j, j f ,,,,i j, ~( lVe ied in Auckland and the ;; - d : -pi.sit inn to live on smaller and th-su-.-r b : .i>. a-ked M.A.T. if all New Zealand v<., cniv.dwl up like this. Since lie asked he l.u- i.-.-eu on a car journey to «;i.-boriie. "We tuneihd a whole day at a good pace. From six in the morning until six at night we saw no living thiujr. There was not a human being or a single iioof of stock. It was terrifying in h> ghastly loneliness. And it occurred to me that New Zealand is empty. It is so empty that pt-ople arc frightened of the loneliness and heap themselves together, giving an imitation of a crowd."

If long-distance swimming has any lasting use, it is that it stimulates youth to emulation. Many a small dog-paddler is getting in trim to tackle Cook Strait. A ADVANCE IN couple of young enthuSWIMMING. siasts arrived in their suburban home the other day full of news. '"Oh, Dad," eaid one, "a big linn's been and gone and offered a. thousand !»'»inds for a long-distance swimming prize."' "«ho was telling you?" asked dad. -Some of the ki.is at school." "What's the name of the Jinn that's going to give the thousand pounds?" 'Macu lister, Mackechnic, Mclnery. Macpherson slid Co." , "And what's tlip coursef -From Auckland i<, Sydney,"' said Dan. '-And back " said Horace. '

"Permit me to doubt." said he, '"that Waterloo \v ;l > won on the playing fields of Ktoii. Allow me to sil-o disbelieve that the

thebull's-eye.!:-;;!:: 11 :/;:: , ;,.:;:

tliiim liile raii'e.'' This :>lioliynmu.s «.|.i,,iu..i>t m.nti,,,,* that most of tl><> careful |.iinruii-iii» uf tarsals is done by iiiiildle-apwl »eiitlcin«-n who will not be call •■! upon in kill men in tin- future. Say> that the "illy n-ason U. the manufacture of rifles is to kill ,„.;,. Wonders if habitual old shuts, who V" t<. rmithHin year after year ever consider tnat a rille is a lethal weapon. Thinks that they n-.ml rilie hhuiitiiiy as an interest hi" i:ause capable of produeinj. prizes ami run ),y Jlu- «:«.'.element. Further avers that wlieii tiu-rc mils ,i war ~n and ritfes were t<. be u-ed tor the paqiw for which they are made i;m-t ot them wi'ie used l,y [.eriwtly raw v«»un»su»rs who up to that iiiue had not'liM.- w'hittcvpr t<. <Io w,th the nasty thinj-s. Tliinks also that tl-.e l-n-utliiiiii i-itle meeting should be k«-]>t tunn* r.-r ever and ever so as to disalni,* the i.-T-ular mind of the. belief that it is a military niiair and a preparation for war. Finally tiK'.e is to be no more war. Mr. Kellopj; «.avs >". ami all the nations are thinkii.fr up the best po,sible means of. destroyinjr al the nations and their property *

One read* with sineerc sympathy for •1.v,.,- Wliunpmiru businneu that they v ere I'uiso.iously affwtwl by eating sheep .lip'in panA BIT OF FOOD. llie dip to be iiowder Anyone who has M , w :t tasted, hamllod and M-,1 e heep dip will ad.nire the extreme heartiness ot the bushmen. S« PS e*ted that a city oi.KM.re. ...u-half ~t a of it ",„ Ins pancake, would say. "l>h!" dis.ard the food and roar for the eook. A m.uh kinder feolinjr for cooks seems to have crei.t into tK ,w -»« : "•■ «:«"1'««*» -udays. 1,, earlier days no man ever undertook ba.k-eountrv i huiijrry n-.en unless he «ould li-Jn U iiv of tluni. It «;is eoiimion euouj-li hi a ueijrhbouriny eontinent to erov. n the eook with his own biirnt rk-o or underdone «l,, M w. Manv a shed of shearers has struek and refund to proceed ""IU H- cook was cln-.n,,d. One inex and bi»spl u . !IMU:s t ., 10k un ~ u . uV Uj ;» nfllHiiteil the 131 men that they threw him in the liver while a man witJi a revolve, .hired anyone to save him. Wo had ~uite a traEi . comedy locally as t<. the v,, O - that food Mir. the hearts of n. Seamen refused to «o to sea, and A magistrate, laekiim in knowledge of human nature, said- "All thi fuss about a few sausages " '

\\<- children i.f a 1upj.,.1- growth, beinthe world (cheers'). and very naturally w;,"! THE CHILD MIND. ~£ 7 iHoft,,eeye^: h:^h^jiu- ,? v ,:: i ;V ,le buad, - A frfcii-XiK -And rlovou like swimming?" And the little one replied: "Yes. I does_ o h. I ,"f ""„. pardon! Ye-. I doos , " r • ,lr

VAMPIRE WANTED. Dear M A.T.,-Tlie item on leeches in vour «.umii to-,, ? ht reminds me of a van, 1C "I. t., }■„„. Country doctor: "Welf, Mr, 'Tlo " e .il-thi. S-^a , - ' «2 ferret on THOUGHTS FOR TO-DAY. To 1.0 angry is to revenge the fault of others upon ourselves.—Pope. • • . '.loom and regret never do aiiv .. O od Dwelling on them deaden, our outlook.—Anon.' • • . Rlphtly to poneive a thing, i,, a ]] t j, e full . ness of Us nuauties. i> ,eaily to cr.-ato it So on pertect holidays, you re-create your world and mi»ii on again as a pleased and enthusiastic nu'inliiT ot tlie great airship's c«iinpanv (J E Montagius in -The Place/' *' ' '