WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 304, 17 September 1921, Page 6

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

" NOTES AT RANDOM (By T.D.H.) ♦ If no Labour member takes his Beat can the Arbitration Court go on notwithstanding? —' Though Mr. M'Cullough is standing for a seat on the Court, most of us to-' day, I fear, will be standing on the. ground without a eeat, except, of course, ' tlie plutocrats who sit on the stand'. I am requested to explain that when, the City Council put-ths-notices in the reserves, "Citizens, Protect Ymjr Own Property,” it-was not intended.- as a request to the public to take the trees and shrubs home to look after them better. Is the world going back to the other 'side of the Middle Ages? Greece is over-running Asia again under Constantine . the Small, and a message from Geneva is that the Latins are ruling the League of Nations. I asked Dr. Bumpus yesterday what be., thought would happen at the Park this'afternoon. The Doctor was noncommittal. He remarked that it was thb spring, in which season the landscape is generally green, and there was the additional circumstance that all the •bucks would be present.- • This might seem to forecast a, certain, turn of affairs, but on the other' hand if there was to be a funeral it never, eo far as he know, was the person.that was buried who was all in black.

The Doctor agrees with Councillox Luckie that'the little boys should not be encouraged! to go to the match. For one thing, they don’t need any encouragement, and for another thing the piece of ground that three little boys would bo sitting on the Doctor could turn to much more profitable use by sitting on. it' himself.

Sir Robert Horne, of the British Cabinet, said the other, day that as Preei.dent of the Board he felt like the bookseller’s- assistant who. when asked Hnve you the ‘Life of St. Paul’?” replied, “N« I have not the life of a- dog, .and am leaving the d- — place next week.” A similar story i? ..told .of'; a music shop assistant who when asked by a young lady, "Have you got ‘The Bleeding He.-irf ?” replied in a most ungentlemonly way that he had not, but he had the ruddy’ hump.

The Minister of Education- has announced that he will not sit on the Victoria College Committee in the , Weitzel .investigation.- Still, I gathered from the-tone of the announcement- that the Minister intended to sit upon the council. ■

A youth, who waits the New-Zealand-ers to win to-day, and is .not too certain of their prospects on a. hard ground, sonde me this soulful prayer,, and being ' an impartial and kindly- man—although a tennis player—l have not the heat? to consign it tp the w.p.b.:— Rain! Oh! rain to-day, rain hard and quick; Come down in buckets if you will; With mud to help we’ll pull the trick. Oh! rain to-day. Our treatment of -you has been bad. Your, wetness never used to. thrill. But .wouldn’t En.;Ze<]-. : smile, by Gad, . - O’or rain to-day ! - • ■ • [lt is now 1 a.m., and raining steadily. At midnight the office scout' reported that in local betting circles anxious-, faced backers of the Springboks were eagerly laying off their 'bets, the oddz, now being’in favour of the All Black*,. Clearlv this is a cato'of prayer answered. —t.d!h.]-. "Baby” Michau told me two amusing South African customs at a party the other night. "When you have a 'sP ot in South Africa," ho said, "you dent get the bottle passed to you. The man' who does the ‘shouting’ holds up the bottle and collects the glasses. May I pour yon out a drink?’ he asks. Alle-, machtig! Yon certainly . get more by the New Zealand,way, though. . - J; 119 other custom was that of a man, walking, with, a friend 'in the street, linking his arm with that of hrs friend. Of course,” said the small Michau .man, I was walking with o-man in Auckland and linked my arm in his. He got very embarrassed, and said if I did that tho passers bv would think we were intoxicated. Needless to say, I let him go I

Students of natural history will be. interested to learn that included in Hi«‘ influx of visitors to the city last evening was a full-sired morepork, which perched on a telegraph pole at the backof The Dominion office. It is of the interest excited the third Test; that this visitor from the back county’ choiild have ventured into the haunts, of men in the heart of the ojty-p«mim- ( nblv as Special Correspondent to the , “Owl News,” commissioned to report to > the inhabitants of the hu»h on the man- *• r.er in which the lenresentatives of the , Land of the Moa and the Kiwi omnp<F’ ‘ themselves .in the struggle with the < Springboks to-day. . i.

An excellent idea occurred to me ths--other dav-qpiie a Hash of aeons. Seek--frg-'Kn'ttem for this ooloumn I sent «• each member of the. staff (ladtes included) the question. “What is - woman: The response is now to hand, and I. pass th answers on to my readers in the form of a. sort of composite pen picture. Mayby it is the touch of spring in the air that, is responsible for the noetic strain which' at times creeps into the rhapsody.

Here it is: . . . . ... “What is woman? The roundness of tn«, moon, the wisdom of the serpent, the entwinemont of clinging runes, the tremb-. 'ling of the aspen’tree, the slenderness ot. the daffodil, the velvet of the pansy, thegentleness of the falling leM. the glance, of the fawn, the gaiety of the sun s rays, . the laughter of rippling wafer.the con--staney of the stars, the tears,’ mountain mist, thq melody of Pan s , pipes, the fitfulness of the wmdfl, the ■ limiditv of the hare, the courage of t e. lion, the brilliancy of the diamond, th flavour of clover honey, the cruelty of thetiger, the warmth of fire, the cupidity of a pawnbroker, the Pur'G of fr « h ’ snow and the cooing of the doie. unite them all, and you have that most won-, S,' enchanting, and disillusion.ring manufacture of all creation-A WOJittJe complex perhaps, but , , s

There are numerous examples in the rural districts of New Zealand of post! offices being directed, generally aS «; small side-line; by persons who can sparethe time from their ordinary business.' Tn one of the-so districts complaints were beiire made that a certain postmaster, who' ohappened 0 happened to be a storekeeper, waj not giving satisfaction to the local residents. In due course an- inspector ap'neared, and commenced to question tha postmaster. “Mr. y> he said, T have received complaints that your management does not give satisfaction and I have come to inquire into matters. went out of the shop, returning' shortly afterwards carrying a butter-box { cash-box. scissors, and ■ string.’ - "Here, ho exclaimed, addressing the inspector. And at ihe saipo time handing him the paraphernalia, “take yer flaming post office I"