RANDOM NOTES

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 99, 20 January 1933, Page 8

RANDOM NOTES

Sidelights on Current Events LOCAL AND GENERAL

(By

Kickshaws.)

At a height of 37,000 feet paper falls to the ground, without a flutter. At Trentham on the other hand paper falls to the ground after a flutter.

According to one authority children if left to themselves fritter time away proposing and opposing schemes. But after all they are only learning to be grown-ups.

News comes from America of the death of a performing flea that used to push a toy train, wave flags, and kick a ball. The act responsible for this parasite’s death, we understand, was a magnificent display of kicking the bucket.

Talk of the exchange rate being raised recalls some of tlie imposts under which other countries . have suffered. One firm in Sydney, for example, had to pay no less than 900 per cent, on a consignment of scientific glassware some three years ago. Moreover, in Spain commerce for a. time was crippled by the alcavala—a tax of 14 per cent, on the sale of everything. This tax was actually repeated every time any article was sold. In Holland at one time a ridiculous scheme was enforced whereby anybody wanting to buy anything, such as tea or potatoes, had to obtain and pay for an official permit to do so. It was even necessary to buy a license to eat bread. We may squirm and squeal, but think of some folk 'in Hungary who pay £2 separate taxes. Think of Turkey where income tax on £lOO a year is a mere 43 per cent.

While on tlie subject of exchanges perhaps some expert will care to explain a little Inystery in low finance perpetrated by the citizens of two frontier towns; one in Mexico and the other in America. Thirsty residents discovered that owing to high finance quite beyond their control, an American dollar was pegged in Mexican'territory at 75 Alexican cents. While a Mexican dollar was worth in American territory 75 American cents. High finance or low finance, the result was that thirsty people could obtain unlimited drinks at no cost to themselves at all. Entering an American bar the thirsty one ordered a 25 cent, drink. Putting down an American dollar he received as change a Mexican dollar worth 75 American cents. His thirst still unslaked, he thereupon crossed over ’ into Mexico. With his Alexican dollar he bought a 25 cent, drink in a Alexican bar. In exchange he got an American dollar worth 75 Alexican cents. The rest was mere repetition until legs or stomach, or both, gave out. Moreover, as lie always ended up with a dollar in hand, the mystery was who paid for tlie drinks?

When invited to give a general opinion on New Zealand a visiting professor said that what struck him most was the rural atmosphere as evidenced by the smell of hay, grass and hedges. We may not realise that fact, but our sense of smell can bring back memories of things long past far more vividly than any of our other senses. To some men wounded in-the war, the smell of chloroform brings back to this day scenes in casualty clearing stations otherwise forgotten. In the same way the smell of lavender to some brings back a London street in the 90’s when sweet lavender, and not a vacuum cleaner, was a marketable product. Perhaps there are alive to this day some for whom the smell of musk brings back a tale. But there cannot be many. To most of us the smell of musk is an unknown smell, holding no memories. Perhaps the most vigorous smell of all is the smell.of land after a long sea voyage. One can smell it twenty miles away, almost before it is seen. Surely that smell to Columbus must have conjured up vivid memories of the Americas.

The fine distinction made by a member of the Farmers’ Union recently between “talking lair” and “talking reason” is not so absurd as it seems. Otherwise it would be impossible for an escaped lunatic in England to become “sane” automatically provided he was not found within 14 days. But it is not the law of any particular country that shows any special divergence from reason. The laws of all countries are just as bad. Even in New Zealand it has been discovered that a man who steals a motor-car is not really doing wrong, provided he intended to return it. ■ln Scotland it is a fact that a football team, ou the other hand, is liable to arrest for playing the game. While in England, as well as in the rest of the Empire, people who are unable to pay debts are put into prison for not obeying an order of the court to do so. Thus making it absolutely certain that they will have no chanee to pay.

A curious instance of where law and reason almost walked hand in hand, was observed recently in Austria. A one-legged beggar was run over, thereby losing his other leg. He claimed compensation. The legal pundits, however, declared that far from being aygrieved, he ought to be grateful as his earning capacity as a beggar was-, increased by his further helplessness. Not long ago in England reason and the law clashed over a motorist who bad run over a goose at Christmas-time. It was claimed that the motorist ought at least to have stopped. But the law, it was discovered, laid down that while a motorist must stop if he. runs over a dog, he need not stop for a cat or a fowl. The only retaliation that the owner of the goose seemed to have was to follow the motorist and wait for him to clean the goose off his ear in the street. The motorist could then he arrested for the terrible crime of cleaning his car in a public place.

The pilot and his party who have just made a record flight across the South Atlantic are said to be the first human beings who have ever breakfasted in Africa and dined in Brazil. One hundred and forty miles an hour averaged for 14 hours is certainly fast. But the time cannot be far distant when the possibilities of potential speed will open up all manner of curious anomalies. This world of ours travels round on its own axis at the rate of 1000 miles an hour at the equator. When aeroplanes can compete wth this speed, travellers will find themselves in the awkward predicament when travelling from East to ’"est, of being able to have breakfast when they start and yet be in time for breakfast when they arrive. In fact a slight speeding up would so put the clock back that on a long flight they would arrive in time for breakfast on the day before.

Perhaps when winter comes to me My heart will learn the way To blossom recklessly as though —Ryder Bennett. Life were a summer’s day.