RANDOM NOTES

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 252, 21 July 1936, Page 8

RANDOM NOTES

Sidelights on Current

Events (By Kickshaws.’) We wish to deny a rumour that the Government intends to repeal the Law of Diminishing Returns as soon as Parliament reassembles. ♦ ♦ * In case you didn’t know the case of the case of dried fruits, the case Is a case about a case of dried fruits. » » • The men on public works, it is declared, are stepping on it but nevertheless we hope they are not putting their foot in it anywhere. * » » “Would you kindly inform me through your most interesting column whether the Imperial Airways have ever had an accident involving the death of passengers?” asks “M.D.” [Yes. they have had fatal accidents involving the death of passengers. In ,1929, for example, 11 passengers lost ’their lives in two accidents.] Now that war is to be waged against old crocks the nroblem of how best to give these humble creatures their coup-de-grace will be occupying the attention of the mechanical equivalent of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It requires an iron nerve to push an old and faithful vehicle over the edge of a precipice or into a river. It attracts too much attention if one attaches a fuse and some gelignite to the chariot in the hope that it will be blown to smithereens. Every three years nearly 20,000 cars meet their end in one way or another. If the war is on in earnest the old method of leaving them on vacant sections will have to stop, if only because every vacant section will be full up. One cannot leave them littering up the backyard because in view of the golden days ahead the average backyard will be full up in a year or two. In New York, where 10,000 faithful crocks are abandoned every year, the traffic authorities press them into handy bundles. Just who requires a handy bundle of compressed old crocks is not known. Obviously, though, something will have to be done.

Mention of a man in the Wellington area who cannot read or write, although aged 87 years, is a reminder of an amusing story that is all the more unusual because it is true. A certain individual ran away from school. Eventually after many years he made good and became a very wealthy man in the building trade. One day he went to his bank and was asked to sign a document. "I can’t.” he said. "Why not?" asked the manager of the bank. '■'Because I can't write.” “What," said the bank manager, “you've made all those thousands and you can't write!” “That’s true,” said the man. ‘‘Well, I wonder what you would have become if you had only learned to write?” “A grocer’s assistant.” said the man as he made his mark on the document that was worth thousands. Perhaps we attach too much importance to reading and writing. They are. after all, only a means and not an end.

It is refreshing to read about a man - who has held down the same job for 74 years. It must constitute a record in New Zealand, if not in the world. A record that is perhaps worthy of mention besides this one is that of three brothers who have served the’r employers for a total of 115 years between them. Moreover, another three brothers who live ..at Kidderminster, England, are employed by a firm of carpet manufacturers. They claim a record for consistent service with the ore firm. Their total amounts to ISB years. One has 62 years’ service, another 65, and the third 61. It is not a bad average, but it is even better than that. Their father served the firm for 40 years and their mother for 25 years. This makes a total for the fanfly of 253 years. Possibly readers can quote averages that can beat that. If so, it would be interesting to publish them. In England there are, no doubt, many other instances, because at one time long service was more common than it is to-day.

It may be something to have served the one master, or the one family, for a very long time, but it does mean that a job has to be found that will never finish. These days jobs always seem to be finislfng. Firms rise ard fall, fashions change and what was made last year is out of date the next. There are, however, crafts that do seem to persist through th e centuries. Anyone anxious to beijt records should take pains to enter a profession capable of meeting the ambition. For real longstanding records, one has to consider seriously the merits of charcoal burning. One fam ly, by the name of Purkess, who live in the New Forbst, England, have been charcoal burners by profession so long that it was one of this family who found William Rufus and carted his body to Winchester on a charcoal burner’s cart. Parchment making is another profession with possibilities. Not only do workers at one factory in Havant, Sussex, stay with the one firm for 50 years and more, but the firm is making parchment on the same site that it has been made for 1000 years on end.

One may well wonder if any of the modern trades will last as long as have some of the older ones. To-day brooms are made by machines, but anyone who wants a real besom, a difficult thing to buy, must demand the “goods” from Tadley-God-Help-Us, a little village in Hampshire. Brooms are still being made there. If one wants spinning tops it is possible to get them off the machines that no doubt turn them out by the million. But it is still possible to go to King’s Cliffe, Northamptonshire, and buy them from the cottagers. One may buy from them not. only spinning tops, but lemon squeezers, butter prints, bowls and dishes. There is, moreover, an industry that has never been mechanised and pro bably never will. If one wants a flint arrow head as made after the manner of those used by dawn man, one must go to Brandon, Norfolk. One may see knappers who can turn out flint arrow-heads so that even experts cannot distinguish between them and those made by dawn man. No machine has ever been devised to do this job. Meanwhile these knappers make flints for flint locks and cigarette lighters until civilisation founders, and we return to flint arrow heads.

“Buster” writes, “I would be very grateful if you could inform me if Uncle Jasper, of the Saturday night’s children’s hour, and Sam are the same person. I have had a bet with a friend that this is not so. but had no means of finding out, so had recourse to your column.” [When the broadcasting authorities were approached on tile subject they said in a chorus, “Ah! we wonder, but our thunder can at no time be revealed, to the last board it is ■ concealed, in savage breast the secret lies, and he who tells most surely dles.”l