Oddments

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 September 1947, Page 6

Oddments

A rather cynical approach to mother’s problem of keeping junior in pants during the present period of shortages was disclosed by the Greymouth borough engineer, Mr A. J. Fairmaid, in giving advice to the Inangahua County Council on the construction of slides for children’s playgrounds. “When not in use, the steel plate (bottom of the slide) rusts a little,” said Mr Fairmaid, “but use soon overcomes this difficulty. We use steel in preference to wood to avoid splinters.” # # & * *

Auckland has -no “perfect husband.” Inspired by overseas press references to “London’s perfect husband,” 34-year-old Eustace Crick, who writes a love letter to his wife every wedding anniversary, washes, sews, and cooks meals, and “says it with flowers” every week, a news editor here told his reporters “to find Auckland’s perfect . husband and bring him back alive.” With the city’s prestige at stake, newspapermen combed the town and returned with tears in their eyes, admitting failure. , , ... “There is no model husband, and if there was, he’s dead,” was the burden of their report. Model husband Crick’s claim that he massaged his wife’s feet on cold nights was greeted with derision by Auckland wives. A brunette just returned from her honeymoon said: “He sounds like a cissy to me.” . ' . , „ . All the wives interviewed scoffed at the idea that a model husband existed anytime, anywhere, but certainly not in Auckland. “If our husbands bring us flowers, they’ve got something on their conscience,” they told embarrassed reporters.—(P.A.) —The Seeker