Oddments

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 August 1948, Page 4

Oddments

The Chinese inflation has made it possible for a lucky few to eat their cake and have it too.

A man in Shanghai contracted to buy a suit for 80,000,000 Chinese dollars and paid the tailor 30,000,000 dollars deposit. He changed the remaining 50,000,000 dollars into 30 United States dollars. Two weeks later the tailor delivered the suit; the customer changed his 30 American dollars back to Chinese, getting 130,000,000 dollars because of the increased exchange rate. Paying the tailor the 50,000,000 dollars due, he now has his new suit and the 80,000,000 dollars he set out with. * $ * * * In a land of undiluted democracy it is only proper that the lower forms of animal life—apart from taxpayers —should have the benefit of legislative thought. ■ CI It was not surprising; therefore, that the House of Representatives devoted a quite considerable portion of its time last week to fish. Even lawyer-members, perhaps thinking of costs according to scale, hopped into the chit-chat; so if ever a fish is seen wrapped up in the sports edition ol Hansard it must not be disturbed. It has an inalienable right to .know what’s cooking. But the Fisheries Amendment Bill has left a rather worried Minister of Marine. Mr Hackett complained that no one could tell the age of a crayfish, no matter how small or how large. Mr C. M. Bowden (National) Karori): “You count the rings on its trunk.” Mr J. T. Watts (National, St. Albans): “Can’t you count its teeth?” The problem is difficult. '

—The Seeker