TEA TABLE TOPICS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 26 September 1924, Page 4

TEA TABLE TOPICS.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By “M”) “German goods of the variety suitable for Christmas trade have reached Master ton. The quality is of a high order.” This significant paragraph has been on a tour through the newspapers of the Dominion, and is indicative of the oscillatory tendency of public opinion. It was only about eight years ago, if we remember aright, that a school committee in the Wairarapa decided to show its abhorrence of anything emanating from Germany by ordering that the school piano, which was of a well-known German make, should he destroyed by fire. It is interesting to note, by the way, that while the imports from Germany to New Zealand in 1919 totalled £23, in 1922 they amounted to £15,476. It is not generally known that the liu Klux Klan, which is referred to in a cable message to-day as ‘ ‘the salt of the earth” by its “imperial wizard,” has its prototype in New Zealand.,With that morlikl love of secrecy and semi-religious fanaticism, with the characteristic masks and trimmings, an organisation styling itself the Ku Klux Klan was formed in the Dominion a year or two ago, but so far we have not heard of its having been very active. Possibly this is accounted for by the fact that the prosaic, burly policeman of New Zealand is not temperamentally as sympathetic with people who take the law into their own hands as are his kind in America. There ,is a vast difference between imagining oneself as dispensing “moral justjee” and actually carrying out the ideas with every prospect of spending a few. months as a guest of George Rex. The early pioneers are gradually being thinned out by the Great Reaper, but a few of the hardy settlers of the ■ 40’s to the 60’s are £till with us. At the farewell to the Governor-General at Wellington on Wednesday, tendered by the Early Settlers’ Association, it is interesting to note that an old lady of 91 presented a bouquet, and another early settler, who arrived in the Dominion in 1840, read an address. New Zealand’s population in those early days was very meagre indeed. In fact, even in 1881 the population was only 4.74 persons to the square mile, against 12.31 persons in 1923. It is interesting to note that, with the exception of Wellington province, which has 23.78 people to the square mile, Taranaki is highest with >17.02. Taxpayers generally are not invariably in any great huri-y to supply the Commissioner of Taxes with returns on. . which the amount they have to contribute to the country’s exchequer-is based. A gentle reminder was given in the Hawera Magistrate’s Court yesterday that offenders who fail to submit returns in due time will he severely dealt with. New Zealanders are now becoming used to form filling; in fact, if One, conscientiously filled up all the yellow, green, blue and white forms sent in, very little leisure would be afforded. The trouble is that the officials of the Taxation Commissioner’s Department are inclined to.be a ,1/rifle suspicious of those whose returns they have to peruse.t For instance,-if one is poor and knows perfectly well that his income was, say £4OO, some official or other will endeavour to convince him that it was z’eally £SOO, and in fact may assess him on it. Then, again, if a man has an income of £SOOO, they will assume it is £IO,OOO. All are treated alike on the assumption that a man tries to evade payment of more than he can possiblv help for the privilege of living in God’s own country.i Perish the thought! “It is reported that shearing operations have been commenced on several small holdings in the district surrounding -Wanganui. It is stated that shearing will be general next month.” So runs a paragraph in yesterday’s Star. Until the decision of the Shearers’ Union is known, however, the announcement may be regarded as somewhat premature. For instance, nowadays, shipping companies may advertise that a. ship will sail on- a certain * day, but it is common knowledge that this, is subject to the approval of that august body, the.. Firemen’s Union. . A newcomer at a big Sydney hotel was walking along one of the corridors late - at night, when he was greatly surprised to see the boots of the establishment seated on the floor close by a bedroom door brushing a sturdy pair of shoes. He stared for a few minutes in astonishment. ' P lace -’ this, to clean shoes. >* hy don : t you take them to your own quarters.’’ “Can’t,” snapped the boots. “Why I notf” t ”~ a moment ’ s PauseThe hoots stared with satisfaction at the now. shining leather. . belong to a Scotchman—came m by the Mongolia to-day. You see, J l6 s keeping > hold of the laces under the door.”