NOTES BY THE WAY

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVII, Issue 4457, 14 October 1933, Page 5

NOTES BY THE WAY

(By Rambler.) Mr. Downie Stewart has prophesied the fall of dictatorships. I wonder if he includes the present New Zealand one among these? Now that there is a good chance of settling the body-line bowling agreement, Australia will not be so much concerned over the disarmament issue. The first sign of optimism seen in Te Kuiti for some time. The Government Building in Queen Street is being painted. Heligoland is to be named Hitler Island. I don’t see why we should not name White Island after some of our eruptive politicians. The new Leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party might be quite a good chap, but his name is not at all suitable for a leader of any political party. She: “Funny, no one seemed to realise what a ‘bad egg’ Jones was while he was rich.” He: “My dear, a ‘bad egg’ is only known when it’s broke!” Thousands of shooting stars have been witnessed in Europe. It’s rather curious that this phenomenon should be observed at the time when the Disarmament Conference was reaching a crisis. Speaking of legal matters, a visitor to England has said that, the struggle at the Bar was a very severe one, and the number of briefs seemed to be less than in more prosperous days. Just another angle on the old principle tjjat it takes money to get money—and to lose money.

In the East they are having another dispute over a railway, the Soviet declaring that Japan, in the guise of Manchukuo has plans on it. They say things are looking up for our lines, but is anyone going to try to step in and take them from us?

• The Chinese in Sydney observe a “humiliation day” so that they will remember that the Japanese are still in China. It is understood that the rumour is quite incorrect that the Coalition are going to observe a humiliation day to remember that the exchange rate, the wages tax, the unemployment tax, etc., are still in force.

The wheat growers of Canterbury state that they will go out of business if they don’t get protection. With the present day conditions it is only a matter of time before they will be the only people in business. Anyhow, it’s a cereal story.

Some thousands of Germans signed a peace petition and sent it to England in 1932. Now Dr. Goebels, the Minister of Propaganda, wants the petition returned so that he can punish the signatories. Mr. Arthur Henderson refused this cool request, which only a German is capable of. The Germans still fail to understand a Britisher’s idea of justice and fair play.

An M.P. stated that the women of New Zealand are worming their way into the fields of men’s activities. He seems to have the wind up over the recent‘Lyttelton election. After women’s success there it can be expected that there will be a good number of women candidates for the 1935 hustings.

The passing of the years since the Boer War was indicated by an incident at the annual reunion of the Wellington South African War Veterans’ Association recently. Mr. B. Ellis, of Dunedin, had finished calling the roll of the hundred or so men presefit, and was resuming his seat when he remembered “the most important part.” “Stand up all the grandfathers!” was his command, and when about twenty men responded, he said: “That’ll do; you’re improving.”

The irrepressible Bernard Shaw has writen another book entitled, “The Shape of the Things to Come.” This time he is a prophet, and amongst his predictions are the following: “In 1940 another and final world war; 1945 an era of crime; 1950, ‘relaxation’ of the British Empire; 1950, the raid of the germs; 1960, disruption of the American Republic; 1968, gread land-slip in the British Isles.” I’ll bet any reader a new hat that not one prophecy will be fulfilled. So cut this out for reference.

The catch phrases of the depression go through many fashions. For the first two or three years of the depression it was “turning the corner,” the Hon. J. G. Coates being very instrumental in making it popular. However, the new phrase, “the return of confidence,” seems to emanate from overseas, so New Zealand has let yet another emergency phrase slip out of its hands.

It is to be a crime to flirt in Germany. I wish the police of that country the best of luck, for they will assuredly need it if they stop this practice. Also, I sincerely hope that the cooks of Germany do not lead the policemen to break the law they are detailed to observe—or that the Nazis, recruited from the young people, will be zealous in their observance of the law. It is understood that Herr Hitler or someone else high in the Nazi councils has not been taken in by an enterprising female, but, of course, all news from Germany is supposed to be censored.

The President of the British Board of Trade states that the country is regaining its former position in the trade of the world. In the meantime the position in the United States is going from bad to worse in spite of Roosevelt’s National Recoveay Act. John Bull has “blundered through” once more, but would she have done so had she followed the policy of Lloyd George and other free trade fanatics? It might be a good thing for the world if the United States sent some possible statesmen (not politicians) for a course of training in political honesty and economics.