NOTES BY THE WAY

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 4958, 20 February 1937, Page 5

NOTES BY THE WAY

(By Rambler). I read about a clock the other day which was only half a minute out in five years. It wasn’t the local town clock. Poor old U.S.A. It was strikes and floods—and how it’s dust storms. I think at the rate they are going U.S.A. stands for Universal Stomach Ache. If a Nationalist should win a byelection in Tasmania there will be fifteen Nationalists and fifteen Labourites in a House of thirty. What a time they’ll have! The man who sold a refrigerator to an Eskimo was not in it with the man who sold a book to Mussolini entitled “The Art of Self Confidence.” Britain is to give a lead to the world in the working conditions of her factories. This is a direct challenge to our Minister of Labour.

There is much correspondence in the Wellington papers at present regarding the noises in that city. Yet Bob Semple is now visiting Southland.

Germany is startled at the immense armament expenditure of Britain. Hitler has found out that John Bull was not dead—he was only sleeping.

Hitler states that he will conquer the world. That’s what the ex-Kaiser Wilhelm intended to do, but he made a muddle of his ambitions.

Apparently the trouble about the Pacific air service is that so far there is too much.air and not enough service.

Fifty thousand Italians are now fighting in Spain. Any more and Haile Selassie will take a singje ticket for Abyssinia.

The Librarians’ Conference is on, but we can reassure sportsmen that most of our local bookmakers will have their signs up, “Business as usual,” for the Waikato races. They don’t belong to the Librarians’.Association.

Mr. Armstrong’s method of dealing with strikers was not liked by the farmers. But even if Mr. Semple had been there—well, it would be a bit o*f a shock for “si.tdown” J strikers to receive their running ■ shoes, .

Italian critics are saying that Britain and France are leading the armament race to heights which poorer countries will not be able to folloyi’. Exactly—if you add “and aggressive” before the word “countries.” . r

Italy and Germany are shocked and disgusted at Britain’s huge expenditure on armaments, Britain will pay for her extravagance in this way, but it is doubtful if the other two will.

A magistrate has commented that “reaction time” was never anywhere near a fifth of a second. He did not add that the only time this was achieved was in 1937, when a man was tested by getting his income tax demand!

The Archbishop of York stated it can be a Christian duty to kill. My conscience is easy after the battle I have had with mosquitoes at Kawhia. .

No word has yet been received regarding the plans for our new Post Office. The Department, should consider leasing the' grazing rights of the new site recently purchased.

It is stated that the honey production in Southland this year is only half that of last year. Is that due to the outburst of Mr. Semple through the failure of the leader of the Nationalist Party and the member for Awarua to meet himself and Mr. P. C. Webb in the far South? F: '

An interesting phenomenon was noted' by an amateur Te' Kuiti as-, tronomer this morning. He noted •that the sky was a most peculiar colour. Certainly he had seen this colour once or twice during - the present summer, but nearly always when the wind was blowing at. about! 40 m.p.h. This time, too, it was ac-’ companied by a gentl-e glowing heat, particularly pleasant to the senses,! and what is more the colour covered about nine-tenths of the sky. After' intense research he has found that, the phenomena has occurred before' —indeed, during the dry summer of : 1934 it occurred for a large number of days on end—for the phenomena was a blue sky, accompanied by uninterrupted sunlight. We have a fine day at last! :

“Make the best of it when going’s good” seems to be the slogan of all Governments. - When Mr. and Mrs. Forbes went to London for the Jubilee it cost the country £ISOO, secretary £9OO, clerk and attendant £I6OO, incidental expenses ' ~ £IOOO. Added to this are the expenses of Mr. and Mrs. Coates £ISOO, secretary £7OO, Public Service Commissioner £9OO, general expenses £9oo—these make a total of £9OOO. The/ Labour Opposition at that time let fprth peals of wrath at this expenditure, and with some reason. Now the same protestants are going to eclipse this. The Prime Minister is to attend the Coronation, and there can be no objection to this. The Minister of Finance is now touring Britain with a party at the expense of the taxpayers, and it is to be hoped that he will convince business men of the advantage of buying New Zealand produce. Two members of the Government had a very enjoyable trip to Samoa, while all the other Cabinet Ministers are touring the country. It is a puzzle to most people, however, to know what the Minister of Labour is going to Geneva for. New Zealand sent a delegate to Geneva last year. Is this to be an annual trip for some “deserving” member of the Labour Government at the expense of the taxpayers?