FROM THE HUB

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6867, 23 March 1929, Page 16 (Supplement)

FROM THE HUB

Dear Cogs,—We are still in Fiji. Each plantation holder when I was there had between two and three hundred indentured Indians working for him. You see the Indians come from India, to certain plantations, and work for so many years getting small wages. Then at tho end of that time, they arc free either to return to India, or have a plot of grofnd and grow rice, or have a shop. Needless to say not many return to India. They are far too well off out here to do that. On the plantation where I was staying, they used to bo paid on Friday evening. It used to be a quaint sight, the Sahib, (all white men are Sahibs, and tho women mem. Sahibs) sits on the verandah with all tho pay rolls on a table in front of him, and kerosene lamps for light. They get paid aceordz ing to how many hours they -work. Some of them are very lazy, especially l the women, and there is always an Indian put in charge of the field workers, whom they call a "Sirdah,” which means head man. He keeps check of how tfiey work. I have seen an Indian woman called up and given one shilling for her week’s work. She was very disgusted and threw it away. •I used to Tido through the plantations every Friday afternoon and get the money to pay the men. It was p>ut in' a long round bag of canvas and resembled a roly poly pudding. I had to put it across the front of my saddle. When I left Fiji it was the rain season, and we had to go a long railway journey to catch the steamer from Suva at Momi Bay. A very pretty place. The train was all open carriages, and the soil red. So we were a very bedraggled party by the time we 'arrived at our destination. The awful wind was the cause of a poor man losing the boat. He made his living by growing bananas; his ctuter, or boat, could not get along, and it made him an honr late. We ail thought the captain very hard when he wouldn’t wait for him, and thousands of bananas had to be dumped into the sea. And of course that meant a ■total loss to the banana grower. Fiji is a wonderful place Teallv. Tho main industries are sugar cane, rubber, copra, sisal hemp, bananas, pineapples and cocoanuts. We will say good-bye to Fiji, and go from thero to Sydney, and thence to New Zealand, of which I shall tell you next week. Thank you. Cogs, for your letters. And there is one little Cog from whom I have had a letter. Ho writes the most wonderful things about Eotorua,, but docs not want his letters published, I would just love to publish them, I will not publish his name, when he writes would he mind that I wonder? because the other Cogs would get so much pleasure from his letters, and they would do a tremendous amount of good. Wo could just sign his letters Hex, which means ‘king, and he is really my little king. How would that ' dor? Well, dears, good-byo just now. Welcome to, a new Cog. Joyce Wilkin. Love from THE HUB.

SKILLTEST No. 4. This week’s prizes go to Lydia Thessman and Molly Leamy. "All .entries -were neat and nicely ■written and it was a Teal pleasure to Tcad through them. You will no doubt have noticed that there are sometimes two or three words you cau use for one space, for instance in "Hearing the ...... of the startled onlookers,’’ both "hue” and "hum” were used by Cogs and both are correct. Julia AYilson said that a "hum” dashed in front of the pony and that it was a “mean” act for the "hum” to perform. This was quite a correct entry. Lydia Thessman used "man” and the rest of yon said "hen.” Following arc the names of those whose entries aro counted correct: Joseph Oliver, Lloyd Hardic, Mavis Youle, Julia Wilson, Dulcic Johnson. Mollie Fitzherbcrt, Peggie Fitzherbcrt, Amy Hore, Kevin o’Dwyer, Douglas Bockett, Maisie Pratt, Alex MacDonald, Moo Boa Hewison, Colin Smith, Connie Vautier, Bona Thomson.

Dear Hub, I called to see you last Saturday week but yon were not in, and as I went to Wellington the next day I thought I would write and tell you how I enjoyed it. It was the first time Maurice and I had been there and Mum and Dad took us to the Zoo. First of nil wo saw the monkeys, and they_ are very interesting. They put their little hands out of the cages for food, or nuts and they sometimes smelt the biscuits we gave them before eating them. Maurice wants to buy a monkey next time he goes to AVcllington. Then we saw the elephant and it seems a shame to keep him in that house. They have a howdah there and Dad says the keeper puts it on the elephant and children pay to have a rido. I would have Javed to have had a ride. We watched the sea-lions for quite a long time. 'Jtey seem to shoot through the water and puff and grunt when they como up to breathe. The big white polar-bear just walked up and down in his enclosure which is painted white, to make it look like snow. One ostrich swallowed an apple whole and it gradually slid down his long neck. I thought the lions and tigers looked too fierce to go too close to and preferred looking at, all the different kinds of birds; the pelican with his uncommon looking beak, the crane on his stately legs, the j peacocks with their lovely tails, all the (

brightly hued parrots and pheasants, the funny looking little penguin with yellow eyebrows, innumerable pigeons and many others too numerous to mention. It was funny to see a white cat, and a white rabbit living with bantams. pigeons and guinea pigs. I could write so much more about the Zoo but time is getting on and I must tell you that we went to the wharf and saw lots of ships, the AVahinc being the largest. From there we went up the Kelburn cable tram up the hill and had a look at the city from there. The huge buildings amazed me. I never expected to see them so high and the Dominion Office of eight stories looks wonderful. Mum says that in New York there are plenty places twentytwo stories and that one is to be built seventy-stories high so no wonder they are caleld skyscrapers. AVc got homo tired and -happy that night and I would love to go again. AVcll dear Hub, like the other Cogs, I think this skilltest much easier, and I also enjoy reading your letters. I must call again one Saturday morning to see you. Lots of love to all the Cogs and yourself. From Joseph.

Dear Hub, I was very glad to receive the badge. I think they are very pretty. I wear it every day on my hat, but on rainy days I wear it on my dress, because the hat I wear then is knitted. I think I was very lucky to got the prize. Thank you very much for the 2/C) note. I got it on March 13. I gave Molly half of it. Michael has a new bicycle. I cannot ride it yet, but I am learning. He is not taking it to school with him. Nancy will kick out at the side when wc are cantering on her and when I kick her she is cross and tries to shako us off. The nice warm rain has made the grass grow and there are some mushrooms about .but we have not found any. I have jtwo pet lambs, their names are Miriam and David. I am selling David to the man that gave him to me and the other one T am keeping is to have babies. Michael and Molly both sold one each back to the same man. He gave us seven pet lambs but two died. I think the skillttsts are most interesting. This time Molly and I are sending one each love to you and all my fellow Cogs from Peggie Fitzherbcrt^ k (Ashhurst).