A Bright Meeting

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 276, 22 November 1935, Page 8

A Bright Meeting

COLONEL CLOSEY ENTERTAINS LEVIN AUDIENCE Col. S. J. E. Closey's large audience in the Century Hall, Levin, were vastly entertained by the speaker’s bright and frequent sallies mado at the expense of the present administration. Col. Closey commented strongly that tho tariff system was inequitable, pointing out that luxuries like diamonds wore but lightly taxed, “Those ladies whose husbands are in the habit of presenting them with jewellery may thus tako compensation from the fact that of the total purchase money only one-thirty-seventh is tax,” ho said. “However, for most of us, there is only one ecstatic moment when we purchase diamonds, and we are not then greatly concerned with political economy.”

“Thero are at present 144 commissions in existence for various investigation purposes upon all manner of subjects,” declared tho speaker when dealing with this phase of the Government’s administration. “The next step should be to set up a further such commission to investigate into what all the others are doing and then we might, have a national policy.” “The Government told us that we had turned the corner,” he remarked a few moments later. “Then we had turned another, and still anothor, and now tho Unemployed Board is to remove tho corner out of the way.” “Mr. Forbes has said that Britishers are never seen at their best until they are facing tho worst. We are now wondering how much more wc will have to endure before qualifying as true Britishers.” “Again,” remarked Col. Closey, “the Government has pointed out that we havo experienced the worst. . We have reached bed-rock—we have touched the bottom—we are bumping along tho bottom, and are now wondering if we shall fall down the sink, and then the whole show will be over.”