LOCAL GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15884, 3 April 1915, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL GOSSIP.

BY UKKCtTTIO. Foster is with us, the last general hoi.day of summer, and the first reminder of the approaching winter. But as the derivation of the word reminds us, it is in the northern hemisphere the first reminder of summer. The name Easter is a survival' <r the eld Teutonic myth. logy. Accord:nc to Bode it 15 derived from Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, to ! whom the month answering to our April ! was dedicated. April is a pleasant month I in LV.eland, much sung by poets, and | v.'.'i a th" spring, of which we have all ! talked so mu.h. lairly holds swav To Rclr.um aid Northern Frame, in partialUi. i! i? * spang of unusual hope. It 13 Mr this the nee nations hav been girding themselves .-.. winter, and we can but trust that the fruits of autumn will bo v i thy ol the promise of spring. A suggestion tor the many hundreds of v .:. c people who will he picnicking on | va-i.-as beaches and reserves round Auck- j land at Latter time i., " Don't break the I i" "><'-< ' N.. "lie is likely to object to | pi> uk parties tarrying a reasonable num- i her of bottles to the rendezvous or to in- j quire whether the bottle* contain milk or ! other liquids. But strong objection may I rightly he raised to the thoughtless habit it breaking the bottles and leaving the fragments in the way of bathers and children playing in the sand or on the grass. (James equally as interesting as smashing 'tries .an be devised without interfering with the legitimate uses of the picnic ground. The following contribution to the discussion on war taxation, which comes to me at second hand, has been forwarded anonymously to a New Ze.ilander, who has taken an interest on the subject: — '" An Eastern potentate desired money for the good government of his country' and to pay war taxes. The wise men of his court said. ' That as the people live upon dates and must have food the simplest method would he to put a tax upon date trees." In a few years date*, however, became dearer and dearer, because those who had young trees pulled them up. as it was no use paying taxes on unproductive trees; those who had old trees cut thorn down for the same reason. . When the country was reduced to poverty and everybody found it hard to get a living the potentate again called his wise men together, and all the financial experts still advised a further tax upon wealth ; but one wise man said that if the Emperor would tax all the land according to its value for growing date, trees, if it had date trees on it or not. the people would at once use their land and grow date trees, as it was obvious that to pay the < taxes the land would have to be used. j The result is so obvious that it is only ; necessary to say that the country became I very rich, as they now export dates in j exchange for other goods. In New Zealand I only enough wheat is grown to enable the j farmer to get the benefit of protection in , a good season. If "the season is bad the ! people suffer." j Whatever other merits it may have this | may fairly be described as an " up-to-date" suggestion. The anonymous correspondent, however, does not explain why the Eastern people did not get rid of their land as speedily as thiy got rid of j their date trees. The temptation would seem to be the same. Also the induce- i ment to mak<; their taxed land grow more | trees"Vsufd~not sum to be any' greater ! than the , inducement to make the taxed trees grow more dates. But as the parable ends happily in | wealth and prosperity it must be admitted I that the Eastern people knew what they ' were about. There can be few cities so bountifully provided with public spaces and parks as Auckland. Indeed, we have so many reserves that we are in danger of losing the reckoning, as witness the discovery ' that, all unknown to the public and even to the Mayor, there ha been a public reserve of eight acres on Motutapu Island. It must be admitted that the Mayor has a keen sense for public spaces, and if even he cannot keep track of all our reserves we must be well off indeed. We have twisted our tongues lately over the pronunciation of Przemsyl. buoyed up by the hope that the next fortress the Russians rapture will have an easier name. Bet we have not, after all, any reason to complain. Can any suppose that a Polo or an Austrian would imd it easier to take a ticket for Ngamawahia or even ask for Karangahape Road than we find it to pronounce Przemysl? And Polish and Maori names follow rules 01* pronunciation —once you know the rules -but not so English place-names, many of which have to be pronounced almost in defiance of rules. Few appeals to the public merit a better reception than that designed to raise £10,000 to secure the Lindauer collection of pictures for Auckland. The generosity of Mr. H. K. Partridge and the public spiritedness of those organising the Belgian Relief Fund make it possible for the citizens to acquire the pictures on very advantageous terms. We would not grudge Belgium the collection if she required it. but she has more need of food, and we have therefore the double opportunity of helping the Belgians and doing something for our own city at the same time. The following extract from a letter received from c. San Franciscan business man shows the altitude of German -Americans regarding the great war. and incidentally' that of all'true Americans toward the cause of the allies. '•Strange to sav you simply cannot make a German believe "anv of the many reports winch have been "printed as proof of the mutilation of non-i ombatapts, and the Germans here as a people are more arrogant and conceited than ever. They look upon themselves as both the oppressed and envied, and thev openly say that Germany was forced to fight in defence of her risks and national existence. Their men and men. instead of hanging tier heads i.i shame hold them higher than ever. and punt with pride to the slices of the German arms. . I" my office I have had to forbid all merit on of the war. for wall over a hundred men and girls of German as well as .American nationality, there were mar.v hitter moments when Mine ran Irish.' However, a Belgian relief subscription was passed round the office the other dav, and over 200 dollars relic-, t.-v] in an hour. That will show how the general feeling is here." K young New Zealander. who was at Walfish Bav when the British took the German wireless station, went to the instrument to test it. The first message he cot t| rou«h was a bombastic one from a German, wishing him a Merry Christmas but quite the other sort of a New tear The young operator is cow in an English wireless station. A sample of the bills rendered by the native .shoppers in Egypt has been sent bv an office, ... the Ist Infantry flatUlion to his father in CbriskLurch Jhe bill was written in " English." and a translation has been given by the officer as follows:-" Bazaar Universal. S. D. AnUp-pa-Suez-Note-6th February, 16 l whassing stand, |- 7 (basin), 2 canels at 4 p (towels), 2 bastes at 5 p 10 (tooth paste), 1 bross n 3 (brush). I police cream , 8 (brown polishing cream), 2 nalc ssors at 5 P 10 (nail scissors), 6 handkerc' efs „t 2ip 15 rather a good effort) 6 bcding dross at 5 p 30 (bathing trunks), etc "I think the police cream and bed ng dross are rather good, dent you, (he writer remarks.