LOCAL GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16205, 15 April 1916, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL GOSSIP.

BX MEHCDIIO.

Those who have been anticipating Easter have had their patience tried to an unusual degree this year, but they have the consolation of reflecting that Easter cannot possibly in any year fall much later. Easter Day, often called Easter Sunday, for purposes of distinction from the popular holidays, cannot fall earlier than -March 22, or later than April 25. This year it is on April 23. A late Easter may bo very well in tho British Isles, where the calendar as swinging into spring, but it is not so welcome in the Antipodes', where tho calendar is bringing round shorter days and unsettled weather.

Few who celebrate Easter, or enjoy the holidays which tho season brings, realise how much trouble has been involved in settling the date of the festival. The fact that the following conditions have, to be taken into account in determining the date will suggest that the subject is very difficult and complex :—Easter must be celebrated on a Sunday. This Sunday must follow the 14th clay of the paschal moon, so that if the 14th of the paschal moon falls on a Sunday, then Easter must be celebrated on the Sunday following. The paschal moon is that of which the 14th day falls on, or next follows, the day of tne vernal equinox. The equinox is fiAed invariably in the calendar on Marc 21.

The late Sir John Gorst, whose death is regretted by many an old Aucklander, was one of those who did their best to avert the unfortunate Waikato war between the pakehas and tho Maoris. Apropos of these unsuccessful efforts and the rise of the "king" movement, Sir John, in his book, " New Zealand Revisited," related an interesting anecdote. When the war-cloud appeared, rather less dark than usual, a dinner was given by the chiefs of Kangiaowhia to commemorate the " king's " accession. Sir John Gorst accepted an invitation to be present, and at the request of his hosts he took the chair. After dinner there were races.and other athletic sports. "I ran a race with the general of the king's arm/," said Sir John, "and was beaten by a head." The news of the festivities was received in certain quarters in Auckland with some indignation, but Sir John seems to have derived considerable consolation from a complimentary letter he received from the Governor, Sir George Grey. This letter, he stated, contained an expression of approval of "all I had done, and especially of the tact with which I had allowed myself to be beaten in the race by the king's" general." *

Various suggestions have been made for the observance of Anzac Day. Very pro-' perly there is agreement to treat the anniversary of the landing in a spirit of reverence as well as pride, but this should not exclude something in the way of a recruiting rally. No public notice" of the day can be quite fitting or complete {hat does not inspire men to join the " Anzacs" in carrying on the work so gallantly begun a year ago. No more fittingt ibute could be paid to those who fell, i

The concern manifested by some members of thb Auckland A. and P. Association regarding the spread of a certain variety of thistle will recall to the memory of the oldest of our settlers the alarm that was occasioned in the province by the growth of more common thistles nearly 60 years ago. In 1857 and again in 1858, a ''Thistle Act" was passed by the Auckland Provincial Council, providing fines and penalties for persons who neglected to eradicate "noxious thistles" growing on land in their occupation after receiving written notice. The fine provided in each Act was "not less than ten shillings or more than thirty shillings for every' day. that such thistles shall ■ be permitted to grow." Thistles, however, continued to grow and thrive despite these attempts at suppression by legislation.

In these times or liousewives constant complaints of the ever upward tendency of the cost of living old price lists have a special interest. Here is one Auckland list which bears the date of December 19, 1874:-"Flour £14 to £17 per ton; bread 4d to 4Jd per 21b loaf; fresh butter lr. per pound; bacon 9d to Is and hams Is 2d per pound; cheese 10d to Is per pound; eggs Is 6d per dozen sugar 4d to od per pound." A list issued at the end of 1875 showed some variations as follows.— £11 10s to £15 10s per ton; bread 3d to 4d per 21b loaf; butter Is 3d per pound; eggs Is 3d per dozen bacon 8d to Is per pound." •;

The public are notoriously ignorant of varieties of fruit. Perhaps this is whv erchardists seem to ignore the question of 'flavour. They grow varieties largely because they happen to be good croppers, or of good colour, and they usually pick them long before they should be ticked. Flavour is a quality that apparently is not considered. It is only rarely that the public has the opportunity of tasting the juicy richness of a properly ripened Northern Spy, or the aromatic crispness of a Cox's Orange Pippin, or tho winey sweetness of an Adam's Permain. When they have this joy, they usually are eager for more; but as few of the public and few retail shopkeepers know one apple from another, they cannot obtain th« variety that charmed them.

,At this time, when the citizens of Auckland have been justly complaining of the unusually large quantities of mother earth and other foreign matters conveyed to them through their water taps, it is interesting to find that as far back as 51 years ago the Herald was strongly urging the authorities to lose no time in providing the city with a pure and adequate water supply- At that time "the much-talked-of Waitakero scheme" was before the public, and two engineers' reports were under consideration. The Herald, in its issue of April 13, 1865, deprecated the long-continued delay in adopting a scheme, and pertinently asked, " Musi we wait longer?" The article concluded with the following words.-—"Our people, and especially the poor, have suflertd long enough and sufficiently enough from the absence of pure water, and they have waited patiently for the expected and greatly-n< Jed boon." The grandchildren of "Our people" of 1865 »av bo pardoned for exclaiming in 1916, " We are still waiting

The need for the recent issue of soldiers' badges, especially for those who have been discharged as unfit after valiantly doing their little bit" at the front, has once more been demonstrated A few days ago two young men in khaki, who have not yet seen active service, were standing in front of the Chief Post Office in Auckland, when they accosted another young man, apparently an "eligible," who was, however, in mufti. " Oh, I suppose yon' are another of tho cold-feet brigade." scornfully remarked one of the two in khaki. ''Why don't you come with us?" The voting man thus addressed rather astonished the two soldiers by replying: " You have less reason to speak in that way than I have. You have not yet been to "the front. What have you to say to this!" With these words' the supposed shirker drew from his pocket a returned Bold .el's badge, which, from motives perhaps of modesty, he had refrained from affixing to his coat.

. The difficulty with the armlet badges is that thev have to He quickly made, and thus arc clumsy. They have not the finished appearance everybody associates with things military. In the future, every honourably discharged soldier will, it is »; to be presumed, receive the customary : medal, which will be worn proudly on '"ceremonial occasions, and < treasured for ;,generations as the most prized of family *•..heirlooms. We may also assume that war- £ medals will be sent to the " next-of-kin " £ for men who have fallen. In the meantime, distinctions between shirkers and non-shirkcrs are very desirable, and even makeshift distinctions aro better than it none,