LOCAL GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16372, 28 October 1916, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL GOSSIP.

BY MMCUTIO.

KITnR- registration, of the "ono-trcci .orchards" is not yet over, -because, the ~ Government Printing Department ha& . been unablo to meet tho demand for re- '-■ ; gistration forms. The officers of the Agri- ': cultural Department in Auckland have ' had a strenuous week. They are probably Cv : now in a position to make an estimate of •the number of " orchardists" in Auckland which would have saved the Department from this registration folly.

The most absurd part of the whole business is that great umbers of people havo registered who do not come within the scope of the regulations, while many of those who may bo held liable for the £20 fine have not been asked to make returns. The regulations make it quite clear that tenants, except leaseholders, are not liable, while owners—if ono tree can by a legal fiction be held to be an orchardmay have to pay the fine, while the tenant enjoys the apples. The person responsible is the occupier of the orchard, and to fix the responsibility it is provided the "occupier" means the occupier within the meaning of the Rating Act, 1908. It is well known that this, in the case of most rented houses, is the owner. A few tenants, who have leases for six month? or more, come under the definition, but generally the owner pays the rates, and., the man who pays the rates may also have to pay the fine if the fruit trees are not registered. But in the scramble of the past week tenants have been registering in thousands, because tbey were asked to, and threatened with a fine if they failed, while owners who are the legal " occupiers" have not even been warned of the new clanger hanging over their he?ds.

A correspondent writes to say that the paragraph in last week's Gossip, suggesting that the real purpose of the registration is to gather a few half-crowns as orchard tax from amateur growers who sell small quantities of fruit, "hits the identical nail fair on the head." He describes it as a clumsy attempt at a fruit ring to discourage purchases from " backyard orchards." He says the time is / about ripe for tho. formation of an antipinprick association, or a One-Tree Orchard Association, to be known as the 0.T.0.A., with a nominal subscription for membership, the funds to be used in litisation in defence of the rights of members, or if not so used, to be devoted to charities.

During the discussion on the fixing of the price of butter, some critics have declared that the Government has not gono far enough. The Seamen's Union expressed such an opinion this week, and embodied in its resolution a statement that the price in Australia has been fixed at Is 4d. This was hardly a fair statement of the position, for in naming Is 7d as the New Zealand price, the union quoted the retail rate, and set against it the wholesale rate in Australia. The retail price of butter in the Commonwealth is Is 6d per lb.

So delectable were the weather conditions last Monday that many- people became enthusiastic over "the first fine Labour Day for years." Such a day of brilliant sunshine and gentle breezes was indeed a pleasant change after several weeks of unsettled and stormy weather, but the . unconscious exaggeration again , demonstrated the inability of the average person to recall with any degree of accuracy circumstances of the past, even when-they may be associated with such an event as a regular public holiday. It is true that last year, and also in 1914, :. Labour Day was observed in dull and unsettled weather—such as Mr. Bates would record as "blue sky with passing; clouds." But in 1913, when the great strike was \iA over tho horizon, the holiday was .;favoured with "perfect weather," 'accord ing to the Herald report. The year before, Labour made its annual demonstration in "delightful weather." and even in 1911. although heavy rain fell before • breakfast, the day was beautifully fine, : ; and the whole programme, for the holiday was Carried out.' It was as far back as 1910 'that the holiday was completely spoiled by heavy rain throughout the day. Within a week or two there will be men in training at Trentham who have been • wmpulsorily enlisted. In spite of all the appeals to patriotism and the clear call from the men in the trenches, there have remained families of brothers which, after careful inquiry, the Minister for Defence considers are " shirkers." Throughout the country those men are receiving the demand for their services and very soon some at least of them will be lost among the hundreds of volunteers in the camps. It will be surprising if many of them aro not regenerated by the spirit of the camps, and join the transport volunteers at heart as their uniforms will proclaim them to be. The application of section 35 will i remove an obstacle which has kept many .. men from the recruiting station, and when the ballot-machine begins to spin wo may J ■ expect a new tide of volunteers. "One of the Pioneer Mil,cods " writes • as follow.?:—"In the Hebalii of October 17, under the heading ' Fifty Years Ago,' it is stated that Mr. John Mcleod was then laying out a township at Helensville, adjoining his sawmill. Mr. John McLeod never did so. But if the building of a courthouse by the Government 53 years ago was any indication of where thev thought the centie of the township should be, the building still remains to speak for itself. Also, the first railway station was built upon Government land, the site of the south station, and if undue pressure had not been brought to bear upon the engineer it certainly never would hive been removed." The manner in which the traffic bv-laws are administered has lately been bitterly complained of in Auckland. One motorist claims to have had a unique, experience in this respect. He states that the other nay he had his car drawn up in Queen Street, on the left side of the road, as required by custom and bylaws, and that he had occasion to "back'' the car for a few yard?. " You might not believe , it," he says, "but it is a fact, that a policeman came along and threatened to prosecute me for driving on the wrong '••.. fide of the street'''

Although a double meaning may be attached to the word "right" in regard . to the rule of the road, "this is not the case in respect to the rule of the footpath, "Keep to the. right," which is now fairly well observed by the majority Sof people' in Queen Street." The follow- • ing of such an injunction, however, will .. quickly land the driver of a vehicle in' 3 difficulties, and bring him within the ;.. grip of the law. The two contrary rules ■; of the path and the road have been aptly put in rhyme as follows;— The rule of the path, '- '•." To get well along. H'/: Is "keep to the right," Sp And you cannot go wrong' \f : - The rule of the road SK* If a, paradox quite: :?"■•, . If you Keep to tho left >i ' :■..■• You are sure, to be right.