LOCAL GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18275, 16 December 1922, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL GOSSIP.

BT MEKCTmo.

Strong protests are being made against the suggestion <hat the Postal Department should allow everybody's letters to be made the medium of advertising. The whole possibilities of the system have not been opened up in voicing the objections. Suppose, for instance, a confirmed hypochondriac received his doctor's bill with an undertaker's announcement on the outside. It might bo enough fo finish him off. Imagine waiting a letter of condolence to someone, not knowing whether the address and attractions of the latest cabaret would not be printed on the envelope by the time it reached its destination. Choleric medical men finding their letters emblazoned with the claims of a patent medicine, would probably be unbearable in temper all through breakfast- These are only one or two of the possibilities. The postal officials seem to he giving free play to a badly over-developed sense of humour.

The development of latent sources of wealth in tho Dominion, is stated to have been the subject of a recent, conference in Wellington. It is a very good thing in these times to find- inquiry into this most important question being actively prosecuted. Earnest students of social and economic topics are always giving assurances that only in this way can the general level of prosperity be increased. Personal effort in this direction is also always on the go. The acceptances of certain events to take place at- F.llerslio shortly, will no doubt -o subjected to very earnest scrutiny with the same object—the discovery of latent sources of wealth. In addition, though there needs to be somo discretion observed in mentioning it. mails a.re still being carried between New Zealand ana Tasmania, and a considerable amount of effort in a similar direction is thus made possible.

" The music of the Highland pipes is the grandest in the world, though I dfo't sav it is the most beautiful, said a iLr. Macpherson at Christchurch. These cautious Scots! Ho quoted some one as saving that the only animals who did not like the pipes were "rats and cowards." The coward part of the theory is a piece of rank intimidation. He puta it definitely up to the man who might otherwise refuse to be enthusiastic when the piper tucks the bag beneath his oxter lor a wee bit skirl. Aa to the rats it is a reference to the legend which Browning made immortal, the story seems to have become a bit mixed, llie rats followed the pied piper 01 Btoekn. Thev did not flee from him. Anyway, there- is no evidence it was Qie bagpipes he was playing.

A little comedy of the polls « described bv one of those'engaged at a booth on election day. The narrator, a very presentable young man, was occuped, as a representative of the licensed trades, in helping electors by finding for them their Sbers on the roll His opposite number a worker in the interests of prohibition, was a young clergyman. At a slack moment in the day a motor-car decanted on to the footpath, a. tody *eU on in vears, of the type addicted to dressing" in black silk on all important occasions; in fact, one of the old school Hie advocate of the licensed trade stepped smartly up, and asked if he might nnd her number for her. She. assented and presently, as she was receiving it from him, on a slip of paper, noticed for the first time the pink bow in his buttonhole Looking wildlv around, she spied the clergyman. Tottering over to him, almost collapsing in his arms, she gasped: "Oh dear, oh dear, what have I done] What shall I do? I have gone and voted fbi* Continuance."

The practical limits to the majority by which a candidate may be elected are no doubt the minimum of one vote and the indehnito maximum of the total number o! electors where there is no opposition to his return. There have been several instances of political contests m New Zealand being decided by one vote and other small majorities. Thus in 1890 two opponents of the Atkinson Government fought for the Inangahua seat, and Mr. K. H. J. Reeves won by a vote. In laaa the Riccarton seat was contested by Mr. G W Russell and Mr. W. Rolleston, and the former gained the verdict by a vote. At the same time Mr. John Bollard won the Eden seat by a majority of only tour votes against Mr. Malcolm Niccol. The Kaipara district provided the smallest majority in 1905, Mr. John Stallwortby having onlv nine votes more than Mr. A. E Harding, while in 1908 Mr. G. M. Thomson beat Mr. A. R. Barclay for Dunedin North with eix votes to spare.

One of the members of Parliament who was returned by a single vote, held strong views on the subject. It was, be said, an eecursed thing. Every parent who wanted to get a son or daughter into the lost Office oi the Railway Department felt that he had a special pull over the memher The formula ran something like SSs's "You know, Mr. - it was my vse' that returned you to P«fg«k The whole constituency seemed to have cast that one vote.

There is at least one instance of a membe?bS,g%et«rned by the casting.vote f iSftSK w?o* S Speaker of the House of Rep««n£Jive* for 10 years, and Mr. Charles Parke . The no'/ was 'taken on February 10 1371, and both candidates received 193 votes, according to custom the returning officer pave his casting vote for the sitting menv her. When the new Parliament met on August 14, Sir David recalled that, at the end of the previous session, he had announced that he would not seek re-elec-tion, and on his motion Mr. Dillon Bell was elected to the office. On the following dav a petition was presented challenging the validity of the election in Motueka, and a committee was appointed to investigate the matter. The result was the disclosure that a vote had been polled for Sir David Monro bv a man who was not registered as an elector .He had inherited a property from his father. by virtue of which the latter was qualified as an elector, and the names of father and son being similar, had claimed and had been allowed to vote Ihlß ballot paper was disallowed by the con - mittee, and on September 20, 1871, bir David Monro was unseated ana jar. Parker declared elected—of course, by a majority of one vote. In the following vear, Sir David was returned for. waikouaiti, but resigned in 1873.

But for an actual parallel to the defeat of the Speaker, Sir Frederic Lang, there is no need to look as far back as 187*, or as far away as Motucka. It is to be found as recently as 1390, and as near as Manukau, for it was while member Tor Manukau and Speaker of the Hou«j that Sir Maurice O'Rorke was defeated bv Mr W L\ Auckland by a majority of about 80 votes. The coincidence goes further. Sir Maurice had been a member of Parliament for 29 years; Sir Frederic has aha sat in the House for 29 years. Whether there is any ominous connection between the combination of the Speakeitfcip and 29 years' service in Parliament is a question which the electors of Manukau rr.av be able to answer. Perhaps they will repeat another incident m history by returning Sir Frederic Lanp; as then- member at the next election, as they did Sir Maurice O'Rorke in 1893. The latter was immediately returned to the Speakership, and held office until 1902.