LOCAL GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18943, 14 February 1925, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL GOSSIP.

by mercutio.

Has anybody stopped amid the tangle of Queen Street traffic, or in any other appropriate place, to marvel over the development of wireless telegraphy in the hands of tho amateur? Here, during the week, there have been stories about Auckland amateurs talking to America, and nobody seems the least bit thrilled about it. The performance is rather marvellous apart from tho wireless feat, for America is a country notoriously difficult to talk to; ask any European diplomat! But these Aucklanders have done it without turning , a hair. Not. very long ago wireless was regarded as something vague, far away and elusive, one. of those things—like goll —which only the favoured few could ever hope to associate with on terms of real familiarity. All that has been changed. Now you' never know whether the small bov, with the far-away look in his eyes, is "really thinking of an empty tin and a luckless dog, soon to be linked together with a bond hard to sever, or whether he is mentally rehearsing the conversation he hopes to have presently with G.E.E. 95, Chicago, with a set he. has made himself at odd moments out of a fruit case, a piece, of wire, the electrician dropped, and a few other odds and ends. The world is moving so fast that only the very young can keep pace with it. Meanwhile there is good cause to wonder just what will be the effect of the wireless craze. The cinema came along casually enough without anyone realising the tremendous changes it, was to make in the, social habits and outlook of a huge section of the community. Now that it is firmly here, we arc told it is sapping the morals, vitiating the taste, destroying the home life, ruining the imagination, and debasing the language of the rising generation. Something must be doing it, for there _ are so many moralists who have quite forgotten they* were ever young tolling us how. all these things are happening, is wireless to have a similar effect, giving the poor old world another push down the path leading to that eventual crash which lots of peoplecontemplate with shivers of delighted horror? Perhaps so, perhaps not. The worst said about it recently is the complaint of a schoolmaster that listeningin is interfering so sadly with proper attention to home-work. But then homelessons are becoming so unfashionable anyway that the plaint stamps the schoolmaster as badly out of touch with the new spirit in education. Perhaps lie suspects- that soon the schoolmaster will be doing all the work, the pupil none; which would account for his pessimism. Returning to wireless, there is this to be said for it. Listening-in ought to encourage home-keeping a bit, for with the loudspeaker doing its best there should be less temptation to go out, wandering the streets. Yes, wireless, combined with rross-worcl puzzles, ought to bring the old home right- back into favour again. Various pre-election activities chronicled during the week included an announcement that Mr. Wilford Was coming north. Fancy the Leader of the Opposition acting so directly upon the advice of bis chief political opponent; for it was Mr. Massey who uttered the historic phrase, "Go North, young man." Probably he did not mean it for Mr. Wilford, or diu not expect him to act upon it so definitely. Otherwise, he might have changed it to, " Go West, young man," in a strictly political sense, of course. Mr. Hamlet bns decided to contest the Christchurch mayoralty. Somewhere in one's memory is a recollection of a ceitain dweller by the Avon who lifted into public gaze an'earlier scion of this ancient family. Are the Avonit.es of New Zealand bent on trying to make history repeat itself? But lias this Hamlet a ghost of a. chance ? 'V et, " soft! look, he comes." perhaps. Still, a. mere mayoralty! Surely some more princely vocation should have been chosen for him. Should he be elected and know the troubles of office, he may be expected to walk about in strange places, muttering, "To what base uses do we return, Horatio So much progress is being made with -the bridging of the Northern Wairoa, at Dargaville that a couple of months should see the new structure open for traffic. Time brings its changes. In the old days there was no talk of bridging the river, because it was the main traffic avenue for the people who went pioneering in that part of the north. They had no particular desire for a bridge by which vehicles could cross, because it was a sad and sorry business trying to pass over such roads as there were" with anything that went on wheels —or runners cither, for that matter. So the old-time settler went up or down the river in his sturdy row-boat, and used his feet, or at most a- saddle horse, to transport him otherwise. No one. seems to have tried tackling those old roads in a boat. There were times in winter when they would have been moist enough, but rather too sticky. Now all that is altered. The motor age has come, so there lias to bo a bridge, even if the old river still retains some of its usefulness as a traffic route. A good example of what Punch delights to call " Commercial Candour " appeared in au Auckland firm's advertisement this week. " Colossal Sale Prices " said the first line. It was a nice friomlly warning to give the public, anyway. An American visitor has been telling New Zealauders that the craze for shingled hair has brought ruin on the hairpin factories. ' In other words, it has produced a shortage of pin money. But will this sad thought cause one single would-be si angler to remain unshuigled - Not m New Zealand, anyway, for the hairpin factories are far away, and the new fashion is here, right- at hand. Meanwhile «n authority is declaring that this craze for hair-cutting trill induce baldness and beards in women. So eventually the makers of razors and hair-restorers will scoop in the trade that the hairpin forgcis have lost. The other day three horses escaped from R pound, and their owner was rhaigod with releasing them. He denied t.ie charge. But there was the evidence of 8 broken chain : what could he say to that ? He protested that the horses had broken it. Why not? Who has not heard of horse-sense ? After manv vears, (Hago has seemed the Plunket "Shield. It now remains to be seen whether there is still in the, province enough of the old stock and the old spirit to assure its retention. For Otago, it, must bo remembered, was principally settled by a people reputed to keep the fjsibbath and everything else they could J-ty their hands on. It is evident that, a good substantial number of bands will be in Auckland 111 a week's time or so for the championship contest. From the accommodation booked, one can see that the. bandsmen are to be thoroughly well distributed within tho city area. There, should be no particular reason, except the mass of men to arrive, why they should not all have lodged together. Bandsmen, of all people, ought to be able to live in harmony; at least the type of bandsmen who travel long distances for championship contests, There are others, of course. But despite that, the present arrangement-, even if fortuitously reached, is probably best. Tho activities of the bands at practice, supposing they practice where they live, will re so nicely distributed that the maximum number of people will benefit. It, is different with pipers. You may remember the story of the piper who said : "There were saxteen o' us. a' in yin wee room, a' blawing, and a' playing different tunes. Man I thocht 1 was in Heaven." Everybody else might not feel just that way about it, so it is as well to separate these contestants, even if they arc only bands£nen, not pipers.