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NZ Truth, Issue 882, 21 October 1922, Page 4

political influence." . One of the professions of Reform vas that it would wipe out political pull and make the railways pay. It has had ten years to do it and has faiicd utterly. " \ :: :: . :: The indictment could, be continued alnTost indefinitely. The "counts" are uncountable; the blind support of Masseyism unaccountable — except on th,e grounds of ignorance. , The main heading io our article is borrowed. It is taken from an article by the Auckland Reform journal on the financial ad/r oistration of the Government. ' It may therefore, carry more weight with o,\r amiable friends who resent ouv "dealhig out stoush to ' Bill Massey,"

"Well, down there he got mad and wanted to bet a publican a 'tenner' about the correctness ,pf some figures. That's a nice moral tone for a social uplifter, what?'' ,"Oh, lots of good men like a little flutter occasionally." "The Man" snorted his disdain and went on: "Do; you remember - that 'business men's' meeting at the Octagon? The daily papers said there were some hundreds present. I was first m at 1.10 and the meeting was timed to "start at 1.15. It finished up With about 130 there, but — 'business men'— l don't think. 1 "ftellybu the man's a frost," said "Truth's." visitor as "he made for the door. ."I'll bet you the Prohibition people are sorry they ever brought him to New Zealand, and the 'pub' people don't mind mm a little bit." "Aii3'how, he can't! tallk for nuts," was the parting sally as the door closed. . ' ■ ' VOTE FOR ? "I've got something more to tell you,".. chuckled "The Man at the Coruer" ; when he met "Truth" m the street on the following day. "No. more Pussyfoot," pleaded "Truth." "Oh, it's not about him, although it's a joke." " ' "Fire ahead." ■*' "Well, you know these flaming posters outside nearly all the .Presbyterian Churches, which read: 'Prohibition Is Just ..' Common Sense. Vote For Humanity Home andf Children.'"'.. "Yes; I've seen a few about." "Up at one of the suburban churches the other day a joker played a neat trick. He had cut the word 'continuance' out of a somewhat similar style of poster vised by the Trade, and when all the good folks were asleep he took some paste and a brush and pasted his 'continuance' over the top of the. kirk's 'prohibition." "Oh, that's . all right; but . where's the good joke you spoke of?" ".Listen, and I'll tell you. Although the parson man lives almost opposite, that poster advocating 'continuance' remained outside his churchy for four or five days. It was a baker's/ boy exploding with laughter who told 'Mrs Parson' about it. ' Horror of Horrors^. So loag!" DOMESTIC DIFFICULTIES. "Truth" had a lady visitor last week, none other than the "Man -at the Corner's" wife. ; "Good morning, Madame," he saiil, politely, removing his hat from his head, his feet from ( the table, and, his office cherry from riis mouth. "Oh, I have come for your help," she said- . "Truth 1 ' liked this. The role of rescuing 1 females m distress was no new one for him. He dragged hi 3 pen fiercely from behind;,Jiis ear, determined to write to the last, and, if need be to die heroically with his back to the chair. ■ \ ' "It is this dreadful house rent," she I said. ' ; That was much better. "Truth" can become most truculent towards 'rent. Nevertheless, he still held- his pen cocked firmly forward. No risks should be taken with a big, solid rent, anyway. . .- , . "My husband and I and our child of three years have two room!-; m a house at the top of Newtown.' For these we pay 2?3 6d a week, as well as half the electric light and gas bills for the whole house. -Also we buy a bag of coal once a fortnight, and, put it m a bin used by the other family as well. They , buy a bag on alternate weeks, too." • ' "Are tfye rooms furnished?" "Very poorly. We supply all our own bedding-, linen, and cutlery." "Well, it.,niust be a bit expensive," hazarded "Truth." \ "Yes,, it is, especially as my husband gets only £4 a week. 'The worst of it is that the other family comprises six people. They do far more, cooking and\bathirig arid burn much more gas; and- electric light than we. do, and we still have to pay half the bills. The same thing applies to the coal." . "Well,, what would you like us to •Hr-"" nik»'i "Truth." rather perplexed. '{I wanted to know if we should pay half those bills?" . -"Truth's" rep-, has many bills himself, and feels always the same about all bills. "No," he said, emphatically, and settled- the argument by thumping, the table so heavily and looking so fiercely that the leady leaped from her chair and fled the room. STANDING IDLE. "Ever been out to the Lahmann .Home, 'Truth'?" "Beg pardon? Somehow that name does seem familiar. Yes, we remember, the place used to be some sort of a private hospital or cure home, run on rather unusual lines, not to say quite unusual lines, before the war. . Rather a fine place as a building, if what we used to hear was true, but we -never seem to hear a word about it nowadays." ■ "No, the Government has taken it over."

"That accounts for it.-' What does Massey do with it?" "Nix. as far as I can gather.'! "Nothing; but the place must have cost him thousands!". "Nothing is whaf 1 ■ said, or nothing beyond keeping a caretaker on {he place at a cost of, say, £150 per year out of the country's pocket. '. The Education Department took that place over nearly three years ago, with the idea of running it to work m with the receiving home scheme, and apparently a good lump i of cash, say £1800 -to £2000, wAs sunk about the grounds m the erection of a slap-up garage,, ,. a thundering big- laundry, embellishments r and general renovations, bringing the capital cost up to something m the neighborhood of £7000." . "But it is not empty now." "I've told you that it is already, except for the caretaker and a swag of furniture. You see, about a year ago