AT THE TEA TABLE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 12016, 5 March 1920, Page 5

AT THE TEA TABLE.

SOME TOPICAL TALKS. “The railwaymon, very naturally, are complaining of the high cost of living, and demanding increased wages,” remarked the Scribe, “but their reasoning seems rather defective. At one time I.had hope that these and others who are unable to ‘pass on’ the increased charges, would sot to work to investigate the real causes of the increase, but I fear that oven the lessons supplied by the Jeatherworkers ‘in their present will be disregarded. ” “They are disregarded,” said the Sage. “‘The Wanganui railwaymen even aok the watersiders to refuse to ship hides. Yet If we cannot export our produce and make profit by doing so, the whole community must suffer, especially that part of whose duty is to rail the hides to the ports.” . “If they were wiser,” said the Cynic, “they would request the watersiders to export the leatherworkers, and so get rid of some at least of'onr costly parasites. If there were none of those our retailers of footwear would do a much more thriving and far more extensive trade. It should be realised by every person in receipt of a fixed wage or salary that in this country profiteering begins in the ‘protected’ industries. We are ail charged more than wo ought to he because we have to maintain these profiteers.”

“I notice that the British searchers for profiteers have found some in the petrol trade, ’ ’ said the Landlady. “Not so, ” said the. Cynic, “they have merely found that there is profiteering in the trade, and 3 r ou will find that discovery will end there. The perpetrators of profiteering will either remain undiscovered or hnharmecl. You may also notice that the discovery has been made in a trade that affects the owners of motor cars more than it affects the average person. This particular profiteer assails an interest that is strong enough to kick. ”

“A few days ago,” remarked the Critic, “we talked of the unusual occurrence of five Sundays in February, and I have since noticed that & correspondent of a contemporary has pointed out that there was a similar occurrence in 1880. He adds: “It will have done so only 16 times in 500 years by the end of the present century; and then only in those leap years in which Easter Day fell on either March 28th, April 4th, 11th, 18th or 25th—namely, in A.D. 1512. 1540, 1568, 1596. 1624, 1652, 1680, 1708, 1736 —all being at intervals of 28 years; then again in 1784, after 48 years; in 1824, 40 years; in 1852 and 1880, each 28 years again; in 1920, 40' years; and then in 1948 and 1976; thus reverting to 28 years. The fact that neither 1700, 1800, nor 1900 were leap years, may account for these irregular intervals, and probably the alteration of the calendar to the now style in 1752 may have affected the regular! ty of the recurrences.’ ” ‘ ‘Talking of singular occurrences, ’ ’ said the Scribe, “another paper has drawn attention to the fact that on Monday, which was St David’s day, Mr Asquith was chosen as leader of the Parliamentary Opposition to the modern. St bavid, who is a Welshmen, and St David is the patron saint of Wales. The coincidence is at least curious. ” t “Japan is not displaying any great anxiety to remove her troops from Siberia,” remarked the Critic, “On the contraiy she seems very reluctant to leave that sphere of operations. ” “That might have been expected,” said the Cynic. “If yon use a monkey to gather nuts you must not be surprised If ho tries to crack some for himself. In my opinion, before very long, the Jap will break out in unexpected places and* do , some startling things. Don’t place too much reliance on the Asiatic, whether he is brown, yeliow, or piebald.” A JAYE PENNE.