SOUTHLAND AND ITS WEATHER

Southland Times, Issue 24499, 29 July 1941, Page 4

SOUTHLAND AND ITS WEATHER

“You are a wonderful people in Southland, but I must say you skite about your weather. Remember, I have been in Invercargill before and the weather was not quite like what it is today,” said the Postmaster-General (the Hoh. P. C. Webb) in his speech at the opening of the new Invercargill post office yesterday afternoon. “If you want to enjoy really fine weather you ought to go ovex’ to the West Coast,” Mr Webb added amid laughter. He raised another laugh when he said that he would not make a long speech because he knew it must be tiring for the people to stand “in the heat/’ During his speech, however, Mr Webb turned the laugh against himself. He was referring to the potential wealth of Southland and how it might be realized by land drainage and land clearance, but he inadvertently said “Westland” instead of “Southland.” “I mean Southland, of course,” Mr Webb said when the laughter had died down.

In his speech the Mayor (Mx- J. R. Martin) gave a practical turn to the question of Southland weathex’ by suggesting that, with Mr Webb’s permission, the older men on the dais whose hair was getting a bit thin should put their hats on. Mr Webb agreed and immediately put his own hat on. When he removed it on rising to make his speech he said he still parted his hair in the middle as he did when he was in Invercargill years ago.