A DIARY OF TO-DAY.

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 19, 17 January 1929, Page 4

A DIARY OF TO-DAY.

(By BYSTANDER.) It was suggested at the Hospital Board meeting on Tuesday that prior to the arrival in Stratford of Dr. Valintine, members should visit the Hospital with a view to examining it and becoming conversant with conditions. —Isn't that asking rather much? XXX An Austrian architect hag invented a stringless piano. I am not interested, but if someone will maim-' facture a soundless one, I will purchase it for a neighbour's child whoi "simply adores" practising scales at 6 a.m. XXX It is remarked that the Prime Minister succeeded during the Christmas holidays in ''completely effacing himself from the public gaze." It appears that the absence of the. publie gaze did not prevent him from negotiating two loans, of the trifling , total of £19,000,000. Perhaps New Zealanders are, to be taught the lesson that a Prime. Minister who is really "getting things, done" needn't' have publicity agents. XXX Mr McNeil, the newly appointed Wellington Magistrate, is not going to suppress names of offenderSj so he says. It ig rather a pity some other S.M.'s do not follow his example to say nothing of J.'sP. who: make a suppression order on any old pretext at all. People who come before the court nearly always try to have their names suppressed which from their point of view is understandable. When the Court refuse* to do it, newspapers are approached—in practically all cases without success. If offenders would realise this latter point they would save themselves much wasted effort, and time. Of course, the time of newspaper men doesn't matter. They have so much of it that an hour if neither here nor there. _.i. : XXX I'm beginning to think we are misjudging Americans when we say that they cannot se.e anything good , in a foreigner and anything bad jm one who hails from the land of the Stars and Stripes. Take for instance this bit about Commander Byrd which appeared in an American paper. And don't forget that Wilkins is an Australian. "What a difference between Wilkins ano! Byrd! Wilkins and Kelson start out with a handful of men, and reach their goal bv their own hard work and' perseverance. Afterwards they speak of their hardships as being part of the day's work. But Byrd! After months of writing articles about the difficulty of getting men ag gallant and hardy as himself, he boards Ms craft like a conquering hero, midst tooting of horns and beating of tin pans, and mounts the poop in stately grandeur while the crew sweat below. When, near the Pole they pass the dead-line from beyond which no person _ hut Byrd himself may send back .articles, lest thev might not! exaggerate the hardships enough. How terrible it must be to be away from civilisation with no consolation except phonographs with stacks of records and radio and a. piano and cigarettes and five-foot bookshelves, and not knowin* where the next meat is coming from till the cook' boats the gong 'in the galley. And the racking suspense' of waiting for won! from his staff that all is well, and the path to the Pole is blazed ■** e ™ *fth rosos for the i«terpid explorer Byrd. Let vis pray!"