FROM THE WATCH TOWER

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 88, 5 July 1927, Page 10

FROM THE WATCH TOWER

By “THE LOOK-OUT MAN” THE UNKIND CUT “Tliis is the unkindest cut o£ all.” In the readjustment of the electoral boundaries, the Parnell electorate is left without a single hotel. There being no licensing authority to grant temporary booth licences, there will be none to empower the selling of alcoholic refreshment on race days at Ellerslie i-acecourse or at the trotting ground, Alexandra Park, both of which are in the reconstructed area. A “dry” race meeting! Ye gods! How could losing punters obtain courage to continue patronising the “tote” after the third race unless they bought it at the booth Ti-ue, there is a. “pub” at Ellerslie, half a mile from the course, and the club might issue pass-out checks, but thirsty punters would have 'to sprint some in between races to reach hospitality, down a drink, and regain the tote before it closed. This is a matter which will have to be inquired into. A man can’t carry a dozen bottles of beer around with him on race days. THE PADDED POINT “While the members of the committee and the chairman are adamant as to what transpired this afternoon, there is reason to believe that a decision has been arrived at which it is surmised will transpire at the meeting of the management on Tuesday evening.”—Extract from another paperin other words, the rock-like attitude of the chairman led to the deduction that what became public gradually that afternoon gave reason to formulate the opinion that a determination had been made by which it was conjectured it would become popular knowledge by even more slow degrees when the oysters again foregathered. It might even be said that the chairman refused information, but that the action of the committee might be announced on Tuesday. EXTRADITION After a recent experience. New Zealand magistrates will probably desire a fairly strong prima facie case to be made out before granting extradition ordei's to Australia. At Wanganui a little while back, a man was arrested on a charge of having stolen £4O from a Victorian farmer. He was detained in prison for some time until an escort came for him from Australia and he was extradited. His wife had to cable to Australian friends for money for her fare across, so that she could be near him in his tribulation. On arrival at Melbourne, she was arrested, too. The story of the affair was told in the Police Court of a Victorian country town, where both the accused were discharged from custody. The man, it was shown, had been in bad odour with the accusing farmer, over the matter of a waggon deal. He was in love with the farmer’s daughter, a girl of 20, and he cleared out with her. Many months elapsed until they were located in New Zealand —married. In a letter, alleged to have been written by a younger sister of the female accused, and produced in court, it was stated that the stealing of the money was an invention of the father for the purpose of accomplishing revenge on the man who had taken away the girl who had hitherto done the work of the house. It’s a great system that allows the law to be used for private vengeance!

LABOUR AND VICE-ROYALTY How the Tories of a generation ago would have held up their hands in holy horror at the suggestion that a member of the obnoxious Labour Party should become Governor of a British possession overseas—a viceRoyalty! Or perhaps they would have regarded one who suggested such a thing as merely mad. The sending of Mr. James O’Grady (handed a title before leaving London to become Governor of Tasmania) was regarded as a distinctly dangerous experiment. He was the first Labour man to become an “excellency” abroad. Three years later, the London “Daily News” prints the following from its special correspondent with the Duke and Duchess of York: “The Duke and Duchess are learning today from all sorts of people that Tasmania has never had a Governor so much respected, so popular all round, as their host. This jovial, blueeyed Irishman, transplanted from his modest suburban home at Balham to a palace of 73 rooms, which is perhaps the prettiest Government House in the Empire, has shown that he can put into the job of governing all the dignity as well as all the inspiration and administrative ability needed. The experiment has so far succeeded that one hears talk of his term of office being extended. In other Australian States there have been hints that he would be welcome there.”