CURRENT COMMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 27 September 1930, Page 13 (Supplement)

CURRENT COMMENT

OTHER POINTS OF VIEW

(By

M.O.S.)

It is a sad jest that the expedition to observe the eclipse need have arranged to go no further after all than Auckland. * * * * While St. Patrick has fallen considerably from grace over the Shamrock business. ••* ' * And the only pleasing thing under heaven at the present moment is the threat of America not to send New Zealand any more talking pictures. • • « • The charge against the Government is that, in the matter o'f taxes, it opened its mouth too wide. The charge against America in the picture world, however, is that it opened its moiitli at all. # 4 4 9 The glorious creatures on the screen glided before us mutely perfect, until —as the old song might have said; No rose in all the world, Until you came, A No star until you smiled Upon life’s sea, No hope in all the world Until you spoke— And then I wanted back my entrance fee. * # # * Other idols, too, have fallen. Tour prominent citizens of Dunedin, armed with saws and axes, says a Press mes■sagc, recently set out oif a voyage of destruction against hoardings. Their object was to clean up Cromwell Gorge, and they began bn a hoarding a short distance from Clyde, The hoarding was a large one and firmly fixed, but they cut it down and threw it into the river. A policeman caught them in their act of. vandalism. Court proceedings, ;t is hinted, may follow. And there is little doubt that every right thinking man and woman will agree that some action ,jjiust be taken against these fouribold, bad men-who set out so wantonly toi destroy the beauties of our country-’ side. ■ *» * . *> * For Instance, there was the young exquisite, life size, who mounted timely 1 on a bare hillside, to give his message to the world. Every passer-by who rounded the bend was transfixed by his accusing forefinger and quailed before the-earnest purpose of his gaze. “Do you wear ——’s. suits?” he asked in large letters. A charming young mail he was, too large in the forefinger of course, f'fetit go kind, so thoughtful for ’Mliiirs.'; -.And now, perhaps, he is dead; saWni off at the elegant waist, no doubt, ami thrown into the cold fiver.

Then there was the stout gentleman, with his napkin tucked round his chubby neck in a hearty, country manner as one who might say, “1 do not stand on ceremony,, sir. Eat, .drink and make merry!” ilis strong jaws were Wide apart. .On the table before him lay a rich, succulent pie. Halfway up to his mouth he held suspended a fork loaded to the teeth' with a generous portion ‘of meat and pastry. His eyes glistened and his whole countenance-was that of a man who is about to taste one of the prime joys of life. With fork midway between dish and mouth, he paused to give the advice; “Take for perfect digestion.” One looked forward to the day when, at last, he would think of himself instead of others, would raise the fork a little higher, to his lips and eat. But now, lie will never eat. Rude hands, perhapsy- hhve dashed the fork from his fingers;, have, crushed the eggshell pastry of that perfect pie with the blow of an axe, and now, no doubt, nfy bonny eater lies hungry on the cold pebbles at the bottom of the river.

There was one more seen? fondly remembered. This time it was a dinner party, perfectly correct in evening frock? and dinner jackets. It seemed an admirable party, too large to be a family party and too small to be a chilly, formal affair. The guests were pleasantly varied in age and sex and nothing seemed, lacking to make for the jqlliest evening. A dish had just been served, probably roast sucking pig. The guests were preparing to begin but just one little thing was needed to give the last touch of flavour. Underneath the picture were the words: “Please pass ithe .” At the head of the I. table a benevolent, rosy old gentleman was helding himself to the with the symptoms of lively satisfaction. All along the side of the table heads were turned in his direction. And all down the table from him, the faces showed more and more alarm, culminating in the expression of another old gentleman at the other end who was obviously in a perfect fever in case, by the time it reached him, there would be 110 left. Anxiety and politeness struggled together on his face. But looking at the picture one was eure that if there was none left in the pot for him the servants would got him some more. Now, probably, he will never get the . That dinner party, with the guests so carefully chosen and assorted has been ruthlessly broken up, the guests scattered, the roast sucking pig strewn by the roadside, the long dissolved completely in the water of the river and carried out to sea.

On reflection it seems a pity that last sentence was not a little fuller for there is nothing quite like a rotund period for winning applause. Politicians know this well. The public has an unerring instinct for- the rotund sentence. For instance at a meeting of the Reform Party at Wellington Mr. Coates is reported to have said: With care in Government expenditure, economy on the part of the people, isound investment of accumulated savings, encouragement of enterprise, and ~ full play to the resourcefulness of the individual, New Zealand would in a comparatively short time return to that confidence and prosperity enjoyed by this Dominion in the past. (Applause!)

But it dbes seem that even if Mr. Coates had said: With the freer circulation of Government money, the stimulation to trade by the spending of the people, wider investment of accumulated savings, yet discouragement to rash private enterprise, and more State assistance to the honest individual, New Zealand would in a comparatively short time return to that confidence and prosperity enjoyed by this fertile land in the past—even if he had said that, as long as he preserved the flow and balance of his period, the reporter would still have had the satisfaction of adding, in brackets (Applause!).