CURRENT COMMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 13 July 1935, Page 1 (Supplement)

CURRENT COMMENT

OTHER POINTS OF VIEW

(By

“M.O.S."

Eltham News. The man who couldn’t say no. * # '■ * * Sir Walter Camcross said the presentation to Mr. Wilkinson was not as large as the electors would have liked. No doubt the Egmont electors, thought that at least Mr. Wilkinson’s head should appear on the new coinage. « # * *

The big question before Taranaki today is the restoration of its Rugby prestige. Taranaki had bad luck on June 3, but still—Wanganui won. However, the selectors have gone into a brown study, and now they have produced a team that they think will win.

While on the subject of football, one hopes that the All Blacks will cotton on to Manchester.

A visitor to New Plymouth was impressed by the way some street comers are cut off, and expressed the opinion . that Mr. Here Belisha could learn a lesson from this. It’s nothing to the lesson he could learn from New Plymouth pedestrians on a Friday.

1 Tennis Notes. Where there’s a Wills there’s a way.

Mrs. Woody, who had won the Wimbledon singles title on six previous occasions, was transported, no doubt, into the seventh heaven of bliss.

Perry, as was to be expected, Crammed the men’s final with thrills. # * ./.*■ *

Women have been forbidden to smoke in a New Zealand, university. The only thing that is burning in the commonroom nowadays is indignation.

A writer in another paper remarks, apropos of the wrestling title dispute, that he does not blame George Walker for not wanting to get into the ring. He might soon get thrown out of it. *i# * * ■

"Many Surprise Resuite,” says .a heading on a report of the Trentham races. That is the ’ impression that M.O.S. has of the meetings he attends.

An inve<igator advances the theory that New Zealand was once a tropical country. The. only flaw that he sees in his theory is that there are no crocodiles, etc. New Plymouth people base their objection on the mountain wind.

Difficulty was experienced by radio nien in understanding signals from the ship towing the Maheno, because the vessel’s wireless operator was Japanese and the static was bad. One has a mental vision of an Australian struggling to interpret the static and becoming furiously annoyed when different sounds interrupt him*

The reason why England concluded a naval pact with Germany, we are informed, is that Germany had already done what she sought approval of. Diplomacy is often like that.. - « • * * Talking about ware reminds one of golf. There is a story of « member of a golf club who asked a newcomer to the links how he had fared. "Not so bad,” was the reply. “Only 78 to-day.” “By jove, that's good,” remarked the other. "That’s a course record.” “Mind you, I did better at the second hole!” was the rejoinder. « * * . • Brisbane critics, smugly condescending, express the view that the success of the Maori Rugby team’s tour will depend on the team making a good “showing” against Queensland. Judging by Wednesday’s display the Maoris may show Brisbane rather more than they expect ♦ * * * The cable news gravely informs us that the claimant of the world wrestling title, O’Mahoney, is an Irishman. Now who’d have thought it? ♦ * # * A Rugby commentator notes that Dymond is showing brilliance. Strangely enough that doesn’t seem to be satisfactory to many Hawera people, who say they would like to see the sparkle in a different setting. I suppose one ought to say something about Abyssinia. Mussolini is willing to negotiate, and has the following trifling requests to make: (1) Italian administration of Abyssinia; (2) full colonisation rights and freedom to exploit the country’s natural wealth. After that what is there to say? Mussolini has said it all, as he often does. The Abyssinians are probably quite relieved that he has not demanded their emigration. * * * * Hi! School. (Dedicated to our friends of the eastern terrace.) While of course everyone is quite confident that all Taranaki people are really fine sportsmen there does appear to be a suggestion that there may he some fault in’the expression of that sportsmanship. For that reason M.O.S. suggests a special course of training for barrackers. It is not intended that barrackers should really have to learn much about the game, let alone know anything so difficult as the rules \or have done anything so strange as play it.

The class could first be instructed in mouth buttoning. Special examples offside, kicking for touch etc. could be arranged for them, and every time they opened their mouths castor oil could be dropped into them. They would thus learn that speech may be brazen but that silence is golden.

The next lesson might be in appropriate noises, such as clapping an opponent when he does something good. A burst of dignified clapping compensates for a good deal of shouting for one’s own side, and is always a hall mark of the real sportsman. « * * *

Having learned to keep reasonably quiet about opponents’ misdeeds, and to show moderate approval of their virtues, barrackers will be left with a bottled up feeling which is both unpleasant and dangerous. The third gentlemanly quality of tire sportsman must then be learned—writing to the Editor. Apart from providing a safety valve it has the value of recording the impressions of critics. Why deny the bon mots of the terraces the permanence they deserve?*