CURRENT COMMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 17 August 1935, Page 13 (Supplement)

CURRENT COMMENT

OTHER POINTS OF VIEW

(By

M.O.S.)

G-loster. * # ♦ * The South African cricketers think it has a Sin. field. # * * * Central Taranaki residents may talk about Stratford’s dis-band. « « * * Hawera is having a monster Wheelbarrow Derby to-night. The mercantile firms should do well because they have a Trotter, whereas the best the accountants can do is Walkley. # ♦ * * When Tempest won the big trotting race at Addington on Wednesday he was favourite. It’s an ill wind that does no one any good. * * * * The latest novelty in South Taranaki is reported to be an “onion party.” Contrary to what, you might expect, it was not s-parsely attended. *#* * ' The Australian shipping dispute is about over-time. The result is no time.'' ♦ ♦ ’* * . England and France are convinced that there is a solution to the Abyssinian problem. Mussolini’s idea is that the solution is already filtering through the Suez* Canal. * * * * It is reported that last Saturday was a black day for Taranaki as all four sports teams engaged were beaten. The yellow in the province’s colours was no doubt supplied by a jaundiced eye. '** * * On the other hand it was not Manawatu that was green 'with envy. # * * * What’s Wrong With Taranaki? Rugby writers and enthusiasts have spent the last week trying to find out what .was wrong with Taranaki last Saturday. It has been said that the inside backs were weak bn defence, that two of . them were poor on attack, that the fullback did not play at his best, the forwards were not in form, etc. After carefully studying all this data M.O.S. has come to the conclusion that the principal thing that was wrong with Taranaki was that it was beaten.

’ "“The Taranaki backs were disorganised,” one man said. “What we want is a better first five-eighth.” If that is so, why not select Mr. L. 0. Hooker to organise the rearguard? .** * ■ *

It is suggested by some unkind people that the Government may not be prepared to accede to the province’s request for grants to assist in the work on Mt Egmont Their attitude is that Taranaki’s sentinel is its own look-out.

According to a ' news item Canterbury’s defeat of Auckland was the one ’ thing that could give Taranaki a chance to challenge for the Ranfurly Shield. An habitue of the eastern terrace points out that this is not the same thing as having a chance of having the challenge accepted, let alone of winning the shield. * * • •

Mr. G. W. Forbes, states a cable report,

has been making the best of his enforced sojourn at Sydney, and has been taking trips to beauty spots. Mr. Forbes is attending no more official engagements. After a long list of these he is probably feeling more silent than strong.' * • * • An Fltham man who has recently returned from, the Islands says that each/ golfer has two caddies in Fiji, one’s duty being to follow the ball. Of course, if Mr. H. Bullin, of Westown, went there he would need only one caddy. , « * * * Hatepayers of the south riding of the Egmont county regard their representatives on the council as their Sheat anchor in the storm at present raging in tire county. A Paris cable says that a “Garden of Eden” wedding was celebrated at a nudist colony. The bride wore a flimsy dress of lace. Even under these exceptional circumstances one can understand a woman wanting a new frock for the occasion. She probably told her friends beforehand that she hadn’t a thing to wear. ,• ; , ■ ‘. “The cheapest power is the wife,” states ■ ’’a newspaper article. Most husbands imagine that though repair costs are low renewals are pretty heavy. « # * # The use of explosives by burglars on a,New Plymouth strongroom last weekend resulted only in being jammed tighter. A case of the blow being to the burglars and not of the safe being blown. #*" # ' # ■ A propos of the . First Lord of the Admiralty’s statement that Britain has but half a navy a contemporary remarks that each vessel in it is worse off with a quarter-deck. »»# . • The Hon. J. McLeod defends Taranaki Rugby charges at Pukekura Park because admission to the ground ensures a “grandstand” view. The attitude seems to be that after the Rugby Union’s skill in piling up the huge banks it Is entitled to recompense for its initiative. • * ♦ * Hairesy. Youthful Austrian Nazis are cultivating the “Hitler moustache.” What a horrid precedent this may create. No one minded when-Mussolini started the shirt craze, because after all it was quite a decorative idea, but .the imitation of peculiar physical failings is a different matter. #....# * #.

Just because Stanley Baldwin smokes a pipe is no reason why all his followers should do the same thing, particularly as it is generally considered that the strength of the Conservative Party lies in its women adherents. Nor is Mr. Lyons’ partiality for it any reason why Australians should adopt the quaint hair style he affects. Many of Gandhi’s followers, it is true, manage to look quite interestingly emaciated, but one imagines that most find an occasional meal is not any very great ban to patriotism.

In New Zealand we are fortunate that our political leaders seem to be comparatively' normal people who do eat quite often, do get their hair cut and are not wedded to their moustaches (Mr. Coates had his shaved off as it did not suit his court dress). But think how aw-kward .it would be if Jdr. Smith adopted a monocle and Mr. Masters a beard?