BY THE WAY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18465, 17 May 1928, Page 9

BY THE WAY.

SOME COLLECTIONS AND REFLECTIONS. (By One of the Boys). I notice that someone advertising for two gentlemen boarders mentions “near Y.W.C.A.” Does that mean an increase or a decrease jn the rejit ? “Do you care for caviare, Auntie,” said a young girl. “I could listen to the man for hours,” she replied. “The stupidest people, in my opinion, are those who answer everything you say with a question.” “Dp you think so?” She: “They say her wedding beggared description.” lie: “More than that.” - She: “Indeed?” He: “Yes, it beggared her father.” Mr Bruce has appointed a Royal commission to inquire into Air Lam- | Inert’s bribery charges because he must safeguard the honour of Parliament. Well, all I can say is that, if half we read is true, anyone who defends a politician’s honour these days has a sinecure. A commercial traveller who had just returned from a trip abroad was having his luggage examined by the Customs officer, when a whisky flask was found. “What’s in here?” was the gruff question put to the traveller. Only the latest in disinfectants! ” was the immediate reply. The officer didn’t believe him. and said as much with an oath, lie also took one big gulp by way of getting what he could out of it; but. alas! no one has heard the officer swear since. They don t seem to do things properly in Wellington. They should take notice of how we do it down here in Christchurch. Here they go deciding that they want an art gallery and deciding how much they want and how to get it, all in one hit. The next thing will be, I. suppose, that they’ll rush in and decide where to put it. All this haste, to one who admires the deliberate methods of the south, is indecent. The correct way to go about it is this:— First, wrangle for two years whether you want an art gallery, an automatic abbatoir, or some new lavatories; second, having decided on an art gallery, wrangle for six months on what it ought to cost; third, having settled this, wrangle for another six months on how you re going to get the money—loan, rate, gift or cadge; fourth, wrangle for the rest of your lives about where you’re to put the gallery when yoii get it. I hen when at last you dump it in somebody’s back yard you can have a real good little argument on what you're going to use it for—housing municipal market or civic cabaret.