People and Their Doings.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19258, 20 December 1930, Page 8

People and Their Doings.

Newspapers And Their Holidays : When A Bellman Was A Common Sight : Dangers In Starting An Aeroplane : Price Of Raised. ,

THE DECISION of the newspapers throughout Britain not to publish on Christmas Day or Boxing Day is remarkable, because the tendency is to regard the Press as an institution which should give service without any interruption. This step has probably been forced on newspapers by the heavy cost which the employment of labour entails on these days. At one time in New Zealand Christmas Day and Good Friday were the only close holidays journalists had in the year. Now New Year’s Day is added to these, and Anzac Day, which is a statutory holiday. A journalist’s life is a self-sacrificing one from the point of view of the general public, inasmuch as he works on holidays, Saturday afternoons and even Sundays; but as equivalent holidays are given, journalists come to appreciate these more because they can take their outings away from the crowd. H? si? W. A. JO WITT, who is chairman of a sub-committee of the Indian Conference on Franchise, was once wittily described by Mr Lloyd George as of “ good sound timber, of which Cabinets are made.” When the Labour Government was being formed, in June, 1929, Sir John Sankey, who had accepted the Lord Chancellorship, strongly urged Mr MacDonald to strengthen its legal side by including Mr Jowitt. After Mr MacDonald had rung up Mr Jowitt on the telephone, Mr Jowitt went to see him and said: “If you think you are doing me a kindness by asking me to be your Attorney-General, I refuse the offer. But if I am doing the country a service I ■drill consider it.” After a talk with Mr MacDonald he went to see Lloyd George, and told him what had happened. Lloyd George was displeased, but after a visit to the local leaders of his constituency at Preston Mr Jowitt accepted Mr MacDonald’s offer and became a member of the Labour Party. He resigned his seat, later, and submitted himself for re-election. He was knighted on becoming Attorney-General. JT HAS BEEN DECIDED by the Government to increase the fees charged for passports issued to people travelling overseas. The fee previously charged was ten shillings; the fee to be charged in the future will be £l. It is not necessary for persons travelling to Australia to obtain a passport.

M R H. S. STEFFAN, hunter and taxidermist, of Oamaru, tells an amusing tale of the old days at Mount Cook, where he was once a guide. While the GovernorGeneral of the time was camping at Governor’s Bush, near where the Hermitage now stands, a case of champagne was missed. It was generally believed that the robber had hidden his loot in the bush and been unable to rescue it from there. “ Nobody seemed very sure about it,” said Mr Steffan, “ but the rumour was enough for us. Whenever the guides had time off or the weather was wet, we used to go up and hunt for the champagne.” This was twentyfive years ago, and Governor’s Bush still holds its buried treasure. £JAPTAIN WHITE, the pilot of the New Zealand Airways, who was involved in a test case regarding the piloting of aeroplanes on a Sunday, is known in aero circles as “ Tiny ” White. Some time ago he was pilot to the Hawke’s Bay Aero Club, where he worked in conjunction with Captain Ulson. There he set up something of a record in the speed with which he trained young pilots—mostly wealthy squatters' sons—for their A and B certificates. Unfortunately, while working with a machine one day three of his fingers were injured, but this has not interfered with his efficiency as a pilot. The accident was very unusual. While swingng the propeller while “ contact ” should have been off, the engine started and the blade caught Captain White across the back of the hand. 9 9 3? J£)R GUY SCHOLEFIELD, Parliamentary Librarian, is at work on a “ Dictionary of National Biography” for New Zealand. He has made some progress with it, and hopes to complete it within a reasonable time. New Zealand has no “ Dictionary ” of famous men of the past and present, but there is a large amount of material available in the numerous biographical and autobiographical volumes that abound. It is sometimes difficult to obtain readily the essential facts about the big figures of the past, and a reliable “ Dictionary ” on the lines indicated by Dr Scholefield would be a valuable addition to the Dominion’s literature. Dr Scholefield is already the author of a useful “ Who’s Who ” of New Zealand.

»J»HE 318 HOUSEHOLD BUDGETS from which the Government has compiled its retail price index numbers represent such a small proportion of the New Zealand households, that the figures cannot be regarded as very accurate guides. There must be roughly 500,000 adult women in this country. The fact that the Government managed to persuade less than one in every hundred to forward a household budget for examination, suggests that only a small proportion of the women knew about the scheme. It was essential for the sake of accurate statistics that they should attract as many as possible, and a prize was offered for the best, yet the results show that the Government did not push the scheme very earnestly. How hardly shall Government statisticians obtain accurate results if they hide their light under a bushel. PERHAPS the most astonishing things connected with the modern hotel bar are the buffets at which free counter lunch is served. At a leading hotel to-day the morning fare consisted of a central roast of mutton, under a huge silver cover, dishes of radishes and spring onions. Welsh rarebit in abundance (strips of toast with toasted cheese), sardines on toast, sausage rolls, biscuits, bread and cheese and a number of other eatables almost too numerous to mention. Truly, for sixpence, morning and evening, no man need starve in Christchurch, provided he is content to make a standing meal of it! V 9 V J?ROM THE “STAR” of December 21, 1870.—The reception of the Southland representatives on their return to Invercargill is thus described by the “ News ” of the 10th inst.:—By the aid of the bellman and a few ardent spirits a demonstration was got up yesterday on the arrival of the Southland members at the Railway Station. Messrs Wood, Kinross and Toshack were lustily hissed and hooted on account of their action relative to the extended boundaries, while their confreres came in for marks of approval. The scene was very discreditable to its projectors, who appeared to be acting on the principle of “ hang first and try afterwards.”