PUT YOUR BUTTONS ON

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 18785, 19 May 1923, Page 4

PUT YOUR BUTTONS ON

telegram for a tailor. RACING CODE SUSPECTED. Mr George Fear. Wanganui Borough Traffic Inspector, now wears a brand-new uniform and peaked cap, as the ouLward symbol of office and noti licatimi of the authority be wields in : ■ cing the traffic withiTT the borough of Wanganui is conducted in accordance with the by-laws. The said uniform was indirectly the cause of a very amusing incident at the Palmerston North Post Office yesterday. It happened thus. When the Borough Council recently decided that the traffic official should be suitably garbed, the inspector placed an order for his uniform with a local tailor, and then went away on a holiday. Some difficulty was experienced in gelling the particular kind of buttons necessary for the coat, and Mr Fear decided by arrangement with the tailor, to try and procure them while in Palmerston North. In this endeavour, however, he was unsuccessful, and as he wanted the uniform to wear while controlling race traffic to-day, he went to the Palmerston North Post Office and handed in a telegram which read: “ , tailor, Wanganui.—Put your own buttons on uniform." “Wo can't take that,” said the Palmerston North official at the telegraph counter. “Why?” asked the surprised inspector. “It’s a racing code,” said the clerk in tones of decision. “Look here! I'm not going to be fooled round like this,” said ths prospective wearer of the new uniform. “Isn’t there a horse named Uni- B form running?” inquired the clerk ™ suspiciously. “Well,” he added menacingly, “the telegram will go at your own risk." The telegram did go, the local tailor received it, the buttons wc r e duly affixed, and the appearance of the inspector in the Avenue last evening to give the new uniform a try out made people look twice to decide whether it was the superintendent of the suburban fire brigade, a wharfinger, or a new policeman in town for the races. The best part of the joke is that Mr Fear is not addicted to the fascinating pastime of picising winners.