SANDY'S CORNER

Wanganui Chronicle, 28 October 1948, Page 4

SANDY'S CORNER

“Merry Widow Brings in Composer £250,000,” says a newspaper headline. Are there any such widows about today? TO CORRESPONDENTS. “Waterloo”: “Big Ben” clock towel* London, is 320 feet high. DRINKING—TEA! Dear “Sandy”: You were quit 1 © right in your “diagnosis.” Whiskey is more potent than gin. However, what would be more to the point is some reflection on the amount of tea consumed in these, as you call them, “Socialist Isles.” Don't you think far too much tea is consumed in New Zealand?—“Smoko.” All a matter of opinion. One chap (Frank Ross), writing in an American business house’s publication, says that 150,000 man-hours are lost dailp in New Zealand through tea drinking. We haven't got time to work that out, but it certainly seems a lot. Point is that hours are not. lost because o£ the tea. Most of them are “lost” because man must drink. If no tea was available then there would be some other beverage. In the land of Uncle Sam it would be interesting to know how many man-hours are wasted over coffee drinking. We agree that in these, the “Socialist Isles,” whore we are becoming far too social and less inclined to work, wo tea too much and we work too little. Still tea, as a beverage, hr,s few equals. It is the beverage of most people, which reminds us that we have a reporter friend who came to this smiling fifth city of the “Socialist Isles” from Dunedin and, aft’er a month or so searching for nows contacts, sa\J that he knew where to find every important Wanganui executive, and most local body leaders, between 3 and 3.30 p.m.—at afternoon tea. He says his “atternoon tea” round was most profitable, as ho was able to glean from city shops and from factory and office tea hours, important statements of what was doing in the beautifift fifth city that day, and was likely to hanpen tomorrow. It would be a fairly cold, unhospitable .show, this fair, fifth and beautiful city in the “Socialist Isles,” if there was no tea. Remind us some dav and we might tell you of the Chiwse legend whereby tea camo to he. "but don't ask us to express preference as between China tea and, well, “other blends.”—“S.”