BREEZES

Wairarapa Daily Times, 12 September 1936, Page 4

BREEZES

Small Mercies. A Negro preacher, at the «nd of his sermon, having no collection bag, sent round his own hat; it came back tV” : him empty. Putting a hand over his face, he said: ‘‘l tank you, Lord, dat with such a mean lot of people, I hab got my hat back. ’ ’ * * * *' In Favour of the Motion. Some time ago there was an earthquake shock in America which disturbed a small western city and rocked the municipal building, so that the councillors, then in session, left without the usual ceremonies. The clerk, a man of regulations, was hard put to give his minutes the proper official tdne. Finally he evolved this masterpiece: “On the motion of the Town Hall, the Council adjourned.” * * * * A Club Formed to Fight Frosts. To fight the spring frosts, which can ruin a fruit crop overnight, a Frost Club has been formed by growers in the Cardross settlement, Mildura district, Sydney. The whole community has enlisted" in a frost-fighting force, and when the danger period arrives groups will remain on duty throughout the night. When a frost is imminent alarms will be sounded by these groups, and oil heating pots lighted in the vineyards. By this means it is hoped to lift the temperature gradually and dissipate the frost. « * • * * Robber-Convicts. For a long time the townsfolk of Victoria, capital of the British Seychelles Islands, in the Indian Ocean, have been terrified by a mysterious and elusive band of nocturnal robbers, - till the police discovered that the thieves were none other than the convicts of Victoria Prison. The iron roof of the prison was converted into a trap-door by the inmates. Nearby a long rope was hidden. In the dead of night the convicts crept out of their cells, slid down the . rope, and plundered the town. By dawn they •would be back with their booty. Apparently the prison cook led the robberconvicts, for many stolen articles were found in the kitchen. * * * * The “Good Old Days.” “Times may be hard nowadays, but they were very much harder in my young days in Auckland,” remarked one of Te Awamutu’s old residents, when discusing labour conditions. In explanation, he told of a youth employed by the household of a prominent Aucklander many years ago. The husband was away from home all day, and the wife arranged for a youth to mind her baby each afternoon for an hour or two while she milked two or three cows and performed other duties outside the house. It was a sbgiay-a-week job, for the. husband was- on Sundays and milked the cows. The youth’s remuneration, honorarium, stipend or salary, was 3d per week. One week-day the husband arrived home somewhat earlier than usual, which enabled him to,milk the cows. The youth was told he was not needed that afternoon, and he enjoyed the unusual and unexpected half-holiday. 3&t on pay night he was given only 2id, and in reply to an enquiry for a reason for the deduction, he was told that, as he had not minded the baby one afternoon, he must expect to have his wages reduced proportionately. Hindu Temples in London.

Two magnificent temples, one costing at least £50,000, the other possibly £160,000, are "to be built in London for worshippers of Brahma and of Mahomet.

Idols of the ' three Hindu gods, Brahma, Siva and Bishnu, all of solid gold, will be part of the costly equipment for the temple, to be built at Notting Hill, London—the first of its kind in Europe. v The cost is being boig®by the Maharajah of Agartala. CTans are now ready, and the foundation-stone will be laid when the Maharajah visits England during the Coronation; The temple has been designed by a well-known Indian architect, and wall be an orthodox edifice in the Indian traditional style, with lofty, tapered towers and “onion” shaped'domes. It is to be as near as possible a replica of a famous temple in India. British materials will be used, and British labour will be employed.