THE PASSING SHOW.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 1600, 31 May 1924, Page 13 (Supplement)

THE PASSING SHOW.

COMMENT AND CRITICISM, (By "Free Lance.") Whatever the causes responsible for the onward march of the Waikatc Winter Show may be, it does not appear to owe anything to the Clerk of (he Weather. On the contrary he seems to "have it in" for the Association, and the period of its annual exhibition is, as a rule, more or less coincident with a. spell of unpleasant climatic conditions. As for example Monday night last, the eve of the opening function, was wet and blusterous to a degree fortunately not experienced very frerruently in. Hamilton during an average season. At the time of writing any prospect of much improvement seems remote, though there is still time for better things ere the show finally closes.

As far as the Diamond Jubilee celebrations were concerned they may be described both figuratively and literally as having been a good deal in the nature of a "wash-out." Perhaps Jupiter Pluvius did not approve of Hamilton's sixtieth anniversary being celebrated three months before its actual arrival, and so determined to "wet-blanket" proceedings. Prom what can be gathered a number of Hamilton residents also were not srreatly enamoured of the celebration functions ante-dating the anniversary. * * * * Speaking of exhibitions calls to mind that some items the cable man considers worth sending about the Empire Exhibition at Wembley hardly seem to justify their cost. Of course we are all intensely loyal to the King and Prince of Wales, and are very pleased to know they were interested visitors to the various Dominion pavilions there, and all that sort of thing. But it would not have hurt us to wait for the mail to learn that during a visit to the Australian pavilion (by the way. why is New Zealand always supposed by London pressmen to hi; so avid of information regarding mailers Australian?) "the Prince of Wales directed the King's and Oueen's attention to the working model of an Australian sheep station" and "the King was interested in sheep shearing machinery." One visualises the Prince tugging at "Dad's" arm | imploring him to "come and see the wheels go round." with the result that Father himself becomes excited about the "wheels." In some respects the lot of Royalty must be as awful as Hamilton's roads.

Which calls to mind that the Borough Council's reading and sewerage loans successfully surmounted the poll of ratepayers, though all the other proposals were hurled back with a "dull thickening sud." to uuote a "Spoonerism" accidentally voiced at Oamaru the other evening by Mr 11. E. Holland, M.P., when he meant to say that some plan of that archvillain, Massey, had come to the ground with a dull, sickening thud. It is rather interesting to note that the new Borough offices proposal was defeated by the largest margin (731 votes); the Bryce Street bridge coming next with 627 votes against. Without shadow of doubt the Borough's clerical and engineering staff is at the present time working in scandalously insufficient and inconvenient accommodation. This must be common knowledge amongst ratepayers, so that a possible explanation of the markedly hostile vote may lie in the tact that the proposed Ward St. site found no favour with a good many people. One feels exceedingly sorry for the Borough staff, whose only hope of relief apparently lies now in conversion of (lie Town Hall mio offices, in that event money will ho wasted tinkering with an old and unsuitable building, which in a few years' lime will again become inadequate.

On the six loan proposals 331 informal votes were cast altogether. This apparently indicates that a good many of I hose who voted on some of the proposals didn't cast a vote one way or the other upon the rest. Seeing that they had taken the trouble to go to the polling booth at all it seems rather strange thai so many should, in effect, confess themselves as laeknlg any opinion whatever upon certain of the matters submitted for' their decision.

Were "Vro.e Lance" the young fireman who fell overboard from an American vessel and was rescued 24 hours later by the steamer Dorset, he would for the future endeavour to be particularly circumspect in his manner of life. There is an old saying that one born to be ■ hanged will never be drowned, and rescue after 24 hours afloat on a lifebuoy in mid-ocean might induce the unpleasant reflection that a hempen collar must be growing for one somewhere.

An inventor named Huff seems to have become "huffy" with Henry Ford, and is claiming a trifle of eleven million dollars from the latter, on the

ground that he allegedly promised Huff "if dollars for each magneto of the kind used on Ford cars, which I luff apparently claims as his invention. The thought arises that probably Henry is as little or less concerned about this eleven million dollar action than "Free Lance" would he if somebody smv| him for a "fiver."' Counsel employed on the cases, however, would appreciate where the difference lay alt right.

"The Book" tells us that the children of Israel during their sojourn in the wilderness were sustained by a substance called manna, which fell from the air. Even if we have not always regarded this as a miracle it may be news to some of us that a fall of manna recently took place in Manjimup, a pastoral district in West, ern Australia.. This curious substance melted in the mouth and hada sweet taste. Manna, it seems, is a vegetable substance exuded by certain trees, and carried by the wind to distant localities. It still falls and is gathered for food in the Sinaitic Peninsula. At the present day the manna of commerce is collected extensively in Sicily, where the manna ash tree is cultivated for the purpose in regular plantations. There was no previous record of a fail of manna in Western Australia, but one of the Australian cucalypfs, known as tin; manna gum free, exudes a sweetish -secretion which is considered to be a kind of manna. And if girls can live in a place rejoicing in the name of Manjimup they may. in default of "Spearmint," be glad to chew manna occasionally. .... .' . - ;,.-