ROUND ABOUT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 110, 15 January 1940, Page 5

ROUND ABOUT

(J3y Aitehel) This week's prize, in fact,-all the prizes for the year, must go to the Attorney-General who: saidgthat he would rather talk Paper Mills than politics. I wonder whether he still feels like that. When he made that statement it was in an effort to avoid n question or two regarding conscription and sundry matters interesting to the reading public. Perhaps now he would rather talk poli--tics lhan Paper Mills. * * * * And as we have started on polities and conscription and so forth we may as Ave 11 continue. For anyone who is speculating as to what is going to happen after the war.here is one interesting slant on the position. It's from the Minister of Lands, the Hon. F. Langstone, who, as you will observe, is decidedly helpful. According to an Auckland press report he declared in a recent address at the Trades Hall, that 'if there was going to be conscription, there was going to be conscription, of wealth. It would mean that they would be on a soldier's ration and a soldier's pay, and if it was going to he that, it would be the greatest stcj) forward in collective Socialism, because, when it was over, tlie psychology would have been established .. . ." « * * * Now get that intriguing little bit about the step forward in collective Socialism: when it (meaning the war) was over, the Socialist psychology would .have been established. Quite a pretty idea if you work it out. Is it that you introduce special legislation to meet the emergencies of the war and then, when the war is over, you most happily find that you've established the Socialist psychology and so you carry on with your Socialism? We hope that Mr Langstone is not making -the suggestion that the patriotism of New Zealand's citizens is likely to be used by the Government as a handle for the permanent establishment of Socialism in the Dominion. • 4 * 8 ; Totalisator returns are New Zea- | land's stable industry. « * * * I have heard the Goebbels singing his Churchill hymn of hate, And Ribbentrop pronouncing on affairs of war and State, But as Boss Prevaricator it is very hard to know, If the palm should go to Joachim or still remain with Joe. a © « » The belt for the most accomplished growler must assuredly go to a visitor to the town. Staying at one of the local hostelries, he informed the manager that the cold-shower ran hot, he didn't get a "Herald'* in his room at seven o'clock in the morning as was his wont, and he found white lleas in his bed instead: of the black variety to which he was accustomed. It was suggested that he could be accommodated on the latter score by substituting black sheets on his bed. I believe they solved that particular difficulty in that way. m v * » Sure enough, when we start talking of something it invariably reminds us of something else. In this instance the word 'fleas' catches the eye and recalls a line from a newspaper of a day or two ago. Incidentally it was in the BEACON. It read: Submarine flees.

I know a fellow who goes into the bathroom to catcli them hut I don't think he turns on the water. « * 9 V And here we go again. Writing • j of submarines reminds us of the re- ! cent resignations of Mr Hore-Belisha and Lord MacMillan. The latter was in charge of the Ministry of Information. Anent the reluctance of this organisation to release news, we observe: Ah, sweet mystery of life at last I'vis found thee, Gosh, how do you keep a secret of it all? We're all longing, seeking, straining, waiting, yearning For burning news, for just a paragraph to fall! For 'tis news and news alone, the world is seeking, And 'tis news and news alone, that .we can't get! What's the answer, is it worth while" waiting ? Or is there nowt that's really happened yet ? * St * * I The Russians have now about fight to the Fmnistn