ROUND ABOUT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 216, 23 September 1940, Page 5

ROUND ABOUT

katane and Opotiki Counties and Boroughs considered Rotorua to be the strategical spot and the Mayor of Rotorna had also expressed that view. To have headquarters at Tauranga would not improve live present position very much; Pacroa is such a short distance away. For the utmost military value Tauranga a3 a base is absolutely impracticable. There is comfort in the fact that, this' time at least, Whakatane knows the blessings of a clear conscience as far as parochialism is concerned and the military authorities, after all, know best.

I have just been reading the re-f miniscences of an elderly gentleman whose death occurred recently. I was rather interested to learn that away back tfbout 1860 small boys were employed for threepence per day, or some such bottom-rung sal-» ary, to scare away the rooks and on reading it struck me that, after all,; those Victorian days might perhaps have something on this topsy-turvy, money-chasing, material world of to-day. Tilings in general are supposed to, have advanced with the advent of 'social reform,' but when you look, fit the question twice it seems that, in some Avays at any,, rate, society has slipped , a little bit instead of constantly and beneficially treading the onward and upward path. Take that idea of scaring rooks, for instance. In 18fi0 eight-year-old boys could do the job. Now it cannot be done efficiently by a large body of largebodies. I refer to the police force. I am not disparaging the lads in blue. On the contrary, I have a profound admiration and respect for them. But their job is big and conditions are against them.. 'Rooks:' still abound. Look at the number of bookmakers. * « • • And reading the reminiscences reminds mo of the apprenticeship indenture of those by-gone days, a brief review of which certificate appeared in the BEACON some days ago. So-and-.So was bound to the said Master, if you remember it, much in the fashion of a glove on a finger, although So-and-So, considering the restrictions, would more aptly be the finger. ■-< Apart from wondering what the said Master said on occasions, and whether the apprentices ever did cut a dash and make a bee-line for the nearest Dice Tables —or, going to the extreme, contract 'Matrimony —my main reflection was a pondering on the causes which kept lingland from a civil '"war. Conflicts have raged for less. Following on my comments anent the farm labour business I have been approached with a view to giving some publicity to what was described as a 'scurvy trick.' I refrain from observations on the subject. It seems that a well known woman farmer of Taneatua had an asset more treasured, these days, than ii.old in the person of a youthful'but competent farm-hand. He was the only man about the place. A neaiby farmer, a FORMER friend of the. lcdy tiller of the soil, by, bribery, cajolery, a combination, or just pUrt> hypnotism, enticed the lad away to work for him and Mrs X is left without her competent assistant. Hard enough for just ordinary farmers to secure suitable men and, we s\re told, to keep them, but the blow falls the harder in this case.

There are endless possibilities in this paper economy business and, in prophetic mood, I can seefunapoppin. It Avas a .sound idea on the part | of that Government Department responsible for the classic (see Friday's BEACON), but suppose * we carry the idea just a little bit further. How interesting if that practise of pasting old letters over old letters to allow the use of old -let-', tors is continued. We may get some 'copy.' , The harassed taxpayer receives his demand notice but the blow is softened because he is anxious to hold the cover to the light to see what else he has as a blessing. He maybe able to read: "Darling, since that night ..... or, "Mrs Blenkinsop popped in the other day and over a cup of tea she said that . . But would it not be just too bad if the old inscription read: "Unless this is paid within so many days proceedings will be taken'*? « 9 w . ' » Parochialism, unless controlled, can be a dangerous thing, bowing not to logic. As with many spheres of the social life, reasoning is brushed aside and some .curious statements and actions result. We will Avait for the day when men. tli ink for the good of ajl and merely for themselves, or their oavi* concerns. ' In the matter.of the-new military area headquarters. His Worship the Mayor of Tau-* ranga used his casting vote, at the recent meeting called in that town* to bring in .1 recommendation to the Government that the headquarters of the proposed ■ "new military; area should be at Tauranga. This . Avas despite-the fact tlrnt the Wha- -