WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 281, 22 August 1921, Page 4

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

NOTES AT RANDOM

(By

T.D.H.)

In these hard times cash down is the best thing with which to feather your nest. Twice the world has been free of raejal hatred: when Adam was a young fellow and when Noah came out of tho Ark. Washington "Herald.” Outside St. Ebenezer’s jesterday I encountered Major Fitzurse plunged in thought. Recognising me, he observed: "The two greatest moral problems today arc the empty churches and ths empty gaols. The good people don’t go to church, and the bad people don t go to gaol.” Mr. Lloyd George says the Imperial Government’s Irish proposals are the limit. Opinion at Home and abroad is that their rejection would also be the limit. The view of the managing director o< the Uh;on Company that Cook Strait fares are unpayable was heartily endorsed by tho Marlborough deputation that tried to get them lowered. Facts from the "Free Press Prairie Farmer” (Canada): —"Eels attain an immense size in the rivers of New Zealand, and have been known to attack bathers. In fact, many cases of drowning have been proven to be where eels have dragged bathers beneath the surface of the water.” Of course, this is really nothing to the tales, we could tell our Canadian cousins abbut the ferocity of the New Zealand oyster and the downright fiendishness of the man-eating tuatara I Henry Watterson is credited with this up-to-date witticism: A banker remarked to the retired editor, "1 understand, sir. that you intend to start a paper of your own-a paper that will strike a new note.” "Well,” the veteran newspaper man replied, "that would be a welcome change indeed, for papers nowadays do nothing but note a new strike." The Harbour Board is once more thinking about building a dock. On one occasion the board broke away from its thoughts and started in, W’ith results not altogether profitable to the board or port, which, settled the dock question for a decade. Forty-one years ago, the late John Plimmer advocated with some persistence the value that a well-construct-ed dock would be to Wellington (and even mentioned Te Aro and Kaiwarra as possible sites). "The Father of Wellington," as he liked to be called, claimed that this as the central port and capital, and as the terminus for tho North Island railways, mm/; develop into a great shipping and commercial centre. Now nearly half a century later the port is still dockless. This with all the experts saying that the next war will be fought in the Pacific! Abie writes:—Mo: Cohqn had a fire last night. Zac: Vas he insured? Mo: I told you his name! A sensation was caused in literary and historical circles by the announcement during the week-end of a discovery by Dr. Bumpus of tho highest historical importance. It seems that in the person of Captain. Peter Flegg. the Doctor has discovered the Oldest Identity. It was by pure accident that the Doctor realised on Saturday that Captain Peter was speaking with first-hand knowledge of distant historical events. The circumstances of the discovery bear such remarkable witness to the Doctor e acute powers of penetration as to deserve record. In conversation on the early days tho Doctor chanced to say that he believed the first two recorded settlers at Port Nicholson were one. Joe Robinson, at tho mouth of the Hutt River, and a man named Todd, who built a whare on To Aro Hat. "Yes,” said Captain Flegg, they wm pretty ornery young tellers, and drifted in together like, only seprate I. mind Grom as clear as if it was yesterday. The weatherboarding on the house was; rotted at the time, and I guv em half a suck, in"- pig atween tho two to help patch it This casual remark did not attract the Doctor’s attention at once, but -ater h s mind recurred to it, and on analysing it he began to detect its impor an tl ’ "Why. Captain, ho said, if tn® torior of your premises were decay; ib, nt that remote period, when, pray, did von arrive? It would almost . appear that yon were tho first and’ original in--11 "Well/’ said Captain Peter, "I was, in a manner of speaking, and I warn t. T was hereabouts, so to say, and , . thereabouts, as you might call it,_ but I never pushed my barrer in and them fellers that writ,, the books never took no count on me.” In the greatest excitement the Doc tor at once made further inquiries. The Captain, though attaching no importance to the matter, willingly P ro y ld inclusive evidence of his own and lony residence, including the origtral ovtter shell presented him on arrival by To Rauparaha s father with th» date scratched on it and still quite clearIv visible to tho naked eye. ‘ I am pleased’ to announce that Captain Flegg has very kindly agreed to allow me to publish extracts from his memoir in this column from time to time.

Jawkins-"Hallo, there, what are you burying in that hole?” Harkins-"Just replanting some of my S °Jawkins-"Seeds! It looks more like one of my White Leghorns! Harkins—“Don’t worry. The seeds ere inside.” THE AUGUST MOON. "Ah, Moon of my Delight who know’st no wane, . . . Th? Moon of Heav’n is rising How oft hereafter rising shall she look Through this same Garden after mein vain.” How much of beauty has that same moon seen _ , Since Omar in his ancient Garden green ' Drained' life’s last joyous cup >n Khorassan: . a What loves flame through those myriad years between. Over this sea-girt- City now <®-night Tim Queen of Heaven floods her silver the deathless heart of youth With hopes too high and dreams, alas, too bright. Heifetz at the piano is a different person, to the Heifetz of the violin. All hie statuesque coldness disappears. It was a treat to see him play jazz at the Cabaret late on Saturday night. He plays it with rhythm, which is more than most jazz orchestras can lay claim to doing. I forgot to say that the jazz effects were manipulated by tho pianist, Chotzinoff, who found himself at home with the toot-toot er and tho big drum! And the funny thing is, he vvent as tho guest of tho president of Wellington’s musicians’ society 1