"JOLLY GOOD FELLOWS"

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 36, 12 February 1930, Page 10

"JOLLY GOOD FELLOWS"

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Amongst the standing room only at a very recent reception I heard someone join in the "Joliy Good Fellows" upheaval using the Maori version. To the trained ear it was simply "not understood." "Tiui ti tangata pai rawa tv," no doubt closely resembles ."Tenei _te tangata pai rawa atii," but even allowing for vernacular difficulties, the hammering accent given on the last syllable "tv" simp'y makes it inane. In the hope that it m^jlit interest, say, the members of the Savage Club^ it should be stated that the sense of th<J ■whole line may be restored, despite everything else, if "atu" was sounded fully after "rawa," but with no special emphasis oiaccent. With this, the theme line thus delivered, the rest may remain as at present —just some noise from exuberant but jolly good fellows. An improvement? Yes, certainly. "Nei rote tangata tino pai" is more euphonious, easier to say, and gives the correct interpretation. Try it next time. —I am, etc., CURIOUS. The cost of refreshments at railway buffets is commented on by ji correspondent, "Hungry," who considers that, though tho quality of the refreshments is good, the payment asked is too high, a bottle of lemonade to .take on the train at 9d and a cup' of tea and sandwich for Bd, being the examples given. The writer commends the Railway Department's _ policy of arranging long-distance excursions at reasonable fares, but believes that if the refreshment charges were less, the trips) would be more enjoyable to the travellers, and, the buffets would be better patronised*