POSTSCRIPTS

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 73, 28 March 1933, Page 6

POSTSCRIPTS

Chronicle and Comment

BY PERCY FLAGB •

One catch in this business of finding new markets for our butter is that, . when found, they, too, are short ot i V money. * * * Herr Adolf Hitler: The first chapter of our movement has closed. The sec* ond chapter new begins. It's fine to see somebody in authority turning over'a new leaf. ■■■-.'■' ■•'•'•-...•"' ■■' Adverting to the glut" of bntter, "Boneshaker" feels; that presently: our farmers will be discussing among themselves' what the future has ia storage for them. • /■■ ■:. -•■'■ .*'/ ■ ■■' '* '■ . '*..'.'"■■ ■ -■■ Now that Japan has resigned from the League of Nations,,her militarists will no longer have to trouble about inventing; reasons for dismembering, China, -in. China?s own interests, of. course.. ■■ ■~ : ■■ . : • ■,-.- ... ...■ ■•■■■ ■■•■-: ■:- ■ • :♦•.-.. • ■■■;* --" '-■'■♦. ■ ":. -,'i '-■ : HISTOEYEEPEATING ITSEIiP. , Though' none of our' leaders ;witt accept the. slightest responsibility fos the. existing muddle, they will not .be backward in taking the credit for brighter days—when that time arrives. '•■ .v . "-* •'.- * * .'■■' DISARM SUSPICION FIBST. • France's Foreign Minister (M. Paul Boneour) is pessimistically" hopeful about disarmament, but Paderewski is afraid for his beloved Poland, at the hands of Hitler. As the Little Entente in Central Europe r has its self-deter-mination fish to fry, and the pan is sizzling> you can understand better why Eamsay MacDonald sleeps not too well' o* nights. • ■. .-■■■ •' * X '■• ■'. ■, ■■:: , FIDDLE-DE-DEE, ;■ Noted that an epidemic of '.'. '- appears to be setting- in again un ia the-centre- of the '-, North Island. Periodically, printed reference to »the ?f a reputed "Stfad." causes the family heirloom's to be examinedand New Zealand at such' times would appear, to --Have, become the - abode of hundreds of these treasures. It is' remarkable how proßfle many ~ people* suppose old _ Antonio StradivarL the king of violin makers, to have been.' Undoubtedly his workshop produced a; great many,instruments during his lons lifetime—Hill, the best/authority, est? mates that StradivSri; made at least 111b, mostly violins—but: if every fiddle that,bears a v "Strad." label were accepted as genuine no doubt some! thousands of-these products ;of thV master maker, woniate listed in New Zealand-alone. Many, folk possessing Strad.-lab.el instruments., which have | been .handed: down as treasures through.' '' family generations would be sadly disappointed to have them pronounced bvi authorities on the subject as "thirty-! * bobbers" whose only claim to valu# lies in the faked labeL MUSICO. * ♦ • • POSTED . . . MISSING. , "Lissenin"—Sorry, but we're unable.io agree with you. It's not of great import, anyhow. "Melville"—We noticed the gentleman.' He did seem to be unnecessarily1 restless. "Noel"—That must havo been a particularly potent brand of homebrew, j "Jellybeans"—Alack and alas! but the w.p.b. yawned 7for it, aid was not disappointed. "Gus"—Yes, we published a variant of that a year or so ago. Thanks all the same. "Criss-cross"—Nearly Ben Torpin'd our eyes, trying to, decipher it. Is it a recipe for scolloped carrots or somebody's horoscope? "8.C." (Palmerston North)—That Psalm parody is as persistent as a pup m a newly-dug pansy, patch. "0.E.0."—T00 long, too forced, and too seriously personal. "Barnacle Bill" (Kaiwarra Dump)" —Have sacked the camera man instanter. He suffered from topographi* cal amnesia. And yon are "the original of Wo dump—no relation to 'Bow yang BUI' "? Shake hands. "Occiput"—Not a great deal in it. ' Miss X."—Below your best, that one. Guide book extract suppressed because our waterfront paladins are sensitive folk. * • • THE BACHELOE TAX. Dear Mr. FJage,—ln answer to sweet "Pearleen," a recent "Post"—will you reprint "The Question" which appeared quite a while ago in your paper! Why don Jt men marry? Ask me not If self is all to blame, Or whether if we • own the lot The girls must do the same,Or whether living being dear There's dread poverty to fear. Why don't men marry? Don't suggest They cannot find..the means, Or fear that union might be blesV Oj something else —with means And hint not that the thought of"bill» The heart with apprehension filial Why don't men marry? Well, to m* The question seems but vain, For as I look around and see The prizes others gain, I wonder if there^s any who Can rather tell why wo do! ' No, dear Pearleen, you, having stolen our clothes, our smokes',' our beer, and our "title," bachelor, we would rather cheerfully pay the tax, realising that "all luxuries should be taxes." ALFONSO. »- » * TALE TOLD BY AN IDIOT. The following is from the !.'Utopiaa Financial News" of a little over one hundred years .ago—lß29 to bo .exact. The reader cannot fail to notice how remarkably little difference in business practice there is between then .and now, and between that country and-our own. It.is, however,.somewhat"difficult'' to understand just why so everyday an occurrence should, have been recorded:— ''■ "Abihu Nosebury had a house for sale. He employed an agent to sell ' it. The owner's reserve was £1825, and the commission.' 2* per cent. . A' prospective purchaser, in company with the agent, visited the property, and was greatly pleased with it. He made an offer of £1860 for it; but as this was much T in excess of the owner's figure^ the!"agent -pointed out "several defects in the property, calling attention in particular to- the bad lighting of the kitchen and the stairs. The buyer chose to regard these defects as minor matters that did not really affect the ■-. value of the property, and, said his offer would still stand. "The agent could not, of course,: oa his own authority, accept the excessive sum offered, but promised to confer with the owner. The owner, with the agent's concurrence, refused to raise his figure. At first the purchaser showed some inclination to grant the owner's terms; but changed his mind, being convinced that his was the true value of the property. The agent said in conclusion that, though it was to his interest to effect a sale at as high a figure as possible, he could not allow the idea of personal ga.in to override his sense of justice and fair dealing. So the sale fell through." : Might not this have happened here and today? . : ' K.J.P.' '