LOCAL & GENERAL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 11, 6 October 1937, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL

"His Excellenoy." The majorxty oi Italians have no idea where New Zealand is, said Sir Ciutha Mackenzie, speaking of his experiences in Europe at a lunckeon of the Auckland Rotary Club. In most places Sir Ciutha was introduced as a British subject, but at one function he iearned that he was "His Excellency Baron Mackenzie, whose father had been a great statesmah of the Britxsb Empire, and a friend of Italy." An Uncertain Market. Because of the uncertain prospect oi demand from Japanese buyers, the Australian wool market was a trifle unstable, and a comparatively recent drop of between, 10 and 15 per cent in the London market had not iinproved mattess, stated Mr. A. J. Tanner, member of tlie Royal Agricultural tSociety of New South Wales, who passed through Auckland on tlie way to Canada and the United Statos. tle added that growers were hopeful they would be able to maintain the good average of £20 a bale, in spite ot Japan's careful buying. Disunity of Farmers. "Farmers are the cruellest people to each other you can find," said Mr. D. Tither, of Edendale, at a dairy farmers' meeting at Edendale, Otago. "They are like a pair of cattle you are putting into a truck. You no sooner get them in than they start horning each other." JVlr. G. R. Herron said he hoped to see the farmers get together to overcome disunity. "You can never get it," responded Mr. Tither. "You want to get them dehorned or something." This sally was received with such hearty laughter that the rest of the speecb could not be heard. England's Power. Laughed at by other European nations two years ago, Great Britain now excites over increasing respect, according to Mr. J. Q'Bliea, city solicitor in Wellington, who arrived at Auckland by the Aorangi from Sydney after having been in England since before the Coronation for the hearing of a Privy Council appeal case. The reason for the astonishing change that had occurred was, he thought, to be found in Britain's rearmament, and the Uoronation celebration^ had also assisted substantially to show Europe that England to-day had a solidarity and power which, in the eyes of Europe she did possess as few years ago. "Him's My .Lawyer." Amusement was caused in the Hastings Magistrate's Court this morning when an elderly Maori woman, who appeared in detence of a debt case, was recommended by the Magistrate, Mr. J. Miller, to get a solicitor to liandie her defence for her as she seemed unable to explain her case. After looking round the Court and surveymg the faces of counsel seated at the solicitors' table, the witness pointed a finger at Mr. P. Scannell, with the remark : "Him's my lawyer." "Oh, well," remarked Mr. Miller, "perhaps she's chosen you because you are the best looking." Too Many Guests. Shanghai at the present time is the city of too many guests. That was the implicatiou of a story told an interviewer on the Aorangi by Mrs. G. E. Taylor, a Dunedin lady vvlio is a refugee from Shanghai. At tlie time when the Japanese invaded China in August, the summer lieat had already dTiven many Europeans to cooler districts. While they wero away on holiday their Chinese servants kept open house for their own relatives, and it was not unusual for the master, on returning home, to find up to 20 refugee Chinese sleeping on his floors, tables and couches. petrol Tax Impositlon. The removal of the 4|d. tax on petrol which is paid into the Consolidated Fund is urged in the annual report of the Automobile Association (Auckland). "So far there has been no intimation that the Government will fulfil the promise of its predecessors in office to remove this tax, and special representations wiU be made to the Government this year in this connection," the report states. "It is felt thab with returned buoyancy of national financ-«- there can be no possible excuse i'or the retention of this tas, which was imposed by agreement with the automobile associations at a time of national emergency. Australian Prosperity. A high opinion of the progress and prosperity of Australia has been brought back by Mr. James Hogg, one of Dunedin's prominent business men and a former president of the New Zealand Manufacturers' Association, who has returned from a visit to the Commonwealth. "All sections of tho coinmunity are busy and trade and industry are flourishing," he told a reporter. In the manufacturing industries, Mr. Hogg said, £11,000,000 had been invested in the last four years, with an output of £14,000,000, and giving employment to 23,000 additional people. Tbe New South Wales lludget presented on Septeuiber 22, gave reliel' to taxpayers to tlie extent of £2,700,000 a year on wages aud special income tax. This would reflect itself in increased business expansion. In 1932 only two men out of every three were employed. To-day 11 out of every 12 were employed, and the State's burden of unemployment relief had thus been greatly reduced.