NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2244, 26 February 1921, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

When Mr Massey was in Hokitika last week he had an opportunity of witnessing some of the marvellous feats of mental arithmetic, of Mr Donald McLeod, a Hokitika native, who is a natural mathematician, and who possesses wonderful powers of memory.' He was tested bybeing given multiplication suras, and by being asked to give the day.of the week on which members of the Prime Minister’s party were born, after being supplied with the year, month and date. In each case the answers were given with considerable promptitude, and correctly. Mr Massey tested his memory by asking for the date of certain political .events, such as that «>n which the Reform Party came into power, and Mr McLeod answered all the questions correctly.

From a recent speech by Lloyd George: “As the Cabinet has appointed a committee to cut down expenditure, I suggest there should be a committee in every household 'to cut down expenditure. (Laughter,) I know what will happen. (A voice: “Divorce,” and laughter.) Each •member of the family will want to cut the expenses of the. other. The women will cut down the cigar bill, and the men will cut down the dress biH. (More laughter.) That is what happens in the public expenditure, but it is essential, if the nation is to recover, that there should be rigid, ruthless economy for some time to come.” (Cheers.)

The widespread publicity recently given to the advocacy of a “W bite New Zealand” has inspired “W.R.B. and 1.M.8.”, of Suva, Fiji, to write to a local institution which takes an active interest in the immigration question the following concisely worded letters, dated December Bth. 1920: “Dear sir, —J am writing a few lines to you that how you know Indians are coolies what means’are coolies you don’t know yourself they paying they own passage no body paying for him don’ tsays next time that words we never make anything wrung to you (something), Fijians’’ . . . “Dear sir,—l thing you wount Fijians this you jaleass for as I see native dirtliy like anything you see Fijians legs like a elephant and body like a pig hair like a len inch long if you done believe me see Ratu Rabeia in he go to N.Z. bv the Atua good live i am white man. W.R.8,, 1.M.8.”