RATANA ECCENTRICS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3748, 31 January 1928, Page 1

RATANA ECCENTRICS.

FEATURES AT THE NATIVE VILLAGE. That class, aptly described as “hangers-on,” is to be found all over the world —even at the Ratana native settlement. According to a city resident who visited the Maori village last week some of the people who have rested their caravans at the locality are certainly not credits to the place. “There is a good type of Maori at Ratana,” the resident told a .“Chronicle” man. “But why on earth some of these hangers-on are tolerated, I don’t know. They seem to be of assorted nationality—some are white men —and apparently have to keep to themselves. But in my opinion, they are no credit to the town.”

One comparatively young man struck a party of Wanganui visitors as being ludicrous. Modelled obviously on the lines of a Western film star, he was replete with a cowboy hat and even had a half-'beard adorning his lip and chin in the approved Texas —or would it be Montana or Aridona? —style.

“He was quite the funniest thing I’ve ever seen,” announced one visitor.

The eccenti’ic was seated in cowboy style—as portrayed on the films— against a house leisurely gazing across country. 9 Offensive odours in one street of the village caused the visitors to name it “Dirty Alley.” Close by was a building possessing a sign labelled “Health Office.”

iSuch is a small picture of Ratana as described by the visitors, who were unfavourably impressed by some of the eccentrics and eccentricities there.