OBSERVATORY.

Putaruru Press, 19 January 1928, Page 5

OBSERVATORY.

The King and Queen do their own shopping each Christmas. The care and discrimination they obviously exercise in the selection of their gifts provides a useful lesson for some of their subjects. Although many people recognise the Queen from time to time when out on her private affairs, she is never inconvenienced by Londoners. The King is not seen strolling about the streets so often as was King Edward, who displayed a particularly keen interest in the little daily happenings and excitements of the streets. Once when the late King was in residence at Buckingham Palace he went out by himself to witness a fire in the vicinity. He unconcernedly mingled with the crowd, and engaged a bystander, to whom he offered a cigar, in casual conversation. Although recognised by 7 all who were near he was allowed to watch the spectacle undisturbed by any untimely curiosity. A Girl and Her Dress. How much should a girl spend on her dress? A judge in one of the London county courts is very indignant with the modern girl. In his | opinion her extravagance with regard to her clothes is scandalous. He was shocked by the fact that a working girl had spent 3s lid on a pair of silk stockings, 13s lid on a hat, and fgns on a dress. One may suspect that the silk stockings were not of good quality! The question, however, arises as to what proportion of the family income a woman should spend on her clothes. It is scarcely a matter for the rigid economist to be dogmatic about. There are imponderable benefits to consider, such as keeping control over the idle and vagrant fancies of a husband! Anyhow if a woman can pay for her sartorial fancies one can scarcely call her extravagant because her bright silk stockings cost more than a man’s socks. The Stickit Family.

There are some curiosities in the Old Country. A man recently told the Willesden magistrate that three years ago he took in an Aberdeen family out of kindness and that they were still with him and refused to go. He had made repeated applications to court and again sought its aid. “ I have given them repeated written notices, but they refuse even to read them and throw them back at me,” he said. Despite his pleadings he got little satisfaction. He was told by the bench to- serve the “ Stickit ” family with a “ final not:ce.” Comedy of a Hat.

There was a pretty comedy at Winchester assizes recently. A police sergeant in the court signalled to a policeman in the public gallery to request a man to remove his hat. The policeman ignored the signals and the hat remained on. The bench glowered and the sergeant became apoplectic. The clerk of the court then sent instructions to the policeman to “ remove that hat.” A message quickly came back that the man was a woman! She wo re a soft collar, a tie, and was Eton cropped. The -sergeant blushed while the court gazed at the ceiling. The Good Old Sergeant-Major. An English Borough Council has had difficulty in supervising the itinerant costermongers and others who sell from barrow 7 s in the streets. New regulations were issued which it was decided to strictly enforce, and a man to enforce them was decided on. When the matter was discussed by a committee of the council it was decided that the new official would have to be Something of a lawyer; Something of a sanitary inspector; Able to use his fists. With one accord the council decided to look for an ex-rcgimental ser-geant-major.