NEAR AND FAR

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 27, 24 September 1931, Page 2

NEAR AND FAR

The Latest Pet. The latest thing in pets was seen recently at Folkestone, in Englarid, when a woman walked past the Parish Church followed by a porcupine. The porcupine kept close to her, and wore round its neck a red ribbon, to which a small bell was fastened. Dogs were mystified but kept at a discreet distance from the f earsome looking creature. Retaliation? A meeting of representatives from the varions Public Service organisa- i tions in Dunedin was held recently. The meeting was well attended, and the serious position in which Public Servants are placed by reason of present conditions was discussed from all angles. The persistent agitation for further reducftons in wag,es and the effect of previous reductions were fully considered. It was decided to immediately take up the question of co-ordinating the purchasing power : of the members of th.e service so that those business people engagedjin this agitation shall not.henefit in any way from the present wages or salaries of the public servants. A committee was set up to obtain further information, and another meeting is to be held. Origin of "Red Flag." Although naval men are not familiar with the words of the revoluntionary anthem, "The Red Flag," the tune is well known. It was first used at the time of the Ameriean Givil War in the State anthem, "Maryland, My Maryland," and" is the melody of one of the most popular college songs at Cornell Unfversity, U.S.A. Hey Cue. Billiardists shuffied uneasily, and the whole wharf was threatened with confusion, when a Customs ofiicer raised the cry of "Miss Cue," shortly after the Monowai had berthed at Sydney from New Zealand the other night. "Miss Cue" — billiardists took up the cry, and in record time the young lady, whose name had raised the clamour, passed the Customs and, with her luggage well chalked, cannoned through the gates. South African Gold. The world-wide economic depression had affected South Africa in many ways, but in view of the steady market and ever-increasing demand for gold, the mining industry had escaped the slump which had damaged nearly every other form of enterprise. The gold production in the Union for 1930 was a record, and, being concerned with the supply of power to the gold mines, the company had been fortunate in continuing its expansion, and there was no occasion to antici-

pate'any sudden setbaek.- — Mr. Arthur E. Hadley, the Yictoria Falls and Transvaal Power Co., London. Taking the Oath. Frank Brennan, Australian Federal Attorney-General, as a barrister, must have heard the oath administered in court hundreds of times during his successful career, and one wonld not expect him to be nervous in the witness-box. But he did blunder, the other day, when handed the Bible at the Jacob Johnson Royal Gommission. "The evidence I am about to give- " he commenced to repeat, when the official interrupted him. "All you've got to repeat is 'So help me, God'I" he was told. Calf for a Shilling. For the modest price of ls a visitor to the weekly Westfield fat stock sale can buy a real live calf should a purchase hold any attraction. In recent weeks scores of "bobby" calves have been sent in from the farms, and such is the state of the market that many a farmer has found himself out of pocket on a eonsignment of nnder-nourished and "scrubby" little animals. The usual charge for conveying a calf to market is ls a head, and after the auctioneers' commission has been deducted the owner of the calf has fopnd himself owing money. Men's Dress Reform. It was onr delightful privilege to j attend a men's dress reform revel J which was held in London recently I (says a writer in a recent issue of j the Spectator) . In the costumes of ! the male guests the profusion of colour was only equalled by the variety I of cut, and our eye was charmed. But ; we must confess, at the risk of ap- | pearing churlish, to a certain be- | wilderment. The ideals of the movej ment responsible for this exhibition j (our use of the word is subject to f correction) achieved, as it seemed to us, no coherent expressio'n. Hardly had we decided to drop into our tailor's (lilce a character in a pre-war novel) and order just such a pair of puce taffeta shorts as were sharply defining the limbs of a stout gentleman in pince-nez, when our purpose was shaken by the sight of a youth in plus-fours of sable velvet. Champagne House. Baroness Mumm, the last survivor of the famous champagne house, who has a lovely villa on the Italian Riviera, at Portofino, is both a teetotaller and a vegetarian. Guests who eagerly accept the invitation of the baroness under the impression that they will be regaled with some of the "real stuff" find themselves provided with lemonade or, as an occasional concession to their weakness.

a little of the innocent wine of the country. Dominion Cities Praised. Praise for the cities of the Dominion and the country generally have been voiced by the two distinguished medieal men who have been visiting Palmerston North. Professors W. Wright (London) and G. A. Buckmaster (Bristol). "The cities of this Dominion," they declare, "are wonderfully laid out, Palmerston North in particular, with plenty of open spaces and wide streets. We have been greatly interested in this country, which is of undoubted potentialities, which are now receiving the opportunity for development. Attracting Native Birds. If any of our suburban residents desire to bring native birds about their plaees the procedure is simple, according to the testimony of an Abbotsford settler. It is to grow the food the birds love. He planted the tree lucerne merely for the sake of its flowers, not thinking about the birds, and now every morning and evening he is regaled with the singing of a flock of bellbirds.