NEAR AND FAR

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 208, 27 April 1932, Page 4

NEAR AND FAR

Drinking of Methylated Methylated spiritjdrinking is on the increase in Wellington,, according to one who has a good deal to do with social activities in the city. As nothing can he done with those subject to this demoralising habit, its victims are not to be dealt with so generously in the future as in the past hy at least one organisation. It has been suggested that step§ should be talcen to prevent methylated spirits being obtainable as easily as at present, which would probably call for some form of legislative control. Considered a "Crank" The growing interest which was being taken by the average layman in the problems confronting the Government of his country, particularly such matters as currency and exchange, was stressed by Sir Andrew Russell at a meeting in Napier. "Only a few years ago," he said, "any man who professed to know something of bimettalism, currency, or the advisability of using a gold standard, was regarded as a crank, fit to he put — er — A voice: In clink. Sir Andrew: Quite. (Laughter.) Cheating of Storekeepers Doubtless every storekeeper could tell a different tale as to a method whereby he or she had been cheated out of payment for goods. Persons new to shops are usually easily "done in," and they should nowadays be wide awake in the case of any suspicious purchase. A St. Kilda shopkeeper was caught the other evening, and she explains her misfortune as a warning to other storekeepers. A well-dressed young man, withont a hat, entered her shop and "aslced for four packets of cigarettes. These were placed on the counter, the lady behind the counter believing he had come from a nearby home. He then aslced for some sweets. Whilst these were being weighed out, he said he would take some apples, - and left the shop to look in the window, as the shopkeeper thought. But he had collected his cigarettes, and was nowhere to be seen when the orders had been made up and the lady had waited until she suspected the worst. Thei parcels are still awaiting that young man's return — and so is the shoplceeper.

Petrol Stolen. To steal several gallons of petrol from the tank of a motor car is a serious and annoying enough offence, but when such an action involves the risk of losing a hurnan life the theft assumes a grave aspect. Early the other morning, an Invergargill doctor received a telephone message concerning an urgent case which required his immedite attention. He lost no time in getting to his car, only to find that although it had been in perfect running order the previous night, it now refused to start. An examination of the petrol tank revealed the cause. Someone during the night had removed the cover and, inserting a ruhber tube had syphoned off every drop of petrol. Fortunately the doctor was able to ahtain some petrol fairly near at hand, although he had to run several hundred yards for it. He reached the patient in time, but had there been no supply of petrol available within a short distance, the thief might have had a life and not merely the value of a few gallons of petrol to answer for.

School Entrance Age. "One aspect of the Government's proposal to raise the school attendance age is -that many mothers who have to go to work during the day will now he at a loss to know what to do with their children during that time," said Mr. C. G. M. Boyce, headmaster of the Christchurch East School, at the meeting of household-, ers. Mr. Maxwell said this was only one of several serious aspects of the problem. "A good many of the proposed economies are merely increasing the burden on those „ people who are least able to bear it — the working people," said Mr. Maxwell.