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Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 118, 9 August 1927, Page 10

By "THE LOOK-OUT MAN”

THE 22 ND COUNCILLOR In the event of the Auckland City Council developing a vacancy, it will have no real necessity for a byelection. Its present strength is 21— and one emergency. He was a starter at the City Council elections. Since then, his seat has been in the council chambers gallery, there being no other provision for the accommodation of emergencies. The council does not even supply him with an order paper. He tried to get a copy of the tramways report at the last meeting—at least he said this was what he wanted, but the Mayor said he had wanted the whole agenda xraper, which was politely, but definitely, refused. At the loan proposal explanatory meeting at Ponsonby last evening, the emergency displayed his interest by asking 35 of the 43 questions presented—and made one whole and three half-speechettes. The chairman interrupted the three. Such is the reward of public spirit! TO TP AS THTJE Mr. Blank is a high official of the railways, and he has a sense of humour which is not above telling a yarn against himself. “One day,” he relates, "a burly navvy burst into my room, without a knock or a ‘good-day.’ and said, ‘I want a free pass to Hamilton —I’m Brady of the relay gang!* ‘Oh, are you?’ I said. ‘Well, Mr. Brady, I don’t admire your manners in bursting in here in such a rude way and demanding a pass. You’d better go away. Come back in an hour or two, and ask in a more polite manner, and I’ll see what I can do for you.’ Sometime later there was a respectful khock at the door. ‘Come in,’ I called, without looking up. A huge figure came and stood over the table. ‘Are you Mr. Blank, sir?’ he asked. ‘Yes,’ I replied. ‘l’m Patrick Brady, sir.' ‘Oh, yes, Mr. Brady,’ I said. ‘Glad to meet you. What can I do for you, Mr. Brady?’ ‘Nothing,’ replied Mr. Brady. T just came to tell you I don’t want your pass. I don’t belong to your relay gang any more. Mr. Ford’s just given me a job on the tramways.’ ” TOO — TOOT! The Look-out Man is assured by the district traffic manager that in the case of a tablet becoming lost authority for the train to proceed is not required to be obtained from Wellington, all that is necessary being for pilot-guard working to he instituted. Still, as there is sometimes a delay of an hour or an hour and a-half, owing to the section of the line having to be traversed by jigger or on foot, for visual assurance that it is clear (though it is known by the time-table that it is clear), it would probably be much quicker if authority had to be secured from Wellington. Still, there you are! Delays to trains, by the way, must all be reported, and in this connection there is the tale of the young man at Puketutu. His telegraphed reports were of such inordinate length, and so redundant with detail, that he received from Ohakune what is known in railway parlance as a “blister.” This demanded that he should considerably curtail his reports. The next day a train was delayed for four minutes at his station—-from two minutes to two until two minutes after two, to be precise. This is what the young man wired: 222—2 to 2 to 2.2 Puketutu. —Toohey.”

tK SK tr: IS; it* JK FLOODING THE TOWNS The Minister of Education, referring to the large number of pupils who come to the towns for their education, said there was a danger of giving country pupils “a town bias.” Town “preference” might better describe it. At one time more than two-thirds of the population lived in the country. Now more than half the people dwell in the towns. The Government professes to regard this drift as something exceedingly serious. But there is much the Government might do to improve the conventionalities and better the social conditions of the people on the land, so that they will be more satisfied. Good roads are first in importance, for they make communication easy. Too many New Zealand roads are mere pretences. In the long winter months they isolate the people outback and do more than anything else to feed that discontent which causes them to throw up the struggle and crowd into the cities. There is nothing like isolation to stultify endeavour. Given good roads, settlers will progress; without them they are under a handicap which only the most courageous will endure. Until country conditions improve, to give the children of outback settlers a taste of town life Is to fill them with a desire that will not be satisfied until they, too. join the crush of the cities.