FROM THE WATCH TOWER

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 204, 17 November 1927, Page 10

FROM THE WATCH TOWER

By “THE LOOK-OUT MAN" THEIR DAILY BREAD The steamer Port Darwin was delayed nine hours in her departure from Auckland, the stokers refusing to take her to sea because the baker was not on board. —News Item. In days of old, when sailors bold Dined heartily on hard-tack With, icell, of course, some old salt horse, A portion for each shellback, They had not then, those hardy men, The blessing of a baker, Had nothing soft, alow, aloft, For sinner or for Quaker. Weevils in the biscuits, Strangers in the meat, ‘•Roaches” in the pea-soup, Wasn’t it a treat? % Not on such lines the sailor dines Who goes to sea to-day, sir; He must be fed on new-made bread, Or else, “Avast, belay her!” Once ships were steered and safely sheered By objects astronomical, But now, yo ho! They only go By methods gastronomical. Bread and rolls and toast, boys, Tarts and cakes so sweet, Cream-puffs, trifles, tasties, Isn’t it a treat? * * * WHAT DID THEY CALL HER? “Yes, this wireless is pretty good,” said a recent convert. “But, Holy Moses! some -of the singers they put on are worse than creaking brakes to a man with a headache. A little while back we were listening to a soprano whose voice was broadcast from Wellington—she was a soprano of the shrill variety, and (merciful Heavens!) she gave us ‘I Hear You Calling Me.’ If she could have heard what we were calling her, she would have sung ‘Good-bye to Hope,’ so far as her vocal ambitions were concerned. I think they ought to abandon these ‘trials’ over the wireless. They’re all right in a theatre, where the audience can reply with eggs and vegetables, but listeners over the wireless don’t get a chance to retaliate.” * * * A SOCIETY JOB? Sir George Fuller, ex-Premier, has been appointed Agent-General for New South Wales in London. Another reward for a worn politician. Strange how High Commissionerships and Agent-Generalships always go ’ o retiring (or displaced) Ministers of the party which happens to be in power, instead of to business men of proved ability! occasionally a Government “flukes” an able representative by this method (our own Sir James, for instance), but mostly these appointments are a solace or a reward for disappointed or worn-out politicians, who are merely figureheads at the other end and whose chief equipment for the job is an extensive wardrobe of starched shirts and dress suits. Some of them, of course, are useful as the mouthpieces of the countries they represent at official banquets; but mostly they are plain “dud.” Sir George Fuller is a member of the old “squattoeracy” of N.S.W., his family owning immense holdings. He was called to the Bar, but practised for only four or five years before entering politics.- He’s a keen amateur fisherman, plays a good igame of billiards, and likes to potter about among the flowers. Socialy he will be a great success in London; but as a business man his qualities are as yet unknown.

BUTTER FOR THE CHILDREN Butter has been reduced a penny a pound, and is selling to-day at Is 9d. This is grand news for the family man and pleases mother immensely. Dad has a good job; he gets £4 5s a week, and only pays £2 a week rent for a dwelling that houses himself, his wife and six children. It only costs him 5s a week for tram fares from the city since the tramway authorities wiped out the buses and raised the fares. That is Is 9d a week more than it used to cost —but that’s a mere trifle, for he still has £2 a week left with which to feed and clothe a family of eight and pay for fuel and lighting, and day-light-saving has reduced the gas bill a little. As Dad says, “God sends" the summer for the poor; and He must have sent Mr. Sidey, too.” It will be seen that Dad is not quite so poor as he makes out, for the £2 left after paying rent and fares means 5s a head for clothes and nourishment. Mum used to get one pound of butter every week, which was two full ounces for every member of the family; but Dad tells Mum she might as well make it a pound and a-quar-ter now (seeing that they have had to cut the milk supply for the family down to a pint a day), and that will make the allowance 2g ounces each —very liberal, all things considered! It is very doubtful, however, how long the new arrangement will last: for butter is “up” another 2s a cwt in London,