From The Watch Tower

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 340, 28 April 1928, Page 8

From The Watch Tower

By

“THE LOOK-OUT MAN.”

j RAINING MUD Rumania has been perturbed by the appearance of dark clouds which rained mud. New Zealanders need not go to Rumania to see this strange phenomenon. The general elections are to be held toward the end of this year, and already a little advance mud is being thrown. “ FRIGHTFULNESS ”■ Thirty people fainted in a crowded London street. They had been overcome by the exhaust fumes of motorcars held up in a traffic jam. Pedestrians will note that the Prussian philosophy has entered motordom—“in war the end justifies the means.” It looks as if gas-masks will add another terror to the high cost of living and the higher cost of dying. SUSTAINED SWEARING A Dorset farmer has established a world’s record for sustained bad language. He did not like a neighbour across the road, and in order to give full expression to his opinions about him, he sat on a wall from seven in the morning to eight o’clock at night, swearing copiously and with rare turn for variety. It was expressive oratory. He was fined £SO for the use of abusive language. Perhaps, it is not surprising that farmland in merry England is going out of cultivation. A - s swearing must be less profitable than a day’s ploughing. ... WHILE WHITE WOMEN STOOD Three Chinese, blandly “no savee,” got a mild surprise one evening recently. - They were sitting in comfort in a crowded bus, coming from Panmure, while three white women passengers were standing. “Suppose you get up and give lady seat?” asked a man who had just boarded the bus. “No savee,” replied one of the Chinese. The white man seized him by the shoulder and hauled him to his feet. Then he urged the two others to an erect position by similar means. Then three white women had seats—and three Chinese had a lesson in manners. * * * DON'T WE “BELONG"t A queer idea permeates the minds of those who are organising an “Empire Shopping Week” in Canterbury. It is that New Zealand does not belong to the Empire. At least, that is the impression one receives on learning that the organisers ignored the products of New Zealand factories in their patriotic scheme. They have, however, been reminded forcibly by the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association that New Zealand is marked in red on the map, for the association decided to insist on New Zealand goods being displayed during Empire Shopping Week. To this, the organisers replied that they were in no way “antagonistic” to local manufactures, but were advocating the purchase of Empire goods to the exclusion of foreign manufactures. According to their programme, New Zealand must have been considered “foreign.” The programme must be amended.

NOT A DEAD ’UN There were no “dead ’uns” running at the Hawke’s Bay races yesterday to judge from the size of the dividends paid. The solitary investment made on Keen’s chances of winning the Poukawa Handicap was made by two women —daughters of a Hastings undertaker. Their horse, although 17th favourite, was evidently very much alive. * * * “THE SPECK’S ” FINANCES Tasmania, sometimes termed “The Speck” (which is very irritating to Tasmanians), has discovered that it has a national debt of £24,000,000 — with a total population about as large as that of Auckland. The interest bill works out at £1,000,000, and there are only 45,000 taxable people to pay it (in addition to shouldering the ordinary expenses of government)—this working out at something like £SO a head per annum. The Premier has promised to reduce the membership of the Legislative Assembly from 30 to 25, and the Legislative Council from IS, to 15. Tasmania could quite easily be run by a good business man as a Commission of One, and it has always been a puzzle to visitors as to why it indulged in the luxury of a Parliament. Unless something is soon jettisoned, “The Speck” will sink with the weight of its debts and render navigation less dangerous in the waters south of Australia.