If WAUffi WsUSA .

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 349, 9 May 1928, Page 8

If WAUffi WsUSA .

By

“THE LOOK-OUT MAN.”

QUICK-CHANGE TEACHERS Parents complained at a meeting of Te Kowhai householders that there had been no fewer than 11 changes of teachers in a year at the local school. Urider this quick-change system, is there any wonder at the number of “retarded pupils” in country districts? The inability of the youngster to learn seems to he due more to the inability of a swift succession, of teachers to teach than to the usual explanation that they have to milk too many cows before going to school. NEW FORD STORY The first story about the new Ford has arrived. All the stories about old Lizzie are now considered dead. On an American country road the driver of a large and luxurious eightcylinder limousine saw in his rearview mirror a new Ford pursuing him. As the Ford came nearer he stepped on the throttle, and his speed went up and up—but on and on came the Ford just the same. When the speedometer was flickering round 75 miles an hour the Ford tooted loudly and drew level. It held a worried looking driver, who waved desperately to the owner of the eight, and shouted, “Say, friend, you know something about these high-powered cars. How do you get into top gear?”

CAROL IN ENGLAND

Carol of Rumania, who was only last week honoured with the Royal box in a London theatre, Is liable to find himself escorted to the waterfront and told to sail away. Carol, it is alleged, has been plotting in England to regain the Rumanian throne, which he renounced- “for love of a lady.” Carol says Madame Lupesc-u does not desire to stand in his way to the throne; Madame isn’t talking —not for the newspapers, at all events. At present Carol’s little son is being nursed on the throne, and if Carol goes nearer home to try and regain what he surrendered in his father’s life-time, he will surely start a civil war. If that comes about, Bulgaria will seize the opportunity to tear Rumania about, and Turkey, always ready for a scrap, will investigate the possibilities of loot. Then there will be another blaze in the Balkans, to lead to worse. ONE POST, ONE VERANDAH

In several places in the city there can be seen verandah posts which have been broken by the Impact of colliding vehicles. Where there are other posts to support the weight of the roofing, there is no very grave danger in one post being broken; but if two out of three supports were damaged, the probability of the roof falling would be very great. There is one verandah In Wellesley Street which is a constant menace. It has a long roof, supported by only one post. If it should happen that a motor-car hits that one post when a number of people are under the roof, there will be some extra work for the hospital staff, if not for the mortuary officials.

CHANGED MINDS

Perhaps Mr. Sidey, the “Father of Daylight Saving” in New Zealand, had better come North to secure a Parliamentary seat at the next elections. The operation of his Summer Time Bill has been bitterly assailed in the far South, a majority of the farmers being at a loss for words sufficiently strong to express their opinion on Its manifold iniquities. But in the North it has found unexpected support after one season’s working. Probably the farmers of the Waikato were as bitterly opposed to the innovation as were their brothers of the South; but having tried daylight saving, many of them have found it satisfactory. This opinion was voiced the other day by a meeting of the Waikato sub-provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union, when several speakers, all farmers, spoke in favour of the Summer Time Act, and the executive decided not to support a circular advocating the abolition of the measure. On the Hauraki Plains, too, daylight saving is now favourably regarded. The enterprising school master at Ngatea recently took a referendum of parents on the subject, and the result was a majority for the Summer Time Act. This shows to be wrong the popular notion that the farmer is too stubborn to be convinced even by reason. THE “COLDS’’ SEASON*

Nearly everyone has a cold now. Almost nearly everyone goes about sneezing and coughing, and exclaiming: “I dont know how I could have caught this cold!” Mr. Mark Clement, o£ the Health Department of Physiology, Middlesex Hospital, thinks he knows why people catch colds. Writing to the “Lancet,” he claims to be immune from the common complaint, •and ascribes his immunity to the fact that for 15 years he has not worn underclothing. During this period, he says, he has done his utmost to catch cold by visiting the most virulent cases, but so far his wilful attempts to become infected have failed dismally. There does not seem much to be dismal about in that. The wearing of woollens is described by Mr. Clarke as a “grave physiological offence.” That’s all very well, Mr. Clements, but if you lived in New Zealand in mid-winter you would want more than a silk shirt below your waistcoat. Ourselves, we prefer catching an occasional cold to continuously feeling cold. Besides, if your gospel catches on, there will be an enormously decreased demand for wool—and we export millions of pounds’ worth of wool annually to England for the making of underclothing for less hardly mortals than yourself.