FROM THE WATCH TOWER

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 567, 21 January 1929, Page 8

FROM THE WATCH TOWER

By “

“THE LOOK-OUT MAN.”

BOUNTY A storm at Apia compelled the Maui Pomare to put to sea, leaving on the pier one thousand cases of bananas, which were distributed free among the gratified natives. Of profits gone the planters sing a dirge. For down has come the hurricane's embargo. « Wind and rain the flurried landscape scourge — And joyful natives eat the stranded cargo. ’7 'is an ill wind that blows nobody good, The saw was never better understood. The Maui Pomare has put to sea The storm along the coast its tribute garners. But that's a trifle — L on the pier with glee Samoan epicures absorb bananas. The joyful news is passed from lip to lip. The Mau has got the fruit —but not the pip. T. Toheroa. * * * TUNXEY’S DELUSION While Tom Heeney is pondering amiably upon the prospects of setting up as a diamond merchant, his con,queror, Tunney, is suffering from delusions of persecution. He turned on a young man in the Strand, shook his cane, and said: “Look here, young man, if you are following me I am just about likely to hit you over the head with this stick.” Commenting thereon, the Chicago “Tribune” said: “In thg, interest of Anglo-American amity it is to be hoped Tunney does not carry out his intention of winding his cane round the neck of some persistent scribe, because the English are peculiar about such little matters, and likely would send Mr. Tunney to jug,, ex-champion or no ex-champion, Lauder millions* or no Lauder millions. And that would be some story-” To which we can only add, “it sure would.” • • * THE EUPHEMISM As a staple Auckland industry, piperfishing retains its hold. The true-blue piper-fishermen, leaning over the St. Heliers or Kohlmarama Wharves and watching his float with an eagle eye, would not yield the crown of angling delight to Zane Grey and his fighting marlin. Nor would he concede that his sport demands any less skill. There are old men fishing for piper who have been doing it since infancy. Maybe they gave it a spell to try golf or bowls, but they always came back to their piper-fishing. The artistic part of the sport, of course, is the bait. It is ““live” in the truest sense of the word, so much so that if it were found anywhere else it would be greeted with repulsion and dismay. Even the hardened piper-fisherman is inclined to be fastidious, and keeps his bait in bran. Perhaps that is what misled a nine-year old girl who walked along the St. Heliers pier yesterday with her father. Seeing a seething tin of bait, the child turned to that decorous citizen ;fid said: “Oh, look, daddy. Silk worms.” SINGING CROWDS It must be disturbing to the stout conservatives who control Rugby football in England to find Welsh crowds mixing Rugby with politics, this observation being engendered by the cabled item that). Welsh choirs at Twickenham, where England played Wales, burst into fervent anthems when the Prince of Wales arrived, though they had been singing “The Red Flag” only a few moments before. The Welsh international jersey being a blazing scarlet, it would not really be necessary for “The Red Flag” in the case to have been the Socialist ditty, but in view of the prevailing depression in Wales it is not unlikely that it was. New Zealand teams that have played In Wales know the depth and fervour of Welsh singing. The 1905 team was quite unnerved by the singing of the crowd before the famous match at Cardiff. The 1924 team at Swansea refused to be upset, and they countered “Aberystwyth” and “Land of My Fathers” with the “Au, au, a-hei” of their haka. As far as the Twickenham incident on Saturday was concerned, the Welsh choirs possibly sang “The Red Flag” because it was the only item in their repertoire that anyone but a Taffy could understand.

HALF AND HALF

All the warnings/of medical men do not affect the determination of people who want the sun to tan their skins. The painful part is that some people turn the desired hue more quickly than others-1 To some it is never given to display the perfect coat of tan. There is one rabid sun-bather whose shoulders are nearly mahogany, but the tip of his nose remains obdurate, even in the most searing sunlight, and does nothing more than shine like a ruddy beacon through the gloom. Today we' hear of the strange case of another man who fell asleep yesterday and woke up burned almost scarlet on one side, and lily-white on the other. He had planned to make a complete job of things, but when he woke up the/ sun had disappeared. He is now obtaining his sunburn on the instalment plan.