BLUFF NOTES.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 27, 17 September 1920, Page 14

BLUFF NOTES.

Rumoured that Sam Hodgkiiison nas turned prohibitionp-t. The s.s. Paloona is expect*d ti SBBlve about the 20th Scptcmfcer. The Iviwarra is expected to arrive with 4,000 tons of bulk ph'o-pha.tes from M akatea Island 011 Monday hext. His Worship the Mayor, Mr J. B. McDougall, has been appointed by the Couricil to represent the Borough on the South. land League. A child belonging to Mr Edge inet with an accident by falling off a bicvcle. Ihe child was motored into Invercargill where it was found its leg had bcgn broken. Bradshaw's new building is up-tordate, and a good class of building which will be convenient and provide a good display of goods. It is the class of building Bluff could do with more of. Be earefyl Mac. Do you remember stating that there were three parties . to blame. The members of the Electric Light. Committee, the Town Clerk and those who were using the light. Eissirjg seem's a very interesting pastime at the Bluff. I noticed a yourg lady make frequeni stops in the main street to kiss the young gentlernan who accompanied her. '

A notice in a shop window at the Bluff states ' That owing to the shortage of paper, purchasers are asked to bring their own -paper. " The tiine is not far away when we will be taking our own blankets to the lodging house. Overheard in the Bluff train : "Reaffy it is a weight on one's mind." The idea of a "weight" seemed unique and we're wondering whether she was thinking of the Borough Council. There is ponsiderable discont-ent at the exhorbitant increase of railway far.es on the Bluff Invercargill line. Representations have' been made to the Member for the District. and it is hoped equity will be established, Mr W. Hinchey ha;s writteii a hook on _the Social Structure. It Is a local production penned by Mr Hinchey and published by the "Southland News." It is also original and we shall have something more to say about it fater. A local cafe has at least benefited by the discussion on Local Industry associated with Edge's cab. "COSMOPOLITON CAFE" Is painted in large letters over the dodr, Unless our evesight is bad it is eert-ainiy a unique sort of cafe. The idea of some members of the Council to lease the reserve for grazing purposes seems extraordinary. Allowing cattle to run on the Reserves which is the collecting area from whence the townspeople draw their water supply is not calculated to give the residents pure Hvater. 9 - The Town Clerk stated at the last m.eet_ ing of the Bluff Borough Council, that he was expected to reacl meters, collect dog taxes, etc. In view of the fact that the Council is heing preseuted with a machine. gun, a local Councillor suggests using it on the dogs and thus relieving the Town Clerk of the dut-y of collectin.g, The "Bluff Press" itr reporting the* Borough Council meeting states: ' — applied to the Council to undertake formation of asphalt in front of their new shop.— Granted on uscual terms." If "usual terms" are th'e same as the adininistratiou of Ino electric lignfc drpartment, we should say that it is most "unusual." The Defence Department advised that they have a quantity of gun-povvdev for disposal. — Received. Borough Council re- ' port. No doubt it couTd be used to advantage, but since it has been "Received" we're wondering whether Edge's cab. still hanvs on two' wheels. "Mr — applied for permission to ei'ect pigstyes.-AReferred to Building Committee.' Borough Council 's report. The Building Committee will he the next to complain of over-pressin.e of work. He came to the Bluff last Friday week, And he's coming again to-day, And the question is one which you need not ask Of where he is going to stay ; For the place where they serve and treat you well Is Ilinchey's, Gore street, Eagle Hotel.

The "Bluff Press" states that it is the roost sontheriy newspajver in the "Umverse." Seeing tlxat Universe constitutes the plan'et on which we live, the sun, the moon, stars and millions of heavenly .bodies both seen and unseen, we're wondering what the inhabitants of the planet Mars thinks of it. Thiugs are upside dowa in Municipal affairs just now. It lias turned out that the electric light meters have not been read for about four years. About two years ago it was found that the Electric Department was not p'aying and this involved an increase of rates. It seems^strange that at this meeting the Council was not advised of the position. The Mayor: "This business is unfortunate, but we must make the best of it." - Report of IVuigh Council meeting in "Bluff Press." Nothing like taking a philosophical view of what is unique in the annals of Local Govemment administration . Gr. D. McKenzie': "I know of some. I am a working man myself and my meter was not read." — Council report, "BluffPress." The Town Clerk: "Only those whoSe meters were out of order were not re:.o, and yours was out of order." — "Bluff Press" report of Borough Council Meetiiig. 1 In view o£ the fact that the meters were not read for a period extending over years, it is suggested that in order to have I aiiy knowledge of the condition of the meters a sort of telepT.atic communication has been established hetw.een the meters and the Borough Council. Cr. Cameron : "A good many of these people from what I can "lea-n" wero glad that no accounts were rendered to them. ' ' Quite right, Or Cameron, the accounts were LEAN, in fact too much so for the benefit of the rat-epavers. Cr D. McKenzie: "How are the working men who have received bills amounting to £10 and £12 to get on?" Up to the. present, at least, they have put it acrosg the Council of business juoii. The "Bluff Press" reports the Wanganui boys' visit to the Blu.fi', indicating that they i'ortified themselves with a good feed of oysters. Then it states "There is. a wide difference bet-ween the behavir.ur of an oyster in his home town and the timc he reaches the North Island market." Quite so. Tnere is a diu'erence in the"beliaviour of oysters" but is is one of the penalties we pay for over-indulgence, Wattie Fewster^ of Ocean Beach, refereed at the Invercargill Boxing Tourney. Just quietly, Wattie is not bad, and can fill the bill all right. There are some good lads around Bluff and Wattie is one of them. Very good progress is heing made- for the purpose of quarrying the Bluff granite. Wie road is almost completed, poles for carrying electric wires to the works and the site 'for building is also fmished. The owners aore- going to work in a workmanlike manner. It is proposed to have air compre&sors and other up-to-date machini ery. It is a good class of stone ancl the venture should be a good one for the Bluff. , A local resident who is possessed of the weakness of putting every bob under the clock, is said to have exemplifiea it in a recent 'phone message with the iocal butcher. Ring on the 'prone : "Is that Smith, the butcher?" — "Yes." "Well before sending up the meat, please put in 3d worth of dat's meat."— "Very well, Thank you." — Ring off. T elephone rings again: "Is that Smith, the butcher?" — "Yes." "Have you sent- the meat yet?" "No!" - "Then never mind the cat's meat, the .cat has just caoght a bird on the Iawu." It i.s said that he is a little more extravagant now, and has adopted the vvicE. A local shop-keeper has the "following display ed in the window : NOTICE. Agents for Bluff Carrying Co. , etc. Orders taken for Cab. We're wondering whether it has any reference to EDGE'S cab which" npset the oquilibruim of the Borough Council. Cr, Walker called it "a rickety old cab." In. a letter to the "Bluff Press." a corr.espondent, ' Local Industry" asks where would BIuff.be rvithout a cab? As far as we know it would still be in the same place. But the most interesting feature is the incentive to local industry, which is evidenfly still existent as evidenced by the order for the cab. The same correspondent states "Cr. Parker has been a Councillor for a long time and should know by this time that it is the duty of a public body like the Council to preserve

local industry and not make it kick the ubcket. Presumably Edge's cab was a sample of local industry. But why say "kick the bucket" when the local industry is XXXX. Mr S. Ferguson, hairdresser and tobacconist, and G. V. Edge, confectioner and news agent, are both agents for the ' 'Digger. ' ' Besides 'delivering the goods :'n their own respective lines of business, they can deliver. the "Digger" too. If you enjoy reading the sTns and transgressions of others, don't fail to order your copy. Don't act. on hearsay, get a copy and read it for yourselves. The "Digger" has the largest circulation of any weekly south of Dunedin, and can be obtained all over Southland, South Otago and further north, even as far as Auckland. If you are in business ,and desire to bring your wares before fTie purchasing public, the "Digger" is'the paper to effectually do it. If you wish to join the ranks of those who have alrtfady benefited by their advertisements in this journal, then write to Box 310, Invercargill, stating the space you require and we will be pleased to send you our price for contract. Remember our advertising is not cheap. It is a fair and adequate remuneration for the services we can render. Cheap advertising, like cheap goods, has a considerable attraction to the public, ,but the practical business man knows that a jourftal that can command a reasonable remuneration for services rendered is the [■ cheapest in the long run. Ring 'phone ; 1436 or in preference write to us and your communication will receive the necessary courtesy and promptitude essential to sound business trading. The Bluff boys did not contest any of the events at the Invercargill Boxing Tourney. It is ppssfble they would have contributed nine events and their- absence was a decided lo-ss. It appears that the Association? neglected to put on a special trair and the Bluff boys had to leave work and get back again for work. This necessitated them hiri ng a car to return the same night. They put in expenses to the Association amounting to a guinea each, this merely covered the cost of the car and other necessary extras were not included. The Boxing Association only allowetf each man 10s 6d, and naturally enough there is strong local fceling with the result that the boys declined to spar. The Boxing Association seems' to stand on too much red tape'and must remember that it exists for the benef.t of the sport and not the tport for the benefit of the Association. It is quite urmecessary to adopt the hairsplftting principle and every fa-cility should he provided which will enable men from the outlying districts to contest; Two of the boys alone lost eight hours each at 3s lld per houx besides extras and their claim should rSceive justice before any impartial tribunal. Another matter is the recent Bluff Tourney. A set of gloves cannot be bcught for under four guinc-as and if there were no traihers there would be no Association, The Bluff boys claim that the surplus should have provided equipment for the schools, A set of gloves were sold to an outsider for £2 2s now, why were the. local schools not given a chance. Whatever may be the strict letter of the law, in the matter, the Bluff boys have just reason to complain and should sticl^ it.