Frivolous items mixed in with news
As usual in the Saturday newspaper, some more frivolous items joined the latest news and entertainment columns.
‘‘ Enough is enough,’’ declared Palmerston North’s Chamber of Commerce president, H L Young. In the Manawatu¯ Standard of March 1, 1921, Young had protested that high taxes introduced to cope with the demands of fighting World War I were still ongoing, even though the war had been over for three years.
The New Zealand Government had had to seek ‘‘enormously increased revenue from every source’’ to meet the costs of the war and its aftermath, and the commercial and farming community had met those needs cheerfully.
But now, Mr Young added, it was time for the Government to reduce oppressive taxation and bring expenditure within reasonable limits; ‘‘the Government should be urged to abandon all revenueproducing departments such as the Labour and Tourist departments’’ and review staffing of other departments to rein in expenditure and increase efficiency.
Meanwhile, most Palmerstonians were just happy that life in the town was getting back to normal.
On Saturday, March 5, 1921, the weather forecast predicted ‘‘variable and strong breezes, northerly winds, moderate to strong and freshening. Expect warm and humid conditions. Weather appears likely to be cloudy and unsettled, with rain following’’.
As usual in the Saturday newspaper, some more frivolous items joined the latest news and entertainment columns.
Among the letters to the editor, ‘‘Enquirer’’ had a pressing concern: ‘‘After Mr C T Salmon addressed the Luncheon Club last Tuesday, a friend informed me that the speaker said the Bible spoke of the age of the earth as from seven to eight thousand years, whereas science could prove it to be millions of years old.
‘‘Mr Salmon went on to say: I was informed, that it was strange the translators had passed a blunder which only went to discredit the holy writings. Well sir, I have been looking for the statement in my Bible but have not yet found it, and would like Mr Salmon to tell me where the Bible states the age of the earth.’’
The ‘‘Casual Colonial’’ column of the Feilding Star that Saturday told readers: ‘‘Man for man and woman for woman, New Zealanders are the best educated people in the world. ‘‘Yet, according to the returns of our postal department last year, there were 4656 letters and 1875 letter-cards posted in New Zealand without an address on them, while 18,445 letters were wrongly addressed, 61 letters bore libellous addresses, 37 letters had previously used stamps and no fewer than 943 registered letters were unclaimed.
‘‘Sheer carelessness, for the most part.’’
The same issue ran a piece headed ‘‘Petered Out: Prior to 1854, the town of Wanganui was named Petre but in that same year an act was passed, altering the name to Wanganui. Curiously enough, the river is referred to in the same act as Whanganui River’’.
A somewhat similar letter, signed Ingoa Kore, said: ‘‘The post office has perpetuated an error in continuing the use of ‘Wingatui’ as the name of a postal office, and the Union Steamship Company has ... adopted it for amaori name for their new steamer.
‘‘Mr Hmstowell, one of the foremost men of letters in the Maori tongue, says: There is no such combination in Maori as Wingatui or Winga anything else. If it must be turned into Maori, then it is uinga tui. As you well know, the old time Maori taught the tuı to speak, to ask questions, to answer, to recite.
‘‘ Uinga tuı plainly means to be asked a question by a tuı.’’
Over at the Standard’s morning rival, the Manawatu Daily Times, readers were told:
‘‘Another argument for the railway deviation to relieve the congestion in the Palmerston North yards was provided in an audacious theft which recently took place.
‘‘Owing to the lack of space in the railway yards, a number of trucks were shunted to the siding at Awapuni and left there for the night. One of the trucks was a box wagon containing a valuable consignment of three large cases of stockings manufactured by a local firm. When the railwaymen arrived next day to take the trucks away, they found the seal of the box wagon had been broken and ... the three cases had disappeared. The thieves must have operated late at night, with a horse and cart to take away their ill-gotten booty.’’
From the Wellington Magistrates’ Court came news that chemists John Castle and Colin Barclay Mcdougall, in the nolicence area of Wellington South, had been fined £1 each for selling a medicinal wine containing 31 per cent proof spirit.
Grocer John Turnbull was similarly charged and fined 10 shillings.
Local theatre-lovers were eagerly awaiting the return visit, on March 15, of famous English musical comedy star Marie Tempest and her touring company, in the five-act Arnold Bennett production The Great Adventure.
Her advance agent, John Farrell, was already in Palmerston North to arrange the details.
Tempest’s third husband, actor Graham Browne, was to be her costar in this, their farewell tour of New Zealand.
Tempest – real name mary Etherington – was already 57 years old at this time, and almost at the end of a long and celebrated career.
But her luminous presence and sweet singing voice were still drawing rave reviews wherever she went.
The Standard theatre critic’s review, printed on March 17, noted: ‘‘The two leading artists ... gave a presentation of which only firstclass performers like themselves are capable.’’
Footnote: In last week’s memory Lane story, the current name of the former Operatic Society and Abbey Musical Theatre was omitted. The company is now known as Act Three Productions.