The great postcard craze, which rose to a dizzy height some years back, has gradually fallen to very much of a side line with the big shops.
In Auckland during the past year there has been a very perceptible slackening off in the demand (says our correspondent). A leading bookseller who still stocks fairly large quantities of postcards, informed a Herald reporter that the trade done in only a few instances warrants big window displays.
The public taste had been caught by some other novelty, and now the artistic photograph of the smiling beauty actress and the illustrated joke on a highly coloured card hold little attraction for man and maid.
There was a time when a larger number of people learned the names and became acquainted with the faces of London's leading actresses by means of post card than by the illustrated papers. It is very much different now.
Actresses, and actors, too, no longer add big sums to their salaries by posing for the picture post card public. Those with a voice find that it pays better to sing into a phonograph. People who do not own a phonograph, but are neighbours to one would attest the truth of that statement.
Scenic views are still the joy of the post card seller's heart. They always sell, even if they are views of places like Rotorua, as they were once, perhaps, but as they never will be again. Just now the demand is threatening to be bigger than the supply.
• At the meeting of the Bruce County Council yesterday Cr King brought up a matter in connection with motor traffic on the Balclutha-Pukepito Road.
As the council was aware, motor traffic on that road was barred, but there was a notice only at one end. He had noticed tracks of cars on the road, and had been told by a certain person that he had heard cars passing in the night.
He would move that the inspector be instructed to put up a notice at the other end of the road, and also that the surfaceman be instructed to report any case that came under his observation; also, that the clerk be instructed to write to the doctors in Balclutha asking them to use the road only in urgent cases, and then exercise all the care they possibly could.
It was pointed out that as the council already had a resolution, it would be necessary to give notice of motion of any change.
It was finally resolved to put up the notice and instruct the surfaceman to report as suggested. - ODT, 10.1.1912.
