It seems a long, long while since the great Imperial highway, the Strand, in London, began to be decorated by tall young men in khaki, with queer, bunched-up hats with a line of red in their khaki puggaree. No one knew who they were at first, but they are now a familiar part of the scene — these New Zealanders, whose complexions are as bright as the red in their hats. Their average size is more than equal to that of the average Highlanders or Australians. There must be something in the climate of New Zealand which makes things grow. The ordinary English brown trout becomes as large as a salmon after a generation or two in New Zealand rivers.
A New Zealand stag of Scottish origin makes a home specimen look like a dwarf. The modest European watercress develops into an arboreal growth that blocks the streams. New Zealand soldiers, like Australians, have a distinct bearing and graceful walk, peculiar to themselves. The New Zealand football team which visited Great Britain some years ago surprised our public by their size, but they were regarded as picked men. The day I have just spent with the New Zealand Army in France is conclusive evidence of the wonderful physique of the New Zealanders, and makes one hope that after the war, when the agricultural land of England is once again tilled as it was 100 years ago, we shall approximate in size to the Antipodeans, which, except for the Highlanders and the Dalesmen, we certainly do not today.
• The Dunedin newspaper proprietaries announce by advertisement in this issue that on April 2 next the price of the daily papers is to be increased to 1d. The public will not be taken by surprise, as when the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association met in Wellington about a month since this step was resolved upon subject to the proprietors in the various cities coming to an agreement as to what the increase should be. The Wellington proprietors were the first to agree, and they fixed the price at 2d per copy. Dunedin proprietors have carefully considered the position, and have decided on the smaller sum. This does not by any means recoup them the enormously increased payments they have to make for printing paper, but they intimate that they are prepared to share the burden with the public until normal times come round. In the action they have taken they are but following in the footsteps of many of their contemporaries in Great Britain, and the only further comment it seems necessary to make on the subject is to express the hope that the daily paper will again be supplied to the public at one penny before an unduly long time has elapsed.
• Before his address at the intercessory service in St Matthew’s Church on Wednesday evening, Canon Curzon-Siggers said: "Whatever the rest of New Zealand may do we will keep Anzac Day on its own day — April 25. I think it necessary to protest against any tampering with that day. A municipal election is no reason for changing its observance. Such changes will become a step towards abolishing the day altogether. In honour of those who died and those who have survived, we will keep to our plans of keeping that day on April 25 by services of intercession and by a social gathering of mothers, wives, and sweethearts of those of our congregations whose menfolk have died or are fighting for us." — ODT, 4.3.1917.
• COPIES OF PICTURE AVAILABLE FROM ODT FRONT OFFICE, LOWER STUART ST, OR WWW.OTAGOIMAGES.CO.NZ
