Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1955), Wednesday 22 February 1933, page 6


? . ? From a Window in Perth

The sun rose at 6.1 and sets at 7.O.The moon rose at 3.10 a.m. and sets '?* 5.44 p.m. A Potato Tragedy Scanning the 'Civil Service Journal,' 1 see that my friend, Dr. Cyrilv Bryan, who once was connected with the Agricultural Department in this State, has recaptured the delightful Mitchell potato story as it has become known. For the benefit of the younger generation it- f-3Ti xx7p\] lie trtir} ncrnin Otia flav

young Bryan -was talking with the then Minister for Agriculture, now Sir James Mitchell. They were looking over a backyard from the offices when several motcr vans loaded with kerosene cases arrived. Curious to know what was being brought to the department Sir James sent Bryan on a mission of discovery. He returned with the amazing information that the, cases contained potatoes. This is how it came about It was at the time of a potato plague in the East, and this State had been closed to tubers ; from that direction. A telegram had been received from Melbourne to the effect that peeled potatoes, in tins of brine, guaranteed free from plague, could be exported. The Minister had replied: 'Send two tins.' The fact that the telegraphist had altered the 'tins' to 'tons' is complete explanation of the rest of the story. Dr. Bryan adds: 'And the staff of the Agricultural . Department lived on salted potatoes for weeks thereafter.' ? * : . ? Clear Vision i Although I have been a fairly consistenttraveller along that road /for a good many years I had not noticed until a few days ago that Monument Hill, Cottesloe, with its surmounting obelisk, was easily discernible from Thomas-street, Subiaco. ? Not that my discovery was of paramount importance in any direction. I should say, however, that it shows the ever-changing nature of our landscape. I believe that it has been only with the clearing of virgin bush in and around Hollywood that the hill has become Visible from Subiaco. The distance from Thomas-street to the obelisk is about eight miles as the crow flies. You may see for yourself that it is clear- : ly delineated — especially against the pink flush of an evening sky. It brings thoughts to mind of what a comforting sight it must have been to sailors of old, when it was used as a landmark by ships approaching ; Fremantle. And Its Neighbor Monument Hill used to have a big brother — the original Buckland Hill — a big limestone outcrop, standing behind it. Now Buckland Hill is dwarfed by its -once smaller neighbor. The inroads of Nature have not accomplished this shrink- .'.'.?/ age; it is due to the works of man. Be-* tween Buckland and the river stands the Mt. Lyell superphosphate factory, and the workmen are gradually quarrying deeper into the hill-face for its limestone. The last time I drove that way to catch a glimpse of the marvellous view of the river afforded from that point I noticed that about half the hill had disappeared. About, Attorneys-General The appointment of Mr. Hubert Parker to the office of Attorney-General recalls y the fact that his father, Sir Henry Parker, . , once filled the position. It is a somewhat remarkable coincidence that 'The Daily News' of exactly 50 years ago today recorded the fact that Mr. Parker's grandfather, Mr. G. W. Leake, had been-- appointed Acting Attorney-General. It is also noteworthy that two brothers-in-law of. the new Attorney-General have held the office^ — Mr. Justice Draper and Mr. Norbert Keenan. Half a century ago Mr. Hubert Parker's father was a prominent legal practitioner and politician. Early in 1883 - he was Crown Prosecutor (a position, by the way, held by the new Attorney-General not long back), and .following a sensational murder trial here the 'South Australian Chronicle' published the following, sent by the Perth correspondent of that paper: — 'The case for the Crown, which required much skill in fitting together the evidence and bringing it home to the prisoner, was . admirably conducted by Mr. S. H. Parker-,;..,., member for Perth, and one of our leading '' barristers. Mr. Parker aspired to be Premier under the new Constitution, with which, I suppose, we shall shortly endow ourselves; he has certainly shown that he would make a capital Attorney-General.' Another interesting fact associated with Mr. Hubert Parker's appointment is that he will flll the chair, vacated under tragic circumstances by the late Mr. T. A. L. Davy, whose widow is a sister of Mrs. Hubert Parker.The The Law and Politics The late Mr. T. A. L. Davy and Mr. Ross McDonald had so much in common , that it is fitting that the choice of a can-, .. didate to contest the West Perth electorate, which the Attorney-General so ably represented, should have rested on his friend and fellow-barrister. As with Mr. Davy, Mr. McDonald's entry to the legal profession served quickly to disclose outstanding forensic abilities. Apart from their professional attainments they had many similar attractive personal qualities and a host of mutual friends. The: events of recent years have tended to show}1 a close affinity of the legal and political^' realms in W.A., and it seems nunecessary, to add that politics has not been the worse on that account.