THE CRUSHING

This agreeable trifle wanders a little here, stops off a little there, and touches base all over the small northern Australian sugar-mill town of Tarom during the Twenties. Tarom is lorded over by Tom Jobson, the mill-owner, and more particularly by his wife Lavinia. When a trio of English immigrants stops over in town for a spell, Lavinia hopes that some social zip will be added to local humdrumness. Colonel Wade seems a fine old gent, and daughter Delia and son Tim's opening-up of a dance studio is a great hit: the whole town is Charlestoning in no time. But, like the huge milling machines, the Wades squeeze the town dry: the Colonel turns out to be a con man; Delia's a delilah; and Tim's a thief. Played strictly in the high, tinkly registers, McKie's Aussie tale of foolishness and comeuppance is very light, a tune you can whistle along with and forget a minute later.