NEWS, OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 106, 7 May 1928, Page 8

NEWS, OF THE DAY

m —! — Accession Day. Tlie royal salute of 21 guns fired from Point'.Jerniugham at noon to-day jnay have caused surprise to ii number of people, setting them wondering what was happening. It was fired to mark the eighteenth anniversary, which strictly speaking occurred yesterday, of the- accession of His Majesty King George the Fifth to the Throne. Flags flying from Government and ' other buildings had the same significance. Joining Two Sounds. Tlio traffic of the Marlborough Sounds is largely conducted by water, barges being more useful than lorries, especially in the absence of roads. An old project was revived at the recent annual meeting of the Pelorus Sound branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, when it was decided to request the Government to appoint au engineer to report on the feasibility and cost of connecting Pelorus and Queen Charlotto Sounds by a water tunnel for barges, between Onakau Bay and Te Maliia Bay, where there- is only soino 25 chains to ctit through. This would give Pelorus Sound access to a deep water port, and it is considered would increase tourist traffic. Patients' Sustenance. Approximately one-fifth of the :innual maintenance cost of Auckland Hospital, excluding overhead charges, is absorbed in bills for food (telegraphs the Auckland correspondent of "The Post"). There is a daily average of about 000 patients in the hospital, aiul the food required daily comprises 2101b of moat, 1401b fish, 401b poultry, 501b butter, 100 gallons of milk and cream, 30 dozen eggs, 200 loaves of bread, 301b of flour. These figures are large when it is remembered that tlio majority of the patients are sick and they eat very little food. The cost of all the foodstuffs varies from £ 18,000 to £20,000 a year, while £1000 is spent yearly on .wines and spirits. Archbishop Loses Robes. The Melanesian Mission steamer Southern1 Cross, which departed frdm Auckland on Saturday with tho Assist-ant-Bishop-elect (Canon Wilton) and a party of missionaries, carried one bag among its cargo which never should have left Auckland (telegraphs "The Post's" Auckland correspondent). It was the property of tho Primate (Archbishop Averill), and contained his robes and pastoral cross, which were used at a farewell service at St. Mary's Cathedral. An unsuspecting taxi-driver gathcrod up the Archbishop's bag, which was with other luggage in the hall at Bishopscourt, and conveyed it to the steamer. Archbishop Averill'a first intimation that his robes were at sea was a wireless message—-the first from the Southern Cross.'s new equipment— informing him of the mistake. Trade Treaty With Australia. As tho mission which the Commonwealth Minister of Customs undertook to Now Zealand to secure from tho Government a new .draft for a reciprocal trade treaty did not meet with much success, it is likely that negotiations will later bo renewed (states the Canberra correspondent of the "Melbourne Age"). Developments whilo Mr. Pratten was in New Zealand wcro affected by the political conditions, and by tho imminence of a General Election. Any interference with the now butter duty was recognised to be dangerous to the Government in Australia, as it might be to the Government of New Zealand. Tho chances of improving the Australian trade are an important factor with the Dominion dairy farmer, states the correspondent, and the determination of tho Australian Parliament to afford the Australian producers more effective protection against swamping the market alarmed the New Zealand Government. Since a General Election is to come in the spring, it was considered exceedingly undesirable by the New Zealand Government to complicate it with tariff concessions which might limit the access to Australia, even though advantageous conditions wore applied in other directions. Stowaways Brought Back. Four, stowaways wcro returned to Wellington on board the two mail steamers which arrived here this morning. The Makura brought back a boy who stowed away on tho Tahiti on her last trip north, and was landed at Earotonga; and tho Tamaroa returned three men who wore caught on board tho Mahana soon after she left 'the Dominion on her last trip Home. They were landed at Panama, and picked up again by tho Tamaroa for tho return journey.