NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 88, 14 April 1930, Page 10

NEWS OF THE DAY

The Moon Eclipsed. When the moon rose last evening astronomical predictions were duly fulfilled; on the top aide of the lunar disc was a very distinct shadow. As the sky was very dear the phenomenon was plainly visible during tho hour or so it lasted, but at no time could the oclipso be called exciting. At the maximum phase only one-tenth of the moon's surface was covered by the earth's shadow* H.M.S. Wakakura's Movements. H.M.S. Wakakura, which arrived at ■Wellington on Friday from the Marlborough Sounds, is to remain in port until the 26th April, when 'she will go to sea' with a party of Naval Eeservists. The total period of training, with parties of the Beserve going to sea on the 3rd and 10th May, will be until the 17th May. The training ground will, it ia understood, again be at tho Marlborough Sounds. Suggestions for Altered School Year. In yiew of the fact that his proposal for school vacations to be taken in February and March instead of January and December is'to be discussed at many annual meetings of householders for the election/of school committees, Sir Thomas Sidey has drawn up a suggested scheme for the rearrangement of terms in the primary schools. Sir Thomas suggests that in 1931 tho first term should commence on 9th March to bo of fourteen weeks' duration, ending on 12th Juno; that the second should be from 20th June to 25th September (thirteen weeks); and the third from 12th October to 22nd January (fifteen weeks). The second term is made shorter than the others because it is not broken by any public holidays. It is kept short also to coincide as rnuxjh as possible with the university term, which might, if necessary, be also slightly modified. The first term would include Easter, and the third Christmas and New Year. Tourists Want to Spend. "We do not get enough money from our tourists,' 'remarked Mr. H. S. Dadley at Auckland on Friday (states the "New Zealand Herald") on his • return from his sixth tour of the East. "Visitors coming to New Zealand are anxious to spend money, but lack both opportunity and encouragement. The first thing many tourists ask when going to a new country is 'What can you buy there?' but in. New Zealand there is very little to muy that is typical of the country. Wo roally need to manufacture something that can bo sold to visitors at a good figure—something they can take away and prize as a memento of their visit. In the basement of the Imperial Hotel in Tokio there are 20 shops soiling goods purely to tourists, and many people spend hundreds of pounds there buying curios and articles of Japanese manufacture. There is nothing liko id in New Zealand."

Jaguars From Brazil. A male and a female jaguar, obtained from the Hamburg Zoo for the Auckland Zoo, were brought to New Zealand by the Port Hardy, which arrived on Friday (states the "Now Zealand Herald")- Although the animals have been cramped in their small cages for 42 days they have suffered no ill-effects from the- long sea Voyage from London. Because of his friendliness, the male, whicli is the youttger of the pair, earned the name of "Felix," but the disposition of the female was more characteristic of these sinister Brazilian' cats, and she failed to win the affections of the crew. The animals are beautifully marked. ' ' Shuns. "We haven't large Blum a*eas, but we have dotted about Christchurch bits of slums so numerous, and so slummy, that if they could be put into one area they would shock the universe." This rather sensational remark was made by the Mayor (Mr. J. K. Archer) on Friday at tho meeting at which the Christchurch branch of the Town Planning Institute was formed (states the "Press"). It was quite unnecessary, Mr. Archer said in his opening remarks, to suggest that while there were slums in "Wellington and Auckland, there were none in Christchurch. He had madeja special study of the matter in Virtue of tho position he held 'a the city. After making the statement above quoted, tho Mayor went on to say that he had never seen worse houses occupied anywhere in England than some of the houses that aro occupied in Christchurch. If the Slum houses were placed in one area it would be of considerable size. They could, have' a slum area without dirty, rotten buildings; it could bo created by tho erection of new buildings. It was largely a matter of the number of people who had to exist in a certain area. Oats and Weasels. In answer to a letter from the president of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society (Mr. L. O. H. Tripp), Mr. W. W. Smith, superintendent of Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, Jwrote as follows to the meeting of the society last week:—"While aware, of course, that cats, next to man, are the greatest enemies <of native birds, I am able to corroborate your remark that cats kill and more or less control the increase of stoats and Weasels. During my superintendentship of the park I kept a very smart, well-trained fox terrier dog, and a large ■white she cat. The dog often devoted much time to the hunting arid killing of Btoats and weasels. Ho generally caught them arly in the morning, after a night's marauding. He enabled : me to examine the contents of the Stdmachs. During three years the Cat had kittens in October, and went out hunting, bringing home young weasels for her kittens to eat."