NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 103, 3 May 1934, Page 10

NEWS OF THE DAY

Reputation of Police Force,

' "The reputation of the police in this Dominion is "a high one,' 5 stated the Hon. Mr. Justice Fair during the course of the Supreme Court sessions at Pallnerston North yesterday. ' Members of the Force had to try to do their duty to the Crown and also perform their duty to an accused person by checking up on his statements and "discovering evidence to support his case in the Court, he explained, adding that at all times the police worked ii> favour of both. Celebrating the Occasion. A man's reason for wanting time to pay a, fine raised a laugh in the Magistrate's Court today. The charge 'was one of drunkenness, and the defendant asked for time to pay because he was married yesterday. "Perhaps we should give him a • chance, under tho .circumstances!" said the Sub-Inspector, and the Magistrate allowed the man a week in which to pay the fine. Tho next defendant for drunkenness waa called and fined. "I was the best man at the wedding," he said, and he also was allowed a week in which to pay. R.S.A. Membership. . The financial membership of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers', Association at March 31, as shown in the' latest returns which, were presented at a meeting of the executive of the local association last night, is 21,640. In the four main centres the membership is as follows:—Auckland, 2489; Wellington, 952; Cliristchurch, 2206; Dunedin, 2242. Tho membership in Gisborno and South Canterbury also exceeds Wellington's. It should be pointed out for the purpose of comparison that the annual subscriptions -vary. In Auckland it is ss, Wellington 10s, Christchurch 10s, and Dunedin 15s. ' Auckland Signal Station. It seems certain that tho Auckland Ilarbour Board's signal station at King's Wharf, will in the near future be transferred to . Mount Victoria, Devonport, -states tho Auckland "Star." When the report of the harbourmaster (Captain H. H. Sergeant) came before the board at a recent meeting it was enthusiastically received. The report was referred to the board in .committee and tho fact that the board in committee was given power to act suggests that thero is little likelihood- of the scheme being turned • downs ; The. ■ harbourmaster recommended that the change should take place as from Juno 1. Mr. E. H. Davis said it had always been v matter of regret to him that tho old flag-signal station at Mount Victoria had been done away with. '■' "It will be fine to see the signals flying aloft again,'and. I hope it will be a good omen," he said." "The world sceins to bo coming slowly back to a state of equilibrium;" Assistance to Returned Soldiers. During the past month, from March 21 to April 20, 88 orders for meals,-ac-commodation, groceries, fuel, etc., involving a cost of £66 19s Id, wove issued by the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Association, according to a report presented at a meeting of the executive last night. Under'the work subsidy scheme 38 men were employed, tho total number of days worked being 62 1. The amount paid by the employers was £20 10s 9d, tho R.S.A. subsidising this to the extent of £15.12s 6d. Grants to auxiliary sub-committees amounted to £■64, and to sub-branches £73 15s. Tho .assistance granted to Imperial and other forces amounted to, £ 8 8s 6d. An Old Anchor. An anchor, thought to be hundreds of years of age anfl a. relic of tho old buccaneering days, was recovered accidentally from the harbour of Port Koval Jamaica, by the Shaw, Ssivill, and Albion liner Tainui, which arrived from London on Monday, reports tho "Herald." The anchor was picked up "by the Tainui when her own anchor was being lifted after she had been granted pratique at Port Royal. The remarkablo thing was that the Tainui's anchor fluke hooked through tho ring of the old anchor on tho sea bed, the ring being only just large enough to go over tho fluke. The recovered anchor was a very massive iron one, which hail once been fitted with a largo wooden stock but thestoek had rotted away. "A considerable strain was-put on the Tainui's windlass to bring the old anchor out of the mud and lift it to the hawsepipo Nobody in. Port Royal wanted the anchor, so it was made fast on the Tainui Until sho left, when it was dropped in sixty fathoms in the Caribbean. Sea. Port Royal was: onc'o the capital of Jamaica, and it Was then a resort for buccaneers who preyed on shippine in tho Caribbean Sea.' " -. ' ; ■■•■>■•"■• • " Non-stop Bible Heading. '.'. • A non-stop Teading of the entire New Testament, termed by the organisers a "Bible Marathon," is to be held in the Ponsonby Road Hall, Auckland, of tho Salvation Army next Monday,' .roports tho "Herald;," Possibly sixty readers will take part, the first, commencing at 1 o'clock in tho morning. It is, expected that-the rending will be completed by 8 o'clock in the evenino'. Tho reading is to-be part.of the programme of a/Biblo weekend commencing next Saturday with an open-air gathering. Special services Will be held- on Sunday.■■ The reading of. the New Testament on Monday will bo open to tho public, ancl progress reports will be posted outside the hall during tho day. There will be no singing, no comment, and no collection, the idea being, according to Captain Wallace, to bring before tho public the Book of Books. Medical Witness Complimented. How'.ond- medical witness gave his evidence in so satisfactory a manner, ,so,;bereft of confusing medical terms that opposing counsel rose' and declared he accepted it in toto was a. remarkable phase Of a civil action in the Supreme Court, at Wellington yesterday before the "Chief Justice (Sir Michael Myers) and a'jury. Another medical man at least had been subpoenaed. arid was waiting to give evidence, out he was not TequirciY to enter the witness-box. ,Dr. Sydney D. Rhind,, of Wellington, described how a.youth in his teens had been injured and treated. His liver had: been partially ruptured, bile flowed and became encysted so that the -right lung was collapsed. Three inches of rib were removed, and, by .means of < a tube, the. encysted bile was drawn down under tho chest wall through the boy's side. At first tho boy's future seemed black, but owing to his excellent vital-1 ity and tho' treatment he made a remarkable recovery. The Chief Justice, in his summing-up, said ho had omitted to compliment Dr. Rhind upon the excellent manner in which he had given his evidence. It had been of the greatest assistance^ the Court. |

Mr. Coates and Douglas Credit. "I can't get much of a kick out of the Douglas credit system," said the Minister of Finance (the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates) in reply to a question at Papakuva, reports the "New Zealand Herald." "While I recognise that its advocates are entirely sincere, it seems to me it docs not take into account factors that cannot be disregarded in the realm of economics. Actually, it seems to me absolute nonsense." "Playing with Tire." "Mr. Coates, in his address at Papakura, urged the dairy farmers not to be misled by the proposal to give them a subsidy because Britain objected to a country which subsidised- it's exports directly," says the "Southland Daily News" in an editorial article. "This is sheer hypocrisy. What does the 25 per cent, increase in the exchange rate do if it does not subsidise exports? And, we might pertinently ask: 'Are we working in close association with Britain by artificially manipulating exchange?' We know Mr. Coates's answer, but we also know tho real answer, for it is written legibly in the continued slump in prices for dairy produce as compared with the products of Denmark and Canada. . . . Raising exchange was only playing with fire, and the. assurances of Mr. Ccates and thoso who share his views about the value of the action taken by the Government are'not convincing. '' Deep-Sea Fishing. The season just closing of tho Bay of Islands Swordfish and Mako Shark Club has been one of the most successful of the club since its .inception in 19<>4 states the. "New Zealand Herald " In the number of big game fish caught the season has been" the second best experienced by the club, the total catches, by club members and visitors, being 207 fish. Eight black marlin swordfish were caught, the heaviest by Dr. G B Pierce, of New York, from the launch Rosemary, on March 21. It weighed 4761b. This fish was hooked in a very rough sea just off Bird Rock, and after taking the launch four miles out to sea was'eventually gaffed at the entrance to Deep Water Cove. On March 29 Dr. Pierce hooked a very large black marhn, which he played for 12* hours. This fish eventually broke away about midnight in a very rough sea, after having taken tho Jaunch 15 miles out to sea. There were 108 striped marlin caught, the heaviest of which was secured by Mr.. Otto Somers, of Germany, from the launch .Marlin. The fish weighed 3801b. Seventy-five mako sharks were .caught, the heaviest being landed by Mr. J. M. Booth, of England, 4761b. Eleven hammerhead sharks were caught, tho heaviest being 3361b. Only one thresher shark was caught this season, and was landed ■ by Captain Tweedie, A.D.C. to the GovernorGeneral. This fish weighed 4231b.