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Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 35, 9 February 1917, Page 4

The Weather Bureau forecast for 24 hours from 9 a.m. this day is as follows: —"The indications are for west- . erly winds, moderate to strong, with a southerly tendency. The weather ap-. pears likely to be cloudy and unsettled at times. Barometer unsteady. Sea moderate; tides good." Mr. P. A. Clifford, Waihi meteorologist, reports that there are two large sunspots, close to each other, easily visible to the naked eye through smoked glass, one being a fine pear-shaped spot, the other a large circular mass of smaller spots. The Royal Commission set up to inquire into the alleged deterioration of rolling stock on the railways, and consisting of Messrs. RAJ. Scott, Maxwell, and lsitt, visited and inspected the railway station yard at Helensville yesterday. The Commission left by the 10 o'clock Rotorua express this morning for Frankton. They Will catch the Main Trunk express to-night en route for Wanganui. Mr. W. P. Miller (secretary to the Commission) was in Auckland today, and will also leave for the South to-night. The following resolutions were passed at a meeting of tbe Auckland Labour Representation Committee last night:— (1) This meeting of the Auckland Labour Representation Committee condemn* the proposed superannuation scheme oi cently discussed by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. Further, we believe that the object of this scheme is to mislead and side track the workers, and thereby render the operations of the trades unions impotent. (2) That thia meeting of the Auckland Labour Representation Committee re-affirms its previous decision not'to be represented on the Military Service Board, and further repudiates the appointment of Mr. Arthur Rosser _ a representative of labour. A representative of this paper waited On the Hon. Arthur Myers, who is at present in Auckland, and asked if it were correct that a candidate had already been selected for the Hawke'e Bay •eat. Mr. Myers replied that the state- ' ment that had been made to that effect was incorrect, but that one of the Liberal Ministers would probably visit the district at the end of this week, when the selection would be notified in . due course. In compliance with . the terms of the agreement made when the National Ministry was formed, the aalected Liberal candidate will receive the support both of the Right Hon. Mr. Massey and of Sir Joseph Ward, as leaders of the two parties. In the proclamation of Epsom Road Board district as a part of the city, it happened that the proclamation was gazetted on the date that the unification ,took effect, with tbe result that no representation could be made for provision to have the Epsom district specially represented on the City Council. Consequently there is now no power to give representation in the ordinary way. This position was explained last night to the City Council by the Mayor (Mr. J. H. Gunson), who, however, pointed out that the Council had power to appoint representatives of the Epsom district to act on the Council's ' committees, though these could not have any standing or vote as councillors. Of course, such nominees might be permitted as a courtesy to sit with the Council and speak on matters Of interest to their district. The chairman and members ot the late Epsom Road Board had been Written to, Mr. Gunson explained, asking if there was any desire on their part to have any one or two of their number added to the Council's committees. A proposal that in altering street names certain Maori names should be adopted brought criticism trom a number of City Councillor* last night. Some contended that Maori names were tongue-tangling to strangers, and even to residents Mo had not a gift for languages, while it was stated that native names might have inappropriate meanings. Miss E. Melville, 'Who was responsible for the particular native names proposed, explained that she had considered both simplicity and interpretation in the names suggested. For Rose Street was proposed Korari Street, korati being the name of the native flak; Rauinate meant summer, aiid RaUmate Street Was proposed for Summer Street; tot Viblet Street Ruru Street, and ruru was the same of the native owl, but it had the secondary meaning of ''sheltered," appropriate to the modest Violet $ iti changing Brown Street to Ngehuru Street, the native name used was that of the season autumn, When leaves turned brown. Thus Miss Melville c6nvince_ the Council that .a nice turn of fanoy had Suggested most appropriate names, While she added that the names Seemed io her Simple, aiid that these being Maori names, it behoved New Zealanders to persevere With them. A Vote oh the suggested liaffles showed the critics in the minority, &-rtd five of the Eden Terrace streets "went Maori." Auckland libraries, in common With thotie iii Other ceatfeft, suffer from the petty pilferings of visitors to public reading rooms, -Who lack the primary sense of honour and honesty. It was reported to the City Council last Bight that the stoektakihg of the Ley! Ibstitttte library revealed that 20 books were missing from the referent*e sectibtt of the library, and six from the lending F66*ni. Sneak thieves who take advantage of the cbnfi 1 dence reposed in them in the free use of I'ublic property should, When detected, be severely dealt with. Applications by residents near the City Council's water shed reserve at the Waitakere Ranges for permission to cut dead timber from the area were last night declined by the Council, which agreed with the waterworks engiheer that any work of the kind that should be necessary should 'be ddtte by the Council's employees.

In granting bail, at the Supreme Court yesterday, till Monday, to a young man charged with an indictable offence, his Honor (Mr Justice Hosking) made the following significant remark: " Well, he can't very well get away from the country in these timet." The Court smiled. Accused was a returned soldier. The No. 1 Field Ambulance, comprising about 120 men, left for Awapum Camp, Palmerston North, by the midday Main Trunk express to-day- The men paraded at the Drill Hall at 11 I o'clock, and later marched down Queen .Street for the station, where they en- ' trained. The camp, which will be held from the 9th to the 17th, will be in the command of Major B. J. Dudley, P.M.O--'•'lt is a matter of congratulation to miners," said the Hon. w. D. S- MacDonald yesterday, "that for the year ended December 31, 1916, the output of coal in the Dominion was a record, totalling about 2,337,000 tons, and this despite the fact that the number of jnen employed in the industry was slightly less than in the previous year." The advantage of a gymnasium course of training to the average man, who has not the time or opportunity for indulgence in athletic games, is admirably illustrated by a sentence from the report of the director of the Leys Institute gymnasium. After commenting on the success and popularity of the gymnasium classes, Mr. Colledge .(Ids that of 67 male members 31 were rejects from the Defence Department on account of being below the physical standard for enlist-: ment, and, after personal tuition by the director, 30 of these reached the required physical standard, and were now members of the Expeditionary Force. The question of the scope of guards' duties cropped up at the Supreme Court yesterday during the hearing of the railway case. A stationmaster, giving evidence for the Crown, stated that a guard had no right whatever to touch the contents of a direct wagon, i.e., a wagon sent from one place to another direct with goods. When being cross-examined the witness admitted that there was no specific regulation, verbal or written, that guards must not touch goods in direct wagons. He could not say whether a guard, if necessary, could convert a direct wagon into a tranship wagon. On being pressed by counsel for the "-defence, however, the witness admitted that a guard could put goods into a direct wagon, if there was room, and the goods were for the same destination. This wag rarely necessary, as the rolling stock was abundant. In childish acts we often find the secret of a man's ultimate success. Sixty-three years ago a little boy was returning home from school, and, like thousands of other little boys, was attracted by some apples displayed in the window of a small shop. But this little boy saw more than the apples. He noticed that tbe price was written on an insignificant-looking card. He promptly went home, painted an illustrated card with a shilling box of paints he had won as a prize, and next day took it to tbe old woman who kept the shop and told her it would sell her apples batter than tha little card she was exhibiting. She in** struck with his idea, and mads a deal there and then by which the little boy received a supply of apples in return for his advertising card. That little bo> was Thomas J. Barratt, whose wonderful advertising schemes ultimately mads Pears' Soap world-famous. "You see," said Mr. Barratt, with a. chuckle, when he related tile incident to the writer not long ago, "I began by advertising apples and I ended by advertising Pear*'." Even searching Government Commissions fail to. reveal some of the faults appertaining in the administration of our public facilities. Occasionally sue cinct instances of the slipshod methods of the running of official departments leak out in the course of Court cases. An illustration occurred during proceedings at the Supreme Court yesterday afternoon, when an employee of the Railway Department was tendering his evidence as a witness for the Crown.' In cross-examination be. admitted that some goods went astray at times. It i was tha custom at __11 stations, such as his, simply to tell people their goods wen in such-and-such a wagon, And to let thorn go and secure them. Everything arrived and stayed at the place at the consignee's own r»k. There was no such thing as receipts. Counsel for the Crown made a gallant attempt to redeem tho witness. "Bare you not heard of tho goods going astray coming to hand!" he asked. "Well," replied the witness, "all I oak say is that some of the goods have not come to hand yet." (I*ughter.) When the witness said ho receipts were taken by him, bis Honor saw the chance for a judicial shaft of humour. "Itis a very wayside station, thtenT" he, remarked, whereat counsel for the prosecution solemnly put the unanswered query, "I suppose the people there are their o*wn policer A venerable legislator who appeared ' M * Witness before the Military Service .Board, Wellington, seemed to forget i tost he -Was not in a legislative chamber, and commenced to make a speech of a general nature. The chairman enI deavoured to dam the torrent of his [eloquence, and to confine him to the case •in point, but with Only partial success. I The old man, with a just pride, claimed ito be the only all-round brass-worker in the Dominion, ttlfJho,i*gh Sot now able to work With his hands. In the Course of his remarkß he said that the tradesmen of today wefw not so good as those of past generations. The reason why brassfinishers left the trade and took up other 1 occupations was that they were insufficiently paid. "A man is a fool to his children io make them tradesmen," said , he. "Trauesftien's wages ate kept down and labourers' pay is going up. ft Would lbe better for a man to send his boy on Ito the wharf rather than make him a I tradesman." These Views interested the j Board father more than the general . view of the Board's duties which the old man delivered himself of, and Captain Baldwin said that no doubt the Board would be grateful'for the hints 'he had given the members. An accident Of a startling nature occurred at KidgsdOWh on Wednesday evening (says the timaru "Herald"), when a traction engine belonging to Mr. Andrew Hamilton crashed through the Stohe birdge at the foot Of Burhess' Hill, Kingsdown, and fell, upside down, into the creek, but was jammed in the bridge and was left hanging over, while the other remained on the road. At the time of the accident the engine was on its way to Timaru from Pareora. A man named Findlay was driving it, and i had a man named Flynn as stoker. Mr. Hamilton, the owner, Was riding on one of the trucks, and he escaped unhurt, but the driver and stoker were seriously injured. The injured men were removed to the Tk staru Hospital, where they were put unfinr the X-rays. It is feared that they ate seriously injured internally. Splendid rains have fallen throughout the Nelson countiy districts. The "Colonist"* says that the drought has been effectively broken, and all anxiety in .regard to danger from bush fixes diejpelled.