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Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 91, 18 April 1922, Page 4

If you walk along to the triangular dock wherein tbe fishing boats are berthed you may' survey a scene of apparent content quite foreign and seemingly far apart from the discontented bustle of the city, the heart of which seems but a stone's throw away. Here .along the rails of the quay are spread to dry the nets-of the fishermen, and below lie their boats, manned by the men of every nation. They sit smoking and working or move leisurely about their "fishermen's walk" —three steps and overboard. It is a scene that may have been observed with but slight changes of rig and costume almost anywhere perhaps a hundred years ago. And if you saunter along the etoneway at noon you will ecent the fragrance of outdoor cooking and watch the crouched figures of the fishermen bending over their fire-pots and frying the midday meal. Steak and onions are sizzling in the pan. A twist of the wrist does the turning, and every now and then a tilt of the utensil spills a spoonful of fat to revive the languishing fire. Then, after their cold nights in the fishing ground, the fishermen sit down at ease to eat —and the onlookers sniff the fragrance of their meal and envy them their appetite.

This is the time of the year when the myriads of seagulls for which the Waitemata is famous cluster most thickly and scream most loudly about the waterfront. They smother the sheds with their white and grey and wheel noisily about the wharves and vessels, swooping in scores wherever a scrap of flotsam on the water gives promise of food, and daringly brushing their wings against the hats of humans. It is a sight which intensely impresses the visitor, the number and audacity of these screaming scavengers of the waterfront.

A quiet, inoffensive looking man walked into t_- police station off Lambton Quay, Welington, on Sunday night, followed by a sergeant and a constable, and inquired about a man he was looking for. After asking him to wait until they brought the man, the visitor quietly submitted to tbe operation ©f being deprived of hie belongings, which included JF revolver, a stiletto, and a piece of iron piping about twenty fnchee long, quite an ugly-looking weapon, and was then taken away to see the man he wanted in one of the cells. It then transpired that the man had been brought from a western suburb, where he lived with bis family, at his own request, made on the telephone to the police. He had been scaring the neighbourhood with his display of weapons, hiding in the scrub, and startling folk who passed. He had delusions, one being that some obnoxious man was living between" the boards of the ceiling and he wanted the police to take him away. A medical man, who went out with the police, had no hesitation in giving a certificate that the man was not fit to be at large.

Under the auspices of the Young Congregational Summer Camp Committee a I united picnlic wae held yesterday at Motutapu, and proved very successful. Rev. H. J. Ralph, of Greenlane Congregational Church, was in charge. About 300 attended the picnic, and no doubt many others were prevented from going owing to the weather not being too inviting. During the afternoon a sports programme for the young folks was carried out. The idea of a copyright in dressed windows has probably never occurred ; with sufficient force to any excrusioniet to induce him to make anything like a serious attempt to work up a shopkeepers' petition or public agitation in favour of legislation in that direction. According to the evidence given in a case in the First Civil Court in Melbourne it ! was suggested in effect that if such a law ever came into existence it was bound to have a depressing effect upon the copying proclivities of at least 0114 Jewish person who, it was alleged, constantly copies the shop-window effects of other business people who employ I artists to design their window displays. jOn one occasion, it was eaid, he copied ! string for string, drape for drape, colour : for colour, the artistic "puff" used to ' catch the eye of persons who might be precipitated by the inspiration .of the window into buying £5 suits. And as the centrepiece of his plagiarised artistry he inserted a coloured sign bearing the inscription, "We can sell £5 suits too. Step inside." An interesting business man did step inside, and found, it was stated, that the material within the shop did pot remotely correspond with the '. window announcements copied with such I accuracy from elsewhere.

During the 9 o'clock trip of the Ferry Co.'s paddle steamer Eagle from Stanley Bay to Auckland last night one of the paddle blades- vas damaged. The passengers were transferred to the steamer Peregrine and brought on to AucklandAfter half an hour the Eagle was able to continue under her own powers and she was brought alongside the ferry tee.

The arrival of the new seaplane at the launch wharf to disembark some passengers this morning quickly drew a crowd of § some hundred people. There was keen curiosity displayed in the working of the powerful engine, with the new idea of the propeller behind. Many amateur opinions as to the cause were expressed when the navigators experienced lengthy difficulty in getting away again. At last, however, the engine responded to the coaxing of those who happened to knew what they were doing. The plane skimmed rapidly across the water before taking the air, and the crowd melted as quickly aa it had collected.

There was little, bnebeas at the PoKce Court this morning, Five drunks were dealt with, which ia a surprisingly small number after an Easter Monday. For street fighting, George James Glover (32) and Robert Thomas (30) were each fined £1, and Thomas M-L-raghlin I* 3 ) was fined £3 for being disorderly while drunk.

The Auckland Racing Club's Autumn meeting waa concluded at Eller-lie yesterday in fine hut dull weather and with a large attendance, which included the Gov_i_o.-Ci_Be.aL Lord Jellieoe and Lady Jellieoe. The principal events, ihe Great Northern St. Leger and the 'Autumn Handicap, both re_wrted in surprise victories, the Waikato owned Royal Box winning the former and the Xew Plymouth horse Income the latter. The totalisator investment-! showed a farther decrease, the total for the meeting (being £158,702 10/, as against £210,408 10/ last year, a decrease of 25-.70-.

The Gipsy camp held at Stanley Bay last night had much that was weird about it. A huge pile had been erected by the older residenta, and a bonfire for the amusement of the younger generation was lighted about 8 o'clock. The Devonport Boys' Braes Band supplied the music.

During the holidays it has been almost impossible to procure accommodation in the city, and a good many residential establishments have had to refuse people. All tbe hotels have had their accommodation taxed to its full extent, and in many instances have had to place visitors in sitting rooms and otherwise make temporary bed accommodation for those desirous of spending tbe holidays in Auckland. Forewarned should be forearmed in this connection. The difficulty has been accentuated by people arriving in the city without making previous provision for their board. Several cases of hardship have been mentioned where visitors have necessarily been turned away from boarding houses during the past few days.

The late Mr. Charles McKinney was a member of Ellerslie School Committee for 26 years, and officiated as chairman for all but five of that period Tlie old scholars of the school have in memory of his lengthy service had a framed enlarged photograph of Mr. McKinney hung in the building.

Those who were at Newtown Park, 1 Wellington, late on Saturday afternoon witnessed an unusual sight. Two flocks of -birds, each consisting of some hundreds of starling-, were seen circling in the air above the trees at the southern end of the park. Attached to each flock was a pigeon, and it appeared to the onlookers that the starlings were determined to destroy the pigeons. At one moment a pigeon would be at the head of the flying birds, at another right in the middle of the flock. *. The efforts of tbe pigeons to get away from the starlings led to some interesting manoeuvres. Though often very close together, the two flocks never mingled, and were often one above tbe other. The pigeons did not appear to have sense enough to nose dive into the trees below, but kept on flying round and round, with the starlings in pursuit.

'There may not be enough cash to pay income tax, but there seems to be a great deal more than enough to buy up any tolerably attractive-looking new loan," wae a statement made recently regarding the financial position in London at the present time.