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Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 57, 8 March 1923, Page 4

Ferry boat passengers this morning observed a large shark which was repeatedly coming to the surface of the water in the stream between the dock and Centra] wharf. It seemed to be travelling round in a circle, and a man with marine experience stated this was a sign that all was not well with the shark. The alarm of the Chapter of the Christchurch Cathedral concerning the safety of the roof of the building has been entirely allayed. The borer proves to be in but one place, the rest of the timbers being quite sound. Mr. P. Graham had the roof of the nave stripped in six places, three on either side of the ridge, and also on six different parts of the aisle roof. He removed the battens in each place and made a thorough investigation. He found no trace whatever of borer anywhere, save in the one spot where the stone crashed through the slates —in the corner alongside the tower. It is a very curious illustration of the saying that it's an ill earthquake that does no good (remarks the "Church News"). The affected timbers' will be replaced by Baltic or Oregon battens. "I am old enough to remember the days when the British Navy was at a very low ebb," said Viscount Jellieoe. at a Navy League function at Gisborne last week. 'In 1889. the Navy League first began to make itself felt, and one outcome of its activities was the Naval Defence Act, which was passed in 1889, and largely helped to bring the 5 Navy up to a proper degree of strength. Had it not been for the Navy League, when the war clouds burst over Europe In 1914, the Navy would not have been prepared for what lay before it." Tt is announced that Mr. A. M. Wilson, deputy-Mayor of Mount Albert, is going to stand for the Mayoralty of that borough. Mr. Wilson was requested by a majority of the present council members to accept nomination and he was also approached by a deputation. A meeting held at Dargaville on Tuesday night formed a Dargaville Agricultural and Pastoral Association with a view to holding a spring show. A provisional committee was appointed to draft rules and report to a later meeting. Various names have been suggested of likely candidates for the mayoralty of Devonport. Mr. John Alexander, barrister and solicitor, who resides at Stanley Bay, has again been asked to come forward, but he has again declined. Mr. Alexander is president of the Auckland Law Society, and he is also engaged in savings bank work as well as being an official visitor to the Mental Hospital, so that hig time is fairly fully occupied.

A returned soldier and liis young wife, who with much courage took up a back-, block farm in the King Country, and who find the work hard and sometimes not very profitable, say that they do not see a very great return for all their labour but they still remain hopeful and look forward to better days. Their worst trouble this season has been the ragwort pest. A wet season seems to have fostered the growth of the pests, and what they call the "yellow peril" seems to be popping up everywhere and showing its head in some of their best paddocks. They have been told that sheep help to keep it down, but on a 130-acre bush farm where dairying is their chief source of income there is not much room for sheep. They had tried to kill the roots after pulling up the plants by filling the holes with salt, and in some cases pouring in kerosene, but with what result they at present did not know, but ragwort they had found out was one of the worst pests on the farm, for all feed died down in the vicinity of the plants which this season had made such rank growth. A lady who was a fellow passenger on the Arawa with the late Sir William Herries about two years ago when he took his last trip to England, says that one day near the Equator she discusssed with the deceased statesman the question of unattained ambition. She says she will never forget the thoughtful and serious way he gave his views on the subject and pointed out that it was not always possible for anyone to gain the goal in life they had set out toj attain. She said to him that surely he had had all his wishes gratified with regard to worldly attainments for had he not position and wealth and high ministerial rank. His reply was that he had a great deal to be thankful for. but there was one position above all others which he thought would have satisfied him most, but to which he could never now attain and that was to be Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament. In conversation with a "Timaru Post" reporter recently, Mrs. Colonel Mclnnis, of Wellington, who is lecturing for the Salvation Army, stated that smoking amongst women was increasing in New Zealand. She told of an incident which occurred in the Auckland-Wellington express recently, when she and another officer of the Army were travelling. They were in a non-smoker carriage, and were approached by another woman, who inquired if they objected to her smoking. On another occasion the colonel was travelling up from Dunedin, and noticed a woman who went out on to the carriage platform and there indulged in two or three cigarettes to help to while away the journey. j Tt is understood that a matron with sound qualifications has been appointed | to take charge of the Franklin Memorial' Hospital at Waiuku, and will commence, her duties early next month. Speaking, yesterday, the chairman of the board, Mr. William Wallace, said the official opening would probably not take place till the middle of April, when it was hoped the hig-hest dignitaries in the Dominion would be present. The hos-, pital would be largely used for maternity cases, but all classes of patients would be admitted. Only minor opera- 1 tions would be performed, all major operations would take place at the Auckland Hospital. The institution was probably the last word in cottage hospitals as* far as the Dominion was concerned and probably in the Southern Hemisphere, and there would be accommodation for ten patients. The possibility that Mr. Horace Stebbing, the popular and efficient organising secretary of the Young Citizens' League, may have to relinquish the League's work, because of duty in the Civil Service, has resulted in a general, protest. The Auckland Community! Welfare League, representing 30 different] has passed a resolution on the subject, and the Headmasters' Association has also taken the same action. Mr. J. H. Gunson, the Mayor, and the Anglican and Roman Catholic Bishops, as well as the heads of other large denominations, and the secretaries of various labour unions have all written expressing concern. The matter is to be placed before the Public Service Commissioner by Mr. E. C. Cutten, president of the League. An amusing little incident occurred in the Auckland Supreme Court to-day during a dispute about a city street. Mr. Meredith said his friend Mr. Leary on the other side had asked Mr. W. E. Bush, the city engineer, to be present, but he had not called him. Accordingly Mr. Meredith proposed to put the engineer in the box. Mr. Leary protested that he had only asked Mr. Bush for the purpose of cross-examining him on affidavits he had made in support of Mr. Merediths case, and he had been I able to rebut certain evidence thremgh another witness. Counsel declared that Mr. Meredith had no rieht to bolster up his affidavits by calling fresh evidence. His Honor said he wanted all the information he could get, and Mr. Bush went into the witness box. When Rudyard Kjplitig wrote "For East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet," he evidently did not take into account disturbances of the class which occurred at a Wellington fruit market, says the '"Post." It appears that a storeman was wheeling a truck of cases and apparently ran into a Chinaman. The latter is said to have immediately turned on the storeman and struck him with fists and feet. The European endeavoured to ward off the blows, without much success, and finally struck his attacker heavily on the face. The Chinaman was not satisfied and returned to the assault with fresh vigour, but was seized by | the storeman and forced back on to j some cases. Several times the Chinaman endeavoured to renew the struggle, but each time the storeman seized him and forced him back until finally some other Chinamen arrived and secured their companion. Even then the Chinaman was not satisfied, and as the European turned away he received a heavy kick on the groin. A policeman came up at this stage and hostilities ceased, the constable being followed down the street by a crowd of Chinamen, each endeavouring to explain the situation. It is stated that when business was resumed the clannish spirit of the Chinese was evidenced by their total absence from the market. The use of asphalt instead , of stone sets on the tramway tracks evoked the approval of the chairman of the One Tree Hill Road Board (Mr. R. G. Clark) last evening. Mr. Clark said bliat the tram tracks were in better condition than they had been for the last twenty years. He moved that the council which had been laying down asphalt from the Great South Road, be asked to continue the same formation along the Manukau Road. An organising campaign is being conducted by the Protestant Political Association. 'At a meeting in St. James , Hall last night Rev. Howard Elliot gave an address and explained that it was desired to put the group organisation into thorough working order.