A RECONCILIATION.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 267, 8 November 1923, Page 4

A RECONCILIATION.

It would be interesting, and possibly entertaining, to know all that preceded the visit to Rome of the Secretary of the League of Nations. We do not think it is fantastic to suggest that Signor Mussolini, realising that he had been rude to the League to the length of outraging the opinion of the world, himself made.the first move. He could not go back on all he had said and done, but if Sir Eric Drummond came to Rome, and they had a good long talk, then it could be given out that Italy was really quite friendly towards the League, but had certain causes of complaint, and a promise could be given that she would be better treated, and there would be quite an affecting public reconciliation between the two. At any rate this is what has happened, and while one may smile at the thought of the stooping Napoleon, it is satisfactory to both parties, and especially to the League. Even if the dead orphans of Corfu arc still denied the rites due to them, it is something to have Signor Mussolini's assurance that he will see that Italy becomes an active and. useful member of the League. She has been this, but the League will be pleased if the activity and usefulness are intensified. One of the few double pink hawthorns in Auckland is to be found on the Wellesley street slopes of the Albert Park, and just now it is a mass of bloom. Quito near to it there is an equally fine double red hawthorn. On this side of the park a new entrance pathway is being made, going in at the corner of Princes Street and Wellesley Street. This will be a great convenience, as at ipresent people coming from that direction have either to come down to the gate near the public library or go round to the Princes Street entrance just opposite O'Rourke Street. Another improvement is the removal of the iron railing in Wellesley Street and the improvement of the awkward entrance near the library. The decision of a Christehurch club to countenance Sunday tennis, was strongly criticised by the Christehurch Presbytery yesterday, and the Rev. R. M. Ryburn wanted the Presbytery to call on church members of the club to resign therefrom. This precipitated a lively discussion about "whether the young members of the church should be called on to stand for the principle of no Sunday games by resigning their club membership, or whether it were better policy that they should stay in the club and fiefht against Sunday tennis. Incidentally, the point whether or not the Presbytery had a right to dictate to church members on the point wae also raised. Eventually it was decided that the Presbytery record its protest against Sunday games, and commend such church members as took a stand against them. The long-standing controversy between Mr. A. G. Jarrett and the Birkenhead Borough Council respecting the former's desire to subdivide his property at Island Bay, Birkdale, with sea frontages, lias been removed into court. Mr. Jarrett lias applied for an interpretation of the Public Works Act in connection with the matter, and in relation to the right of the Borough Council to withhold its consent to the subdivision. The council has instructed its solicitors to appear in support of the legal advice on which it has acted. I

"The acts were more indelicacies . than indecency," said his Honor, Mr. I Justice Stringer, when William Henry . Edward Kort, 23 years of age, (Mr. A. , Moody) pleaded guilty in the Auckland Supreme Court to-day to two charges of indecent assault upon girls of eight ' and 11 years of age. Mr. V. K. 1 Meredith stated that tho offences were • about the mildest form of indecent assault possible. Detective Lambert , stated he had known Fort for many years as a lad of good character and 1 the son of respectable people. He had i never been in trouble before. His ■ Honor, having regarded to the mild ( : nature of the offences and the previous ' ; good record of accused, placed him on > ' probation for one year and ordered him ,j to pay in instalments £10 towards the . costs of the prosecution. T, \ p tramway service on the eastern . circuits was interrupted during the busy i period last evening. At about 5.20 p.m. an Epsom bound car ran off the • , lines at the Khyber Paes-Symonds ■ Street corner, and before it was 'righted at ten minutes to six, over eighty cars, | I loaded with people who had left busi- • j ness at. S p.m. and after, were lined > ! down Symonds Street, Karangahape Road , : and Upper Queen Street. Later, when the , j service had resumed, a break-down in I power, evidently due to many of the • delayed trams moving down the one line at the same time, occurred on the Mount Albert circuit. This caused a further delay of an hour in that, and the surrounding districts. "The bus left Vauxhall at 9.17 am to catch the 917 boat, and came down tho road like a 'scalded cat.'" averred Mr Hislop at the Devonport Council meeting , last night. "By „ mischance the boat j was delayed, and I believe the passengers caught it." The speaker's remarks I were a general complaint about irregular i bus time-tables and traflic supervision. ,He strongly objected to this reckless speeding on the public highway, and urged more rigid police attention to the matter. The transport problem also croppeil up when the matter of a , driver's license was being considered, and a warm discussion took place over the advisability of granting even a tern' porary license to a doubtful applicant. The matter was remitted to the traffic inspector for report. \ Jamuna, Mr. John Court's gift elephant to Auckland, will be in residence at the Zoo on Saturday, ready, it" not eager, to take up her duties of giving the small people who visit the park rides along the tan track prepared for the purpose. Although scaling several tons in avcrdupoU she is yet young and tender as elephants go. and it would be unwise to tax her strength and dislocate her nervous system by allowing her to be mobbed, so'to speak, by her youthful admirers and joyriders. l On Saturday, therefore, her task "will be limited to twenty-five children, starting at 3 o'clock with the winners of the first and second prizes in the Mayor's Zoo essay competition. Miss Marjorie I Rogers, of the Devonport School, and Master Jack Mulgan, of the Maunga- . whau School. Tickets will be issued at ! I the turnstiles to tlie remainder of the ' 25 young folk in the order of request. According to the donor's wish, for a year all rides on Jamuna will be free, and the Parks Committee will announce where nnd when tickets can be obtained. The rides are to be limited to children, and there will be no riding on Sundays. IBy the end of the present month it is I hoped to have the hippopotamus installed at the Zoo, and the collection of Australian birds now being held in i Sydney, as well as another tiger from j Melbourne to take the place of the one which died recently on the passage i from Australia. The polar bears, I panthers, and other exhibits obtained jin London are being shipped by the j Waimana, which sails about the middle of this month. j A "Mataura Ensign" reporter inquired of members of the medical profession in Gore last week regarding the J prevalence of goitre in Southland. The : consensus of opinion was that the com- ' plaint was not so prevalent as has been suggested. Some interesting particulars with special reference to Southland were given by a medical man, who said that J there were three things that caused goitre, viz., contamination of water supply, excessive fat diet, and deficiency of iodine. Referring to goitre in school children, the doctor said it was a simple t matter to give iodine treatment. Spinach had been suggested as an article that could be given a bicger place in the diet, and more fish would also supply the lackI ing iodine. In foodstuffs a great deal 'depended on the way the food was prepared. ■ , The effort to raise £50,000 of the f200,000 required for the Auckland War Memorial Museum was referred to by the Mayor of Birkenhead, Mr. E. C. Wit 1 ton, nfc lust' niglit, s council meeting. He regretted that owing to the local memorial not yet having been sufficiently financed, the council was not in a position to contribute to the city's museum. This was the consensus of opinion of the members- Mr. E. G. Skeates said if only all the small war memorials around Auckland had been concentrated into one central scheme, something really worth having would have been the result; he realised, however, it was too late now. While working on a barge at the eastern breakwater, Parnell, yesterday afternoon, Mr. John O'Shaughnessy (42) Jan employee of the Auckland Harbour ■ Board, who resides at 20, Haydn Street, I met with an accident. He was moving I stones from the barge when he fell and ! fractured his knee cap, 'lecessitating hie removal to the hospital, by ambulance. He was operated on this morning. In the Supreme Court at Palmerston ' North yesterday, before Mr. Justice McGregor and a jury, Victor C. Betty, labourer, of Foxton, unsuccessfully proceeded against John Conlan, farmer, of Himitangi, to recover £553, as damages , alleged to have been sustained through being knocked down by defendant's car on the Foxton Beach Road in January last. Costs were not pressed for. | A correspondent, "Methodist," writes to the Eltham "Argus" as follows: "I see by a recent paper that the Methodists of Newfoundland require their i ministers to be non-smokers. What a lovely thing it would be for this Dominion if the Methodist Church of New Zealand took the same stand. Now is the time to demand a clean ministry. 'Actions speak louder than words.'" The express from Auckland arrived at Kotorua haJf an hour late on Wednesday evening, the delay being occasioned by the train nmning dnto a cow at the open crossing at Koutu, two miles from Rotorua, The aiiimal was killed. The I train had a narrow escape from derail- ] On Tuesday evening the inmates of ( the Costley Home were given a demon- l stration of the hypnotic powers by Professor Raymond." The laughter proved i the success of the entertainment. Mr. i Kaymond was supported by Mr. Dan i Flood, humorist, and Mr. Barton Smith, S baritone. j s