HEAT WAVES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 133, 8 June 1925, Page 6

HEAT WAVES.

It is stated that the most disastrous •lime heat wave in tlie* history of the United States lias, with accompanying storms, caused .100 deaths throughout the country. It is not in any unsympathetic spirit that we remark that in a nation of more than a hundred million persons, this is not a high death rale. An epidemic would kill many more in one city. America experiences extremes of heat and cold that one associates with a Continental climate. New York lias blizzards in winter, and in summer heat waves more dangerous than anything experienced in New Zealand or Australia. "Xew York, including its environs, lias the greatest city population in the world," says I'rofessor Gregory; "a population greater than the whole of that of Australia there en,lures every summer wet-bulb temperatures which, according In Sir .1. VV. Barrett's chart, arc liiglicr than in the Northern Territory, an.l are cipialled in Australia only by a narrow strip along the northwestern cL,a>t.'' Special condition-, in New York, however—the great height of buildings anil the crowding iv The ten.'in.'in — must intensify the effect of heat waves. Similiarly. in London, where (tenths from heat are reported tii-tlav, the heavy smoky atmosphere is a factor that contributes to distress. New Zealander* may be thankful for their summer climate, which is free from such heat waves as arc reported from America, but there are lessons in the experience of New York an,l London that they should note. Queen Si reet is bad enough iv February; it would lie worse if it were flanked by thirty-storey buildings and covered with a pall of smoke.

At dawn to-day the R.M.S. Niagara arrived in Auckland harbour, and was greeted with a burst of glory on the northern hills. Black clouds and mist still shrouded the city, but above the fort ;|t the Heads were brilliant daubs of gold ana red. tinging a background of inky clouds. The colours cast their rellection on tbe Waitemata, and the ship from Sydney was caught in the shafts of colour. Passengers must surely have felt tli.it they were fully compensated for their early .-all for the doctor's parade. A youth named Godison, who lives in Brighton Koad, had a narrow escape From serious injury this morning. He was running across the street, apparently to join it car. which was just moling tiff from the St. Stephen's Avenue slop. He slipped and his leg became en tangled in the spokes of one wheel ol the train. Fortunately the molonuan had seen the accident and lie promptly stopped the tram. The lad wns extricated and attended to by I'r. Kinder, bin suffered nothing worse than v few scratches. Considerable progress in educational matters during his oflice as Minister of Kd licit ion wits claimed by Sir .lames I'arr. when opening the junior high srlioo] ai Norlhcote on Saturday afternoon. Mm h leeway burl to be made op iv respect to accommodation and shortage, of teachers, be said. Instead of !c:i suuare feet per child being considered sufficient, there was now twelve siiuare feel in P!) per cent of the schools. The shortage ol" teachers had also been o\ertnkcn. In l'.ll!) there were 347 teachers beiiifr trained in nil the training colleges in the Dominion, whereas The Devonport Chamber 'if Commerce is arranging v "smoker .evening for .lune which representatives of all tbe curly families of Devonport will attend. There are several men residing on the "Shore" who were very active ill curly limes in promoting the development of the Flagstaff, as Devonport was first called, and the Chamber of Commerce desires to publicly record its appreciation of tho work of the "old hands." The rider of a motor bicycle had a nnnow escape from a serious accident about .1 p.m. yesterday afternoon in Remuera Koa.l. The cycle skidded and threw the rider right iv front of a trnin cur. Fortunately the lnotorman had just stopped the car to allow a funeral to pass from :i cross street, and this alone probably saved the rider of the motor bicycle from serious injury. A golf accident which demonstrates the dangers of driving on to players or of players not taking note of approaching competitors was demonstrated somewhat unhappily at Kotorua. A lady player hail called another through and was climbing the bank at the No. fi on the local links when a driven ball struck I.e.- on the back of tho neck, with the result that she was rendered insensible. She was carried to .Mr. Hanks' residence and after a while was able to lap taken to town by motor cur. Xo serious results are anticipated, but it points to the necessity of regarding a golf ball in (light as a very dangerous missile. Near tin- junction of Remuera Road and Broadway yesterday morning, a motor our and push bicycle came into collision. The rider of the cycle wns thrown clear and had a very lucky escape from serious injury, but hi 9 machine was wrecked. The car was not damaged. Kumeti ratepayers met on Saturday evening when n resolution was passed urging that tlie block of land between Una pai and -Jtivcrhcad, known as the ltiverhead Homestead Block, should be taken oier by the Afforestation Department and planted with trees. During the discussion it was stated that at present the area was infested with rabbits. About fifty school committees have still to be elected in the country disriots. The elections, which should have taken place on Way 4, will be carried out this evening. Three new school districts will also select their committees. In cases where commissioners were appointed by tlie Kducation Board last year and no committee was elected, the commissioners have been reappointed. While the Niagara was on her way from Sydney to Auckland, an ablebodied seaman, Francis H. MeAulay, 47 years of age. was taken ill and lie'died yesterday afternoon. Deceased, who is reported to have been in indifferent health for some months, was a native of North Ireland and apparently had no relations », _\-,. w Zealand. He had been employed mi the Niagara for about ten years. The body was brought on to Cashiers are usually required to make fjood any dcliciciijies i„ tbe moneys they handle, and. presumably, any surplus that may be revealed' stands to their own credit. This question of "shorts'' and "overs" cropped up in the course of discussion at the theatrical employees" conciliation ease in Wellington. The general honesty ~f the public in the matter of overpaid change \eas considered open to doubt. Tlie employers' assessors maintainvd that box office girls lost nothing through their mistake in the handling of ca-Th. und usually were rather over than under in their takings. One of the union assessors cited n case iv which a man received change for a £1 note after tender, ing a 10/ noie. and boasted of his unexpected accretion of wealth to a companion, lie was overheard by one of the theatre proprietors, who 'promptly tonk him to the ticket oflice, found that tlie cash wns 10/ short, and demanded the repayment of the deficit. Tram conductors who handle small cash frequently find themselves "out" in their cash when they come tn "make up." and more often than not they nre short. As a rule they find the public honest and open. Sometimes (lie conductor dips into his own pocket to pay the fare of a person who lias left home moneyless. One of the Wellington conductors relates thai some two years aeo lie paid a 2d fare for an Auckland lady who was in this plight. A few weeks urro she was again in Wellington, and. recognising the conductor who had assisted her. repaid the debt of two years' standing. A peculiar experience recently befel an Okato settler, a Mr. Hill, son'of Mr. Hill, coachpainter, of Stratford and I'atea. He and bis family were watching a waterspout at sea. when, to their horror, they saw that it was approaching them, and before long it had reached their house, scooping up everything in its path. As il nenred the house a large pool of water in the garden was sucked up. and next the whole roof of the house was lifted off and curried several hundred feet into the air. finally being deposited in some hush about half a mile away. To make matters worse. it liegan to rain heavily after the whirlwind had passed, the plight of ihe family, sheltering in a roofless house, being anything but an enviable one. A ynung man named Gordon fonwtn received slight injuries as the result of falling from a train at. ihe Papatoetoe railway station on Saturday evening.' He was taken to the Auckland Hospital.'