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Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 12, 15 January 1926, Page 6

"Would you go for £25?" asked Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., this morning when Mr. R. A. Singer suggested that a doctor's account for £25 for travelling 32 miles to attend a woman for a day and a-half was somewhat excessive. '"No, sir, I wouldn't go at all.* , was counsel's rejoinder. (Laughter.) The case was an echo of a Supreme Court action in which defendant was admitted to two year's probation, and Ordered by the judge to pay medical expenses. Mr. Allan Moody, for complainant, stated that defendant had not paid the expenses. . The magistrate said that the judge had ordered him to pay, and there the matter ended. Judgment was given for the amount of the account with costs.

I "Oh! Who's prosecuting?" asked Mr. ,J. J. Sullivan in great astonishment at the Police Court to-day, -when Chief Detective Cummings rose to say something concerning a man charged with trespassing on a racecourse. Senior Sergeant Edwards had opened the prosecution, there being two charges, one brought by the uniform branch, and the other by the detectives. "Both of us. One on, each!" rapped back the quick - , witted Chief. 'Two against one—l'm [ sorry for you!" (Loud laughter.) j The close of the Auckland swimming championship tests in the Tepid Batns last night, before a record attendance, was marked by the lowering of two New Zealand records, and the most exI citing race of the tests. L. -Fairgray won the 150 yards backstroke championship in the fast time of lm 52 3-ss, or 4 1-os under his own New Zealand record. In the intermediate boys' 440 yards test, G. Bridson, aged 15 years, smashed 'his own New Zealand record of 5m 56 2-os by 6 1-os. This boy swam a magnificent race, and his time is that which, in the past;, has won a national title. The brilliant victory of the night was that of Miss Edna Champion, "Who won the 220 yards girls' intermediate test after a, thrilling race. Miss Champion is only 14A years of age, and this constitutes her first appearance in the intermediate grade. She swam with great judgment all the way. and at the finish the spectators rose as one and cheered the young champion for one of the finest exhibitions of the tests. A.jE. Baird annexed the 440 yard 3 title , from J. Enwright after a great race, in which the latter swam brilliantly and 1 led nearly the whole way. A lady who visited Taihape during the holidays had a great deal more luck than falle to the lot of the ordinary person. She was a member of a party which visited Ngaurukehu by motor car, and on her return to Taihape she was greatly disturbed to find that she had last a valuable diamond ring, valued at over £30. Her relatives thought there was little or no chance of the ring ever being discovered, but the lady was persistent in her belief that it could bo found. Three days later the same party was again in the vicinity of Xgaurukehu, and the lady who lost the ring requested the driver to go as far as the place where the oar had been turned ■on the occasion of the previous visit. The lady remembered that she had kept the driver informed as to how far it was safe to back the car when he was turning on the first visit,'and -when the spot was reached three day 3 later she got out of the ear and found the ring, after a short search, in a depression J made in the mud by the hoof of a cow.— i Taihape "Times."' 1 Residents of a house in Duncan Street, ' Wanganui East, during the thunderstorm the other evening received a fright. 1 Apparently the concussion from a nearhand flash knocked the chimrtey-pot over, and the compression of air down the chimney sent the register on to the top of the stove and a shower of soot all ' over the room- "Although I got my chimney cleaned on the cheap," said the resident, "I would sooner have an earth- ' quake any time." His next door neighbour had all his lights cut off and the 1 telephone put out of action. The playful lightning on the wires in the city ; must have resulted in good business for I electricians to supply new bulbs for ; electric lights, even if it did cause in- : convenience to householders. A report on the section of the main road passing through Mercer Town District, which is unduly narrow near the I railway etation, and needs re-forming I and metalling from end to end, is to be made to the No. 2 Highways Board by the district engineer, Mr. Campbell. It 16 unlikely, however, that the work of reconstruction will be undertaken for some time to come, probably two or three years, and in order that the road may be effectively maintained in the meantime, Messrs. Wynyard (chairman) and Campbell, of the* Highways Board, vjjfited Mercer on Tuesday and discussed the question with Messrs. R. Aylett (chairman), and W. Oliver, representatives of the Mercer Town Board. Referring to the matter at a meeting of the Town Board last night, the chairman mentioned that he thought satisfactory arrangements had been made for properly maintaining the road, though details had to be officially ap- • proved by the Highways Board. He had hopes, however, that a big improvement in the condition of the road would be effected in the near future. To have started life seventy-five years ago as a New Zealand daily newspaper and to be flourishing to-day is no mean achievement, but the "Lyttelton Times." which celebrated the 75th anniversary of its birthday last Monday did SO with a vigour and volume which I bear witness to its present virility. The "Times" early became associated with the cause of Liberalism in the rich South Island province, and the history of the paper was largely the history of the great struggle for the success of Liberalism in the spacious days of the 'seventies and 'eighties. Many of the most illustrious names in New Zealand journalism have garnered their laurels through the pages of the "Lyttelton Times," and the notable iesue Of over forty pages which announces the anniversary contains some exceedingly interesting matter about the early trials and triumphs of the newspaper and of the journalistic and political giants whofought with it. The "Times" has long been firmly established as one of New Zealand's leading dailies, and everyone associated with it can be justly proud of a past which reflects honour and lustre on its 75 years, and of a present which produces Monday's birthday issue. The' high standard maintained by the New Zealand Press was the subject of comment by Mr. W. J. Keyes. secretary of the Afforestation Committee at present touring New Zealand, in the course of a conversation with a representative of the Wellington "Post." Mr. Keyes is a journalist with American and English experience, and was at one time attached to the staff of the London "Daily Mail." I Mr. Keyes said that he had been "particuimpressed with the Auckland and Wellington newspapers. The New Zealand Press, he said, h.ad not been con- ; taminated by the unpleasant sensationalism of the American yellow press, and was maintaining the highest traditions !of British journalism by keeping to the I hard facts of a story without unneces- ; sary embellishment. New Zealand also had some fine provincial newspapers, which were not only a means of givina the public the news of the day. but were excellent advertising mediums. New Zealanders. he said, must be of a very high intellectual order to support so many newspapers. It was a' fact, at any rate, that New Zealand people read their papers from beginning to end. In other countries which he "had visited, the people turned immediately to the sporting page, read the results" of cricket, football, etc., and then discarded the paper. In New Zealand they appar- , ently read everythiug, including adverj tisements.

"I object to these cases being brought on again, eaid Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., ,to a solicitor in the Magistrate's Court i this morning. "The present case was heard by mc about a month ago and ! instead of going to the Supreme Court I and appealing against my judgment, < you bring it back again on the chance iof catching another magistrate." To Mr. Hunt, Mr. Biernacki, for defendant, said that the magistrate had dismissed j the first application by the wife, who had then sat back and thought out a new plan. "Milking on shares Is a fool's game, as far as the owner is concerned," saitl a farmer to a Taranaki "Daily News" reporter the other day. He went on to explain. A eharemilker took no interest in the cows, the machines, or anything else. If cows required attention were given short shrift. If the plant, was out of gear, it was not looked after. ''Leave it to the boss—it is his job to keep cows and plants up to efficient standard." The boss, therefore, lost every time. The only effective way of carrying on was for the sharemilker to supply the plant and his own cows, the owner supplying the farm. Our informant had done this in late years, and the results were in every way satisfactory. The sharemilkers took a personal interest in both cows and plants, and the best results were secured. Ownership provided a spur to efficiency and the exercise of care that nothing else eouid do. These warm sunny days are particularly grateful to the old people out at the Auckland Infirmary, and in the mornings they can be seen basking in j the sunslfine on the verandahs, while the more venturesome stroll about the grounds, or a short way along Green j Lane, where they like to exchange a I "good-day"' with any passer-by who is I not too busy to extend the courtesy. I Many of the old ladies, do a little bit lof fancy work, and knitting is popular J with them. Most of the old men are quite content to smoke and chat. This morning the Australian Girls' Pipe Band went out and played to the inmates, and every week there is a concert or so. The picture habit has even invaded the home, but the old people have their own make-shift theatre, so there is no need for them to hurry off to some gay picture j house. On a screen rigged in the dining j room the son of the manager (Mr. Eastjgate) shows all the latest pictures to his l audience every Saturday evening. Owing to the kindness of the picture theatre proprietors the Infirmary is enabled to see the current films, so the old people are quite up-to-date pictorially. Old i and young, well and infirm, flock to the i entertainment, and even the invalids on I wheeled chairs never miss a performance if they can 1 help. There is no doubt the pictures have given the old people and ! the invalids a fresh interest in life. I There is to-day a cheerful bustling air j about the rapidly growing group of I buildings that was quite absent when ; the place was merely a home for aged, and indigent poor. To-day the place is really an off ehoot of the general hospital, and as time goes on its j hospital character must become more marked. The adventures of a bicycle left by its owner in the basement of a city office where he could get it easily for' casual use form an interesting sidelight on juvenile human nature. During some storemen's operations it was moved to an alleyway and there forgotten, until its forlorn condition appealed to a group of boys, who set its wheels in motion in a sequence of solo joy-rides. When they had exhausted their series of tricks and stunts they replaced it where they had found it, very little the worse for wear. Next day they again found it ownerless and solitary, and repeated their performance with variations and no one said them nay. This went on for some days during the school recese with the result that the boye apparently felt that they really owned the machine. Unfortunately a dispute developed among them as to prior rights, the outcome of which was the complete dismemberment of the bicycle and the distribution of its several parts as trophies to each member of the group. This division of the spoil completed, the owner then came upon the scene to inquire for his missing bicycle, and after a eeries of Sherlock Holmes deductions learned of its fate. He is now busy assembling his machine again, gathering* in from various -sources wheels, pedals, nuts, bolts, framework and tyres. Whether" or not he will ultimately got the complete machine again is a matter for speculation, but at present he hns high hopes that the still small voice of conscience will complete the good work so well begun. "If you think I am a bad man. read this," said a defendant to Mr. F. K. Hunt, S,M., this morning, throwing a piece of notepaper to the magistrate. Mr. Hunt remarked that the man might be an angel to his employers, but that did not necessarily apply where his wife was concerned. The claim was for maintenance, and defendant said he would give his wife 30/ a week and finish with her. "I don't want to see her again," he remarked as he sauntered to the door, "but if she comes with mc I will give her half the furniture." ,At the inquest held yesterday by the Coroner. Mr. J. W. Poynton, S.M., on the body of Claude Herbert Dando. aged five years and eleven months, who was killed at Howick through being thrown from a gig, a verdict was returned that death was due solely to an accident, no one being to blame. A further contribution towards the I cost of the Auckland Provincial Court at Dunedin Exhibition has been sought from the Hamilton Borough Council by the Auckland Court executive. It was stated that £700 was required, and a further donation would be welcome. The j Hamilton assessment was set down at J £170, of which £100 has been paid. The I Council merely formally received the letter. J Asked by Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M.. what ! his occupation was, a defendant in the ■ Magistrate's Court this morning stated j that he was a dealer. "Yes, he is a dealer Iby occupation, and a race-goer by preferj ence," remarked Mr. Singer, counsel for J plaintiff. I