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Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 13, 16 January 1926, Page 8

Despite the shark scare which has ruled for some time, there are numerous swimming visitors to the various beaches round about Auckland during the warm evenings. Cheltenham, Devonport, Takapuna and Milford beaches seem to be the favoured spots, Snd every night for some weeks past there have been large numbers of peopla taking a dip. The diving puiit lying off Cheltehhim beach is lighted by a spot light affKed to the Kiosk, and this is a fact that is much appreciated, and further, it Lights up the water for some distance beyond the punt*

The absence of Mr. Louis Lewis, the well-known auctioneer, from his home i is causing some anxiety to his friends. He left his home at Milford on Tuesday morning last to catch the 8.20 a.m. boat from Devonport, and is believed to hava I travelled by that boat. He was last seen near the Devonport Post Office about 10 a.m. on the same day. The humid weather of iate has had the effect of increasing the attendances at the various swimming baths in the city, and in all cases the numbers show a decided improvement On the figures for last year. The Parnell Bath has been greatly patronised, and for a fortnight the attendances have run over 8000. This pool is now reached by buses, and the long tramp of old is done away with, a matter which has a lot to do with the better attendances. The Shelly Beach Baths are also receiving good patronage, the week-ends being the favoured periods. The Tepid Baths, through being so central, have lost nothing, and the attendances each day are well maintained. There was a look of astonishment oh the face of an applicant for relief this week who hobbled into the Telief office with the aid of a crutch, when he was told that only a short time before he was seen bowling down the street Without the aid of any support. He explained that the spasms took him suddenly, and it was then that he had to use the crutch. Another man who leaned heavily on a very stout stick when he came in, forgot about the stick when he got up to go out, and did not miss it for some time afterwards. This led the inspector to say that if he could make a collection of all tie which he though were quite unnecessary to the users, he believed he could stock a shop with them. Large numbers thought leaning on a stick was an impressive way of pressing their claims for relief. This week's "Gazette" contains the Governor-General's consent to the raising of a number of small loans by local bodies. Among them is one of £3200 by the Bay of Islands County Council for forming arid metalling a portion of the Kawakawa-Wkangarei main highway, Manukau County Coiinell £4200 for improving a portidn of the Mataetai Main Road, Ngafoto Draifiage Board £2000 for the construction of drainage works, Lower Mangapiko Drainage Board £1000 for reconstruction work' in the Mangapiko Stream, Onehunga Borough Council £2000 for drainage connections, Ostend Road Board £310 for roads, Thames County Council £2200 for a domestic water Supply at Matatoki, and the Whangarei County Council, of several amounts totalling" £2350 for road metalling work. .The mother of a family of 11 boys and 6 girls stated yesterday that some people thought she was a hit of a curiosity f6r having such a large family, but she did not lofik at things in thatlight at all. She was not nearly fifty years of age yet, and thought it was a great privilege to fear so many sons and daughters who were already helping to develop the country, and her youngest son who was just four and a half would soon he going to school, and it would be a great comfort to her to see baby, if he could manage it, beat some of the children who came out of homes where they were the ortly pet lamb, at their lessons as his brothers and sisters had in some cases done before him. To have reached the ripe age of 87 without the eye' being dimmed; with hearing as good as ever, and never to have had a severe illness in all that time, is a record which few can equal. It is, however, an age when loneliness creeps over the soul, old companions are mostly gone, and a new generation has sprung up whose ways are different. This week the old man who gave the above number as his years, said that it was nearly seventy^yftj-'s since he had first landed in the - ~niniom He had been a gold miner all "his life, arid had. been on every gold field in this country and in Australia. Tons of gold had passed through his hands, and now he was getting the old age pension. He had never been married, and iri that respect he had been a fool, for a good wife would have anchored him. He was still "baching," but he thought the time was coming When he would have td get into a home. Later in the day he was able to announce that he had found a berth amongst other old peoples and would break up his "bach," sell his stretchers and go to his new home at the end of the month. There are so many picturesque panoramas in and about Auckland, each vicing with the other in outlook; that to many people the beauty within faiige of their eyes almost goes unnoticed. This notwithstanding it i s always a pleasure to the artistically inclined to come across some new angle of view close at hand and the opening up of a new and lovely vista just oft the Remuera Road adds one more attraction, to the manifold outlooks of Auckland; This is a hew road funning back to the ridge overlooking a picturesque gully, which contains many beautiful specimens of native bush, with rising slopes of green, dotted With the red roofs of pretty bungalows to the left, and a charming harbour prospect ahead, whilst to the right is the stately old manor, with its charming lawns, now used as the Remuera Ladies' College, and the heavily-Wooded hill. Garden Road is the name of the new" thoroughfare, which was constructed under the supervision of the engineering department of the City Council by J. J. Craig and Company from the plans of Mr. Greville Walker. It is fine piece of engineering WGrk, running back about 300 yards to the pretty gully, and the view it opens is altogether admirable. There will only be eight houses in the new street. ( Thanks to the generosity of the public, it has been possible to place a gramophone in every ward out at the Auckland Infirmary. Both the old people and the invalids are very fond of music, ftnd the machines have* given a great deal of pleasure to the inmates. It is rather interesting to note the variety of tastes when records are chosen. "Among the "old stagers" there is a decided tendency to cling to the old tunes that for the present generation are often no mote than names. "The Last Rose of Summer" and the ! other old songs are Still very dear to the old people. Many of them have quite a nice taste in ftiiisic, and call for selections from "Mafitdna" arid 6ther operas. Am6ng the yoUhger generation—and there are a number of them in what may be called the "hospital side of the infirmary—jazz noises, and all the modern concatenation of Weird sounds that-have usurped the place of music, arc popular to the exclusion of all else Concerts are frequently given '' at the home, and the Visitors who are I kind enough to organise these things i are sometimes helped by the patients ; themselves. There is one old gentleman, who, though well over the three score and ten limit, can always bring down the house with. "Yes, Let Mc Like a Soldier Fall." His voice is as clear