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Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 145, 21 June 1926, Page 6

Speaking on the subject of "Always Believe the Best," the Rev. G. Lamb Harvey, of St. Andrew's Church, made scathing reference last night to a sectiou of the American Press which he said was doing its best to foment war between Japan and America. He did not believe Japan wanted war with America. For many years he had been a close student of these matters, and he liked to think the best of Japan and that her actions were animated by the very beet motives. Our papers here were free from the taint of the seneationai American journals, who did irreparable harm by their vapourings. It was the same in private life; the world would be a better place if people always put the best construction on their neighbours' actions, and not the woret, as was now l>eing often done. Nations were like peoples—those who got their inspiration at the foot of the Cross were those who brought harmony into the working of human affairs. Last evening four false alarms were given to fire brigades within half au hour. In every case the fire station was rung up and given precise information as to the whereabouts of non-existent fires. The Mount Albert brigade received a call to Taumata Road at S o'clock, the Western district brigade to Jervois Road at 5.15, the Onehunga brigade to Trafalgar Street at 5.20, and the Xewmarket brigade to Seccombes Road at 5.30. A false alarm, which was evidently due to a genuine mistake, was given to the Newmarket brigade on Saturday evening by a lady who called at the station and stated that there was a fire in George Street. A genuine call was received by the Onehunga brigade shortly before noon yesterday. An electric wire in the undergear of a tram fused, but the outbreak was suppressed before any damage was done.

A motor bus and a motor car collided near the Seddon Memorial at Royal Oak yesterday afternoon. Stopping to pick up passengers, the bus, belonging to the Royal Company, was just starting again when a car came out of Mount Albert Hoad and collided with the bus. Xo one was hurt, and only slight damage was done.

j The latest official figures show tliat I the total number of motor vehicles : registered in the Dominion up to the 1 end of May was 137.000. Of these S4.G9S were registered in the North Island, leaving 52.902 in the South. Details are as follow, Xorth Island figures being shown in parentheses: Cars 190.962 (55,993); trucks, etc.. 18,449 J (12.81S); motor cycles, 28,189 (15.887).

I>uring a stirring contest between Graiton- Athletics and Richmond *t Carlaw Park a couple of black dogs caused a diversion by persisting in cli&=ing players up and down the field to tie delight of the spectators. After the two

"mon<rs" had got tangled up with Richmond's backs a lines-man took a hand and drove them off the field. Xot lonsr afterward a strange-looking bird wns seen to hover slowly over the players in mid-field. When a scrum was in progress the bird volplaned and then alighted on the ground. As there was a danger of the bird being trampled on by the players, the referee (Mr. Rogers) blew his whistle and stopped the game, while a Richmond man lifted the bird and threw it into the air again. The bird flew, but only for a few yard?, when it again descended safely into "no man"s land." When the match had concluded a pressman walked over and lifted tip the bird, -which turned out to be a curlew. It was evidently exhausted, and the point of -it* lower beak was found to be brokpn. Later it was transferred to the Zoo. the first curlew specimen to arrive there.

An alleiraiion that a number of unemployed men. who had l>een found work with one of the suburban local bodies, took a holiday on Saturday to go to the trotting races, was mentioned at a meeting of the Auckland Unemployed Relief Committee this morning. The Labour Department's representative (Mr. Slaughter) said that whether there were race=. on or not, unemployed men flocked into his ofb>e on Saturday morning. Mr. Oakley Browne said that it was a statement that would do a lot of harm to genuinely unemployed men. Among the would-be captors of the stranded sea leopard, near Otahuhu, during the week-end, were three Chinamen, who lassooed it on Saturday ana afterwards abandoned their effort. The sea leopard was then on the beach at the end of Beach Road, close to the shore. It stayed there all day Saturday, making occasional snatches at the gulls. A larse number of people went and saw it, and l<oys pelted it with stones, making it vicious. Until then it had been docile. The theory is that the sea leopnrd was harassed by sharks, and driven north of its usual Launts.

''Beautiful Birkenhead." said one ot tLe members at a meeiins of the Wai-t-enxata Electric Power Board this morning when a letter was received from tbe Birkenhead Borough Council asking that the power poles on the "short cut" to the wharf should be painted an approved green. '"Why can"t they be satisfied with plain poles like anybody else?'* asked another member. The engineer said that there was a reason for not painting poles. It was necessary that the sap should work out of the timber. Under the circumstances the board decided not to assist in the aesthetic improvement of Birkenhead.

They had no control over the fees charged to doctors" private patients who received treatment in the hospital, said Mrs. E. R. MeCombs at a meeting of the Xorth Canterbury Hospital Board. The board had no power except in collecting the ordinary nursing fee. She suggested that the board receive all fees paid by the patients, and tha-t the doctors be paiid a certain proportion, to be decided by the board. Mr. H. H. Holland said such a system would not be in the interests of the country districts (reports the Christ-church "Press"). The board did not guarantee the doctor*. They did not charge excessive fees. A comparison which had be?n made showed that the scale was considerably below that allowed by the British Medical Association. Mr. H. J. Otley (chairman) s-aid the system in force in the countrj would be a great benefit in the city.

It happened at Hawera (says the "Star"). The front door of the shop had closed, the mere men's barbers had swept up, hung up their white coat?, adjusted their ties and sallied forth to dinner and the sunshine. But the bobbing-shingling-bingling expert in charge of the ladies' chair worked on. while still a benchful of fair heads awaited their trim. One by one the clock ticked off the minutes between twelve and one. For two of the patient waiters they were ticking nearer to lunch, so neither cared: for the barber they were ticking into what should have been his half-holiday, yet he was cheerful; but for one girl they were racing in a frantic contest with the throbbing of her heart. She glanced at her watch, at the chair, and the two beside* her. then back to the chair and the clock, the while a dainty foot beat an impatient tattoo on the floor. At last ehe spoke. '"Do you think"—very pleasantly and with a determined effort to be calm— "Do you think you and your friend will be very long? You see" —not so calmly , —"you see. I am to be married at 1 o'clock."' . . . She reached the church door at five minutes past the hour.