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Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 301, 20 December 1926, Page 6

There will be no publication of the Auckland "Star" on Saturday next, Christmas Day. Publication will also be suspended on the following Saturday, New Year's Day. Advertisers should make their arrangements accordingly. There were those, stated Dr. Bennett, at Masterton, who believed that civilisation was "running away" with us, and that that fact was to be deprecated, but when one saw conditions in races lacking it, such a viewpoint was untenable. This time last year, said Dr. Bennett, she was in that interesting island Sumatra, which until recently had contained many savage tribes. One race there, full of energy, and recently uncivilised and cannibalistic, was now being civilised by Dutch influence. The tribal girls all had marriages arranged for them at ten rears of age and were married at thirteen." At ten, too, their teeth were filed down as an indication that they had reached an estate of life in which they had to share the communal burdens in practical fashion. They ate nothing but rice, a village of about 800 having often but one pig a week as supplementary diet. Were these people fed and living under better conditions they might quite conceivably overrun the world, such was their latent virility. Kiteflying is still not infrequently indulged in by young folk, as is proved by the remains of a tail often seen stranded on the telegraph wires. Now that lines carrying high-power electric current are making their appearance in many parts of the country since the hydro-electric schemes were started, it behoves kiteflyers and those who have charge of them, to take care their kites do not get foul of the dangers hidden in the electric power lines. In this issue of the "Star' a warning is given by the district electrical engineer, wh* points out that contact with these wires may have fatal results. The line from Penrose to Takapuna will be "alive" next week, and as it goes through country districts where the children might be excused for being rather ignorant about electricity, the warning is most opportune. Maintenance proceedings recently instituted in "Wanganui district have stressed certain difficulties affecting marriage in accordance with Maori custom. Many such marriages are still taking place and it has has been generally realised among the Maoris that owing to the operation of law this stamps their children with the bane of illegitimacy. A serious attempt is to be made to impress upon the Maoris concerned the necessity of solemnising their marriages in proper legal form, and from henceforth departing from the old ideas of giving and being given in marriage. At a recent meeting oi the Timaru Ministers' Association, it was decided to recommend men attending funerals to wear their hats during the inclement weather. This was regarded as just a commensense measure, involving no disrespect to the departed. The officiating clergyman will instruct the men when to remove their hats. It was also decided to draw attention to the undesirable practice of smoking before quitting the cemetery grounds. The association felt that as a mark of respect to the dead, those attending funerals should refrain from smoking until outside the cemetery grounds. - "The New* Zealand Justices' Quarterly" is the name of the latest magazine to be added to the list. Twentyeight years ago the first justices' association was formed in South Australia, and to-day the movement has spread throughout Australia, New Zealand. England, Scotland and other parts of the Empire. It is to give the New Zealand associations a voice that the magazine has been started. There is a lot of interesting reading matter in the first number, a copy of which has been sent to the "Star," and if the same standard be maintained there should be no doubt about the demaid for it among the members. Included in the number is the excellent address delivered before the Auckland Association by Sir Frederick Chapman. A motor car driven by Mr. Albert Speck, of Eden Terrace, "while negotiating a bend in the road about a mile the other side of Mercer, at a quarter past six last evening, skidded on some loose metal and went over the bank into the Waikato River. The ear, which had five occupants, turned two complete somersaults and came to rest on its hood in about two feet of water. Four of the occupants escaped with a shaking and the fifth with a few bruises. Pensions in respect of the death or disablement of members of the New Zealand naval forces are placed on the j basis of war pensions by an Order-in-Council, issued last evening

A startling but easily explained anomaly occurs in the latest volume of the Census and Statistics Office on agricultural and pastoral production. In some counties the total area held as farm land is shown as larger than the total area of the county; and thus the part appears to be greater than the whole. In case any reader should regard this as an amazing discovery, the Government Statistician carefully explains that he found it first: "Where holdings are situated in two or more counties, the. practice is to return the holding in the county in which the homestead is situated. Consequently, in some cases, it will be found that the area returned as occupied in the county is greater than the whole area of- the county itself. Counties in which this has occurred are Waipukurau, Castlepoint, Eketahuna, Awatere, Maniototo, Waihemo and Waimate. In Awatere County one -large run overlaps into two other cotnties, and the greater portion of the run is actually not situated in the county in which it is shown. A slip of the tongue on the part of the Yen Archdeacon Evans during his address was responsible for much merriment at St. Mary's School at Stratford. In the course of his remarks at the "breaking-up" ceremony, he said it seemed as though some good guardian angel was looking after the interests of the school as "no sooner do we lose one good headmistress, than, to take her place there comes another good angel from heaven—or somewhere else." The reverend gentleman was not slow to notice the mistake, at which he laughed as heartily as his hearers. A youth of 17, named Trevor Hemmingson, who resides at 3G. George Street, Ponsonby, fell from his motor cycle while riding it along the Great North Road in the direction of Point Chevalier about seven o'clock last evening. He was removed by the St. John Ambulance to the Auckland Hospital, where it w-as found that he had sustained a discolated right shoulder. < A telegram from Hamilton reports \ that the tender of Messrs. Andrews , Brothers, Hamilton, of £3560, has been accepted for the construction of the ] Hamilton Drill Hall, which will be built < on a site adjoining the Defence offices, in Knox Street. The building will occupy a space of 180 ft by 80ft, and will include a 25yds rifle range. An Ohakune telegram states that the first party to attempt the ascent of Ruapehu from the Ohakune side since the month of September was compelled to abandon the trip 1000 ft from the summit owing to a blizzard. The attempt was made during last week-end by a mixed party of nine persons. A Hamilton telegram reports that a young farmer named John Evans, of Te Kawhai, single, 28 years of age, was chopping wood yesterday, when it slipped j and he sliced off his finger with an axe. ; He was sent to the Waikato Hospital. ; The jubilee of Palmerston North will j be celebrated in March next, the event ■ coinciding with the visit of the Duke ■ and Duchess of York. At a public meet- ' ing last night, reports a Press Association telegram from Palmerston North, preliminary steps were taken to arrange ' the jubilee celebrations.