NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 88, 14 April 1927, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Easter Holidays. The "Auckland Star" will not be published on Good Friday, but will appear as usual on Saturday and Easter Monday. Owing to the holidays, advertisers should make their arrangements well ahead, especially for dis- - play space. Defence Force Officers. All senior officers of the K.Z. Defence Forces will attend a week's training course at Takapuna oil April 29. About thirty-five officers, under the commaud of Major-General R. Young, General Officer Commanding the N.Z. Forces, will take up their quarters at Mon Desir Hotel. A similar course was held at Takapuna last year. A Happy Family. While the scrutineers wore busy counting the votes at the Point Chevalier School Committee meeting last evening, tho householders present, numbering between two and three hundred, were entertained with an enjoyable musical programme. The innovation clearly indicates the fact that the committee, who were returned en bloc, arc a very happy family. Ordinary or Extraordinary? "This is not a rich district. We arc. poor people, ordinary people, and have ordinary children," said one speaker at the meeting of householders at Belmont last night, when the question or school stationery was under discussion. "The people and children of our district arc not ordinary," promptly challenged another speaker. '"They arc extraordinary." King's College Chapel. The two new stained glass windows in the King's College Memorial Chapel, which arc to be unveiled and dedicated by Archbishop Averill at the special service on the afternoon of Anzac Day, are the gift of Mrs. Culling, of Remuera, whose son, Thomas Grey Culling, of the Flying Corps, was killed in action on June 8, 1916. The. dead airman was a pupil at King's College during the years 1909-1913. A Customs Concession. The import duty on musical instruments is high, and the Customs authorities seldom allow laxity in its enforcement. There is an exception to every rule, however, and one has just been made, as the Government has decided to allow the instruments for the band of the Jubilee Blind Institute to be brought in free of duty. This concession is much appreciated by the trustees of the institution.

Home for Yachtsmen. A commencement has been made with the conversion of the remains of the old Devonport ferry wharf waiting-shed into a club room for North Shore yachtsmen. A very convenient site for this structure has been secured in the vicinity of Dndcr's Wharf, and the building is gradually taking shape. The boatmen have been labouring strenuously during the past week, swinging picks, sawing lengths and piles, and taking levels. None of the material donated to the club is being wasted, and use is being found for even barnacle-covered and deenving piles as foundation posts. World Conference of Churches. New Zealand is sending two delegates to the world conference of churches that is to be held at Lausanne, Switzerland, in August. The delegates , are the Rev. J. Milne, M.A.. of St. James', Thames, and the Rev. \V. Gray Dixon, of St. Leonard's, ' Dunedin, formerly of St. David's, Auckland. The Rev. J. Milne "left Auckland today by the Marama. Five hundred representatives of 87 different churches will meet at Lausanne, to take part in the approaching conference, and will study the differences of doctrine and organisation among the churches, with a view to preparing the way for unity. A Push in Time. In the old days of Auckland when a horse had a heavy load behind it and jibbed on a stee.p grade, the procedure was to cast about to find another horse to act as a leader. Two horses with a heavy load behind theni found the grade in Shortland Street a problem this morning, but modern transport quickly came to the rescue. A motor truck backed up at the rear of the loaded wagon, the driver promptly slipped the mechanism into reverse gear, and the two surprised horses found that their burden was light as the proverbial feather.

"Earnest Consideration." It was mentioned at a meeting of the. I'dendale householders last evening that a protest recorded at the householders' meeting a year ago, anent school buildings used as polling booths on election day, had drawn a reply from the hon. A. D. McLeod that the matter "had been noted,"' and a reply from the Hon. \V. Downie Stewart, who was the acting-Prime Minister when the protest was forwarded, that the matter was receiving "earnest consideration." "As far as I can makv out it is 6till receiving 'earnest consideration,' " said the chairman, amid laughter. Long Radio Relay. Keen wireless men say that the land wire relnv from 3LO Melbourne, to*2FC Sydney, on Tuesday night, was excellent. The * band and piano numbers were clearly heard in Auckland, but vocal items were not so good, at times the voice being like the screech of a rooster. Nearly the whole performance was received here with clarity. The broadcasting from Melbourne was the best that has been heard here for manv months. Incidentally, the relay from Melbourne to Sydney is thought to be the longest that has ever been attempted. Roading Problems.

Roads invariably follow settlement, but in some Auckland suburbs a departure has been made in an effort to encourage prospective homebuilders to take up sections. Recent subdivisions have been made more than usually attractive by the laying down of neat roads and footpaths, but whether the investment by the owners will prove profitable remains to be seen. One wonders what would have happened to settlement in New Zealand if farmers had demanded good roads before penetrating the backblocks? It is frequently the case that struggling settlers arc isolated for months on end owing to their roads or tracks being impassable quagmires. This recalls an incident that occurred in a central King Country township a few years back. The settlers decided that they would at least have a metalled road in their shop"ping centre, and duly had metal carted inland. A scantily metalled road was provided hv the time winter came round, but the rain and traffic soon churned it up as of old, and the metal was eventually lost to sight. Undaunted, the settlers tackled their roading problems again when the Okahukura-Stratford railway line reached them, and now have a well-metalled road to their shopping centre. * School Stationery Question. The fact that it cost her daughter a small fortune to keep three children attending the Devonport school in books and scribbling purls was mentioned by Mrs. W. McLean at the annual j meeting of householders last evening when | commenting upon the big item of £90 f,, r stationery, expended by the committee during the year. "It is quite time to go back to the system of school slates," she added. Another householder considered a good deal was spent on books that were not necessary. Mrs. McLean said the children brought home notes to say that the books were required. Now, eveny year the books were changed, but she did not know why. The chairman "(Mr. J. K. Harty): "There is a movement on foot to have stationery supplied free of cost." A father of four said it cost him 10/ a month for books for his family. He understood that books were introduced on the recommendation of the Health Department, to replace slates. "Germs can be carried as easily on paper ns on slates," countered Mrs. McLean. "Yes! But they don't lick the pads the same as they do the slates," was a prompt rejoinder. "I know I got many a hidin" for wearing out my cuffs through cleaning my slate." At this stage the discussion was allowed to lapse.