NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 114, 17 May 1927, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

"Sentimental Road." The lady was young, bashful, and evidently from the country. She entered a Heme Bay tiam, tendered licr fare, and demurely asked the conductor to stop the car at "Sentimental Road. A few minutes later the conductor announced: "Sentinel Road." The young lady alighted, and daintily tripped away. Diploma In Nursing. A last chance is being given to the Otago University to establish a course for the proposed diploma in nursing. The Director-General of Health reported by letter to the Auckland University College Council yesterday Itliat he had asked the authorities in Otago to review the position, and state whether they could not yet give effect to the demand which existed for tlie course. Royal Publicity. the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York to the Dominion, coupled with the fact that they enjoyed deep sea fishing at the Bay of Islands, and trout fishing on the banks of the Tongariro River, has given the sport wonderful publicity 111 Bi itain. Ihe latest illustrated periodicals to arnve from England feature without exception the fishing, and the result of this should be realised next scasort in the visit of an increased number of sportsmen from overseas. Increased Salaries Sought. In \ iew of a request from the full-time assistants at the Victoria University College for an increase in the scale of salaries, the council of that college informed the Auckland University College Council yesterday that it had resolved to appi oacli the Government for a restoration of the £,S<>o deducted from the Government grant by the "cut" of 1922. The Auckland authorities decided to give their co-operation. School Reserves. Numerous school reserves have been secured bv the Education Board in the districts outside the closely settled areas of Auckland, and as far as possible the sites chosen are in the \ icinity of public .reserves. No doubt this consideration will be much appreciated when schools are built on the new sites, as it is expected that the park areas will be available as additional playing lields. All the sites now selected are of four acres. Three such sites have been obtained recently in the Mount Roskill district, and steps are being taken to obtain at least three in the Orakei Garden Suburb. Power and Play. The question of the Auckland Power Board supplying cheaper power to philanthropic institutions or organisations was discussed vesterday in consequence of the Auckland Play Association asking to be supplied at the domestic rate. Members were of the opinion that, if the request were granted, similar requests would be received from others. It was decided to ask the general manager to make a report 011 the probable difference in the board's revenue were philanthropic institutions or organisations catered for at the domestic rate. Ngaroma's Thanks. Among many letters of appreciation Teccived by the Auckland "Star" from the Ngaroma settlers is one from Mr. V. Tomlin, lion, secretary of the Ngaroma Settlers' Association. He states that the settlers of Ngaroma express their sincere tiianks to all who have generously contributed to their assistance with donations "of clothing, etc. This has been of material help in relieving their immediate burden pending a solution of the difficulty being arrived at by the Government. Grey Lynn's Open Spaces. Grey Lynn has no lack of spaces that are suitable for development as playing areas. In fact, for the variety of its landscape, and the number of open spaces it possesses, the district is richly endowed. In the midst of the most thickly-populated parts is Grey Lynn Park, where many a young Aucklander has disported himself at cricket with dented benzine tins and a shapely pine cone; and another part is the Cox's Creek esplanade, which cuts off about 37 acres of mangroves and mud flats. As to the future of this area, it is suggested that a scheme of development could be prepared in connection with the deepening of the neighbouring boat harbour, the spoil being deposited on the inner 6ide of the esplanade by means of a suction dredge. Power From Arapuni. Evidently the question of Arapuni power is exercising the minds of members of the Auckland Power Board. The chairman has been to Wellington to endeavour to obtain some definite information with regard to the progress being made at Arapuni, and as to the date the board could expect to receive the supply. But there was nothing doing as far as the Government is concerned, and Mr. Holdsworth remarked at a meeting yesterday that it seemed certain that little assistance could be expected from that quarter. When the Prime Minister is in Auckland during. the next week-end the board will endeavour to extract a definite promise from him. Naval Defence. "You will 110 doubt have seen in the Press the proposals which the Government intend to submit to Parliament early next session regarding Naval defence policy, which includes a definite contribution by the Dominion, spread over a period of years, towards the cost of the Naval base of Singapore," said Mr. Coates at Dargaville last night. "The proposals evoked adverse criticism from the Leader of the Opposition, but time' will not permit of my dealing with the matter here. I intend, therefore, to issue a public statement replying to Mr. Holland's remarks under this head, and von will have an opportunity of perusing my rejoinder in a day or two." Price Fixation. "One of the greatest mistakes is to believe the British public revolted against price-fixing," declared the chairman of the Dairy Produce Control Board (Mr. W. Grounds) when speaking at the Pacific Club last evening. "As a matter of fact, they knew nothing about it," he added, "and the opposition which arose was a trade development inspired by speculative interests among which were the multiple shops." In approaching the subject from the uncontroversial viewpoint earlier in his address, he said that 110 doubt many people had taken alarm at the term "price fixation." New Zealand's produce, however, was merely withheld from the market in a degree sufficient only to maintain regular all-the-year-round marketing. The board could not, any more than a private firm, give its agents a free hand to sell for what they could cot. There were difficulties, and 100 per cent efficiency could not be expected at the Advent of the Piharau. The first week of April last saw the tuna heke, when the nine varieties of eels went down all the North Island rivers to the sea, the first stage of the long journey to the great Pacific deep off the Kermadec Islands, there to spawfi and die. Now is the season of the piharau, perhaps better known to the pakeha as the lamprey, the tiny eel, born in ocean dapths, returning with unerring instinct to the stream that its parents came from. In countless millions the piharau are now beginning to ascend the rivers in the Wanganui and Taranaki districts, and in the head-water 9 the natives have been busy for weeks past placing bunches of fern in the streams. It is here that the piharau rests, clinging to the vegetation with their suckerlike mouths, and they are easily captured in large quantities. Even waterfalls fail to stay the progress of the piharau. At the Ohura Falls, on a tributary of the Wanganui River, the piharau work their way through the wet moss up an almost vertical wall. The natives brush them off with a wisp of fern or nikau leaf, and during the run of the fish the filling of a bucket is quite a simple matter.

Storm on the Manukau. "The wind has hauled round to the sou'-sou'-west, and is still piping hard," reported the signalman at the Manukau Heads this morning, speaking loudly in order that his voice might be heard over, the wire. Throughout yesterday the wind blew from the south-west with gale force, working up a heavy sea on the Manukau bar, which is not expected to be workable to either inward or outward shipping before tomorrow. The steamer Rarawa was to have left Onehunga for New Plymouth yesterday afternoon, but her sailing was postponed until tliis morning. Owing to there being no improvement to-day, however, her departure has now been put off until Thursday afternoon. The Ngatiawa, which left Onehunga for Raglan and Kawhia last evening, is sheltering inside the heads today. She Avill resume her voyage as soon as the weather moderates. "Conservative English." The conservatism of the English people was referred to by the chairman of the Dairy Produce Board (Mr. W. Grounds) in an address at the Pacific Club last evening, when referring to the evolution of the "fern leaf" system of distributing New Zealand produce at Home. He denied that produce lost its identity under the system, but the conservatism of the English working people was not easy to surmount. "They are the most conservative nation in the world," he added. The English housewife was in the habit of buying her butter in bulk, cut from the large blocks—often of blended not in cartons and pats. Whatever were her usual weekly requirements, she carried home on Fridays with her groceries. The retailers did not appreciate the idea of getting any more proprietary brands in these circumstances. This prejudice was being slowly overcome, however, and the Waikato Company's brand had already commanded a wide sale. The splendid distribution was responsible for the increasing success of the supply of blended butters. Do Weasels Go a-Fishing? Mr. K. Lammas, Matiri, Murchison, in a letter to the "Nelson Mail," asks if anyone has seen weasels go a-fishing. He answers his own question as follows:—"A settler in the Matiri Valley had been absent from his farm for the winter months. Returning, he found the door of his hut locked as he had left it. - Ho had mislaid or lost the key, so he broke in the door, and discovered a heap of small crayfish 011 the floor, such small crayfish as are found in the streams round here. He first thought was that children bad collected them, but as the door was locked he knew that could not be. There were also feathers of tomtits and other birds on the floor. On going to move a bag of wool from a corner, lie discovered- the skeleton of a weasel curled up in* the wool with crayfish remains around it. It looked as if the weasel had gone into the hut with a good stock of provisions for the winter, but evidently the crayfish did not agree with it. Perhaps it was old, and its digestion was not very good. Some boys who had visited Matiri Lake in the summer report having seen a weasel splashing in the water on the edge of a stream; perhaps it was fishing also."