NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 184, 6 August 1927, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Spring Show. The Auckland A. and P. Association decided yesterday to hold its spring show on December 2 and 3, instead of in November, as formerly intended. The alteration in the dates was made in order not to clash with the Royal Show, which is being held in Christchureh on November 9, 10 and 11. "Sinews of War." "The members of the legal profession are always the best of friends. When we fight, it is at other people's expense," said Mr. E. McGregor at the annual meeting of the members of the Morrinsville Chamber of Commerce. "There's nothing like being candid," said one of the members in a tone which led his hearers to think that at some time he may have supplied the "sinews of war." Old Methods Best. Yesterday, when a number of the old men at the Auckland Infirmary were sitting before a glowing lire in an old-fashioned grate, which showed much signs of wear, the chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board (Mr. W. Wallace) asked if radiators would be preferred. The old people were unanimous that if any change were to be made they would prefer an open fireplace, and they said that modern methods of heating did not appeal to them. Kiwis on Little Barrier. "When going out with my lantern, 1 saw the white albino kiwi after a lapse of five years," states Mr. Nelson, the caretaker of the Little Barrier Island, in his annual report, which is embodied in the Tourist Department's report. He says that he found a young brown kiwi one •lay on the beach, took it home, and tried to feed it. It died next day. A few days afterwards he saw two fine North Island kiwis feeding in the garden. For His Stomach's Sake. A good story is being told regarding a Wanganui farmer who attended the recent Farmers' Union conference at Levin. The weather was particularly cold at the time and the farmer went to Levin fortified with a hot water bottle. Before retiring for the night he took good care to put not too much hot water into the bottle and to pour in also sufficient whisky so that the bottle answered the dual purpose of keeping both his feet and the inside of liis stomach warm. Devonport Wharf Progressing. The last week has seen remarkable progress in the building of the new wharf at Devonport. A few days ago the outer part of the new structure consisted of bare concrete piles, but as soon as these were cut to the requisite heights it was possible to lay the girders which will support the floor of the landing stage, and to go ahead with the concreting of the floor itself. Remembering the mishap which occurred some weeks ago, when disaster oefel a barge load of raw material, the new ferry depot has made excellent progress, but it will, of course, be several months before the whole of the work is done. Paderewski's Appreciation. "The Administration of the State railways have treated me very generously indeed. The splendid Ministerial cars so kindly offered for my journey on both Islands not only gave my little party the greatest possible comfort, but also enabled us to fully enjoy the remarkable beauty of your country," states M. Paderewski, the famous pianist, in a letter sent to the Prime Minister. He adds: "Though going homeward, I shall leave your hospitable shores with keen regret, and shall never cease to cherish the memory of my stav in New Zealand." Machinery for Arapnni. The fourth and last load of ir<:\;. i,, l.inery for Arapuni will be dispatched from Auckland to-morrow morning at 7 o'clock. Six bogie wagons will be used by the Railway Department, and the total weight will amount to 300 tons. The heaviest single piece of machinery weighs 20 tons, while other pieces range from 15 tons to five tons. The shipment will be in charge of Mr. 'D. A. Moore, carriage and wagon inspector, and Mr. W. Williams, bridge inspector. For some time a transformer, weighing 17 tons, has attracted attention at the Queen's wharf, where it has been kept awaiting an «>;■;«■■.■'. wi.'.ly to send it to Arapuni. Taoranga Disaster. Mr. Robert Millis, a veteran Ponsonby resident, mentioned this morning that in a recent reference to the loss of the steamer Taurauga through collision with the schooner Enterprise, the name of the master of the latter vessel was wrongly given as Miller. "The master of the Enterprise was my brother," said Mr. Millis. The veteran said that the collision, which resulted in all persons on board the Tatiranga being drowned, occurred at a time when coastal vessels did not carry lights. Captain Millis and the crew, of the Enterprise: just had time to get into a boat before the schooner sank beneath them. Expensive Speech. A creditor who had played a elicit part at a meeting in bankruptcy yesterday liio'<ght the time had come to express himself when someone proposed that the Official Assignee should be asked to facilitate the discharge of one of tintwo bankrupts in a partnership on the ground that he was more unfortunate than he was culpable. "I don't know so much about it," said this elderly creditor, "because he obtained credit from mc for £30 two years ago, and that was before- he entered into this partnership." The smile turned against him a few moments later when Mr. "Morris, after reference to the files, observed: "If that is so, 1 am afraid you will not bo participating in the expected dividend of (!/S in the £. I will have to look into the matter." It is not certain whether the creditor felt the glow of righteous action or realised that he had made an expensive discovery of the oge-old fact that at times silence is literally golden. Like Bip Va i Winkle. "I felt just like Rip Van Winkle," said a hardy veteran in referring to the recent Thames jubilee. He said that he left the Thames in 1872, and on returning there after 55 years he could not find anybody that he knew in the early days. The veteran said that in the palmy days of the goldrields he had an interest in a claim known as the Ramping Lion, but it proved a very tame lion from a gold production point of view, and the claim was eventually abandoned. He added that in the early days of the Thames one had to be careful on going about at night, because of the deep stormwater channels, and the fact that miners dug holes in all sorts of unexpected places. "On the way to town we used to carry a lighted candle in a clear bottle," he said. "The usual thing was to douse the candle, and then look for another bottle when readv for the return journey. Empty bottle u -ed to be very plentiful those times." Struck by a Whale. "Shellback" writes: "Built at M u in'uV Bay in 18S1 by the late Mr. J. Bigelow, the barquentine Handa Isle was a very staunch and seaworthy vessel of 275 tons register, with pohutukawa frame and kauri planking. After some years in the intercolonial trade the Handa Isle was chartered to load kauri gum and flax from Auckland to New York. After discharge at the American port a general cargo was loaded for Mauritius. From there a cargo of sugar was brought to Dunedin, then a grain cargo to Auckland, and the vessel was in the old Auckland graving dock for overhaul exactly 14 months from the day that she sailed from New York. The Handa Isle was afterwards rammed by a whale in the Tasman Sea when timber-laden on the way from Kaipara to Sydney. The afternoon watch saw two whales approaching abeam. The first whale dived under the barquentine, but the second one struck the vessel and knocked a hole in the side. The whale sank in a welter of blood, while the crew hurriedly put an improvised collision mat over the hole. The vessel safely reached Sydney.