NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 192, 16 August 1927, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

"Our Great Example." 'Our great example in district beautilication is Christcliurch," declared Mr. M. L. Wilkins at a meeting .of Takapuna, residents last evening. The Christcliurch Beautifying Society, said the speaker, had been started years ago. and had steadily increased its activities so that to-day its annual fete alone realised between £1000 and £2000. Double-flowered Tea-tree. A paragraph in the "Star -, recording the discovery on Mount Eden of the double-flowered teatree has brought a communication from Mr. E. O. Skeet, of Bayswater. He states that doubleflowered tea-tree is a cultivated plant listed by nursery men. He has a plant in his garden purchased from a New Plymouth nurseryman, who catalogues ten cultivated varieties of tea-tree, two at least of them double-flowered. "Community" Tobacco. The idea of sharing and sharing alike is developing amongst the unemployed of Auckland. This fact was demonstrated yesterday during the course of the protest meeting on the Civic Square against the proposed deductions in wages on the relief works in connection with the War Memorial Museum. One of the more fortunate young men in the crowd raked together sufficient "chips" to purchase a tin of tobacco. Someone else produced "pa]>ers," and cigarettes were made by all and sundry in the vicinity free. Liberal use was made of the "community tin," as they called it. Beautifying Takapuna. Only a dozen residents of Takapuna attended the public meeting called by the Mayor last evening to discuss proposals for beautifying the borough. It was stuted that beautifying societies existed in Bayswater and Milford, and that it was proposed to form a similar organisation in Takapuna. Owing to the. poor attendance, and to the fact that some misunderstanding hail arisen as to whether the meeting had been called to discuss the beautification of the Avhole borough or only of Takapuna, it was decided to defer discussion until a later date, probably next Monday. Old Ideals of China. The differences between the old ideals of China under the teaching of Confucius, which held, "Do not to another man what you would not like that man to do to you," and the ideals of the West were mentioned by Mrs. Anderson yesterday afternoon at the Lyceum Club. Under the old system, if a man did some very fine thing for his country he wight be a duke, his son would be a marquis and his grandson a knight, and in three generations the title became extinct. It was possible for the lowliest to rise to the highest place by study. If a boy. son of some small trailer or worker, was very clever, he studied night and day, and if clever enough it was possible for him to rise to be a viceroy of a province. Lady Navigator. "Shellback" writes: "A young lady —a native of Waipu —used to sail with her lather, who was the captain of a smart little brigantine that used to trade from Auckland to the Islands in the old days. She learned navigation, and the time came wlien it stood her in good stead. Whilst in the Western Pacific on one occasion her father went down with fever. As the mate could not navigate, Miss Waipu took full charge, and set a course for Sydney. It was a picture to see her in an oilskin and sou'-vvester holding on to the weather runner, watching the little vessel careering through the seas. Sydney was reached in due course, where her father received medical attention, and eventually recovered. Gardeners Wanted. Although it does not appear to bo generally known, there is casual work in Auckland _for a large body of men. A business man, who has been in the city for 23 years, said to-day that he had been endeavouring to obtain the services of a suitable man to put his garden and grounds in order after the prolonged wet spell, and there were many others similarly desirous of obtaining help. In most cases there was work for two or three days, and if a man gave satisfaction he could generally get a recommendation to another position, thus gaining employment of a fairly permanent nature. "I have never known such a scarcity of men," he said, "yet it is work where experience is hardly necessary, and what experience is required is generally obtained by keeping a garden for oneself/ . He added that he had had frequent visits from "loafers," who called round with a hard luck story, obtained sufficient money for a meal, and never came again, Gifts to University College. "This is evidence of greater interest in the work of the college,' , said the Hon. lu-o. Fowlds last evening, when further valuable gifts to the Auckland University College were received by the council. "It is to be liojmhl that there will continue to be material contributions." Mr. Fowlds added that the names of certain donors were appearing frequently, and the gifts were substantial and valuable. To the School of Law Mr. H. (.J. Seth-Smith gave 71 volumes, and to the School of Forestry Mr. W. B. Leyland gave samples of New Zealand wood. Mrs. Gaukrodger, of Ellerslie. gave two volumes of French works. Professor F. P. Worley and Mr. J. C. Andrews gave a copy of their publication, "Mutarotation of Glucose.' , Regarding the gifts to the School of Forestry. Mr? Fowlds said that the timber companies had shown a keen and active interest in the school since its establishment, and a valuable collection was being created. Tribute to Auckland Hospital. Many have been the encomiums paid to the efficiency* of the service given at Auckland's Public Hospital, especially by local residents. It is gratifying, however, to receive some expression of opinion on the subject from outside sources—from those who have experienced treatment in institutions in other parts of the world. A recent inmate of the local institution, who has had the misfortune to have been under treatment in many hospitals in the old country, which arc controlled by Boards of Guardians, is delighted with the relief that has been afforded him in Auckland. His complaint was one which required special dieting, and lie is wonderfully impressed with the way the medical men and nurses instructed him as to tho proper food values. The information had never been given him at Home, but if it had he would have been saved many weary hours of illness. The man will shortly return to the Old Country, and he will bo able'to tell them there of the splendid hospitals in New Zealand. New Zealand's Meteorological Service. "An important factor .in the improvement and development along scientific lines of a meteorological bureau in New Zealand would be the receipt of reports regularly from Australia and the Tasman Sea," declared Dr. E. Kidson, who is the recently-appointed Director of the Dominion Meteorological Office. Although by no nieans a stranger to the Dominion, he said that it would take him some little while to accustom himself to the conditions prevailing here. "The weather, more especially the rainfall, is of the utmost importance to the Australian," Dr. Kidson went on to say, "even more so perhaps than it is in New Zealand, which enjoys .a more equable climate. But the importance to the Dominion and any other country of a highly efficient meteorological service cannot be over-estimated. That this importance is realised in Australia is evidenced by the fact that there all telegrams and wireless messages relating to meteorology are sent free of charge." The new director concluded by expressing the hope that he would have the co-operation of the newspapers and of the public; that he would have the willing co-operation of the Australian meteorological service he was quite sure and he was looking forward to being able to assist in placing the Dominion meteorological service on a basis which would be of increased service to the country.