NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 246, 18 October 1927, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Accident at Dock. Losing his balance, a young man, Daniel Crawley, who was painting the Admiralty tanker Nucula in the Calliope Dock yesterday afternoon, fell into the water, striking the concrete steps of the dock in his fall. A fellow worker, F. Smith, immediately dived to his assistance, but struck his head on a piece of floating timber. Both men were lifted from the water in a dazed condition, and Crawley was taken to the hospital by the St. John Ambulance.

Drainage of Mount Eden. A poll of Mount Eden ratepayers will be taken on October 26 in regard to a proposal to raise £100,000 for sewerage and surface water drainage, principally in the southern zone of the borough of Mount Eden between Balmoral Road and Landscape Road East and West. If the loan is carried, it is proposed to expend £25,000 a year in carrying out the work. The scheme will provide a remedy for flooding troubles which have been experienced in parts of the district during winter months. °

Proposed Maori Pa. "The matter was considered many years ago, but the difficulty was to get the right material," said the Mayor of Mount Eden (Mr. E. H. Potter) at a meeting of the Mount Eden Borough Council last evening with reference to a proposal by the Te Akarana Maori Association to build a Maori pa on Mount Eden. The Mayor said that it was an excellent idea, provided that a site could be found where the view would not be obstructed He suggested that the public of Auckland should be invited to assist to give effect to the proposal.

The Übiquitous Match. "It is amazing the lack of care taken by garage employees in all parts of the country when handling benzine," said a Wanganui motorist who returned last week from an extensive motor tour of the Dominion. He referred, says an exchange, to the practice of smoking while filling tanks with petrol and cleaning parts of vehicles with the inflammable spirit. "It is a wonder to me that more accidents do not occur," he remarked. "It only requires a spark to ignite benzine fumes, and the damage is done." The Wanganui man, who is a motorist of long experience, considers that smoking near exposed benzine is the greatest risk a motorist could run.

"Bob In" Suggested. "It's a 'bit premature, and I would rather see it tried out," said a councillor at a meeting of the Mount Eden Borough Council last evening, when a letter was received stating that a number of people were desirous of showing appreciation of the action of Mr. T. K. Sidey, M.P., who was largely responsible for the Summer Time Act being brought into force. It was stated that Sir Truby King wa 3 the president of the movement. It was asked that a collection should ■he made, the largest subscription to be a shilling. "Refer it to the Bowling Committee," said another councillor facetiously. "They'll fix it up all right." The matter was sent on to the Finance Committee for a report.

Supreme Court Repairs. A minor, but much-needed, repair has recently been carried out in the Supreme Court. Many years ago, when gas lighting was installed, holes were bored in the beautiful kauri panelling behind the judge's bench to enable the piping to be brought into position. Long afterwards electric lighting was installed, and the removal of the gas brackets exposed the gaping holes—a nasty disfigurement of what must assuredly be some of the finest timber work in the country. The holes have now been covered with neat circular panels, and the general effect is much more pleasing. The brickwork of the court building is in urgent need of repair, but representations on the subject have not yet borne fruit. The work is necessary before the beginning of next winter, as the "weathering" of the stone and bricks is in many places serious.

Trans-Pacific Wireless. Wireless listeners who tuned in 2FC, Sydney, last night between the hours of 8 and 930 p.m., local time, heard a very interesting transmission sent out specially for listeners in the United States and Canada. This was the second test of this type broadcasted from Farmers', on the dual wave-lengths of 28.5 and 442 metres. Included in the programme were vocal numbers, instrumental items, and speeches of greeting by several well-known Australians. The reception on the longer wave came in particularly distinctly in Auckland, and, judging by conditions here, it should carry well over the Pacific, where a period of total darkness would facilitate transmission. Those in Canada and U.S.A. who received the programme were asked to communicate with 2FC studio. The test was carried out under the coordinated interests of Farmer's Broadcasting Service, Amalgamated Wireless, and the Sydney "Morning Herald."

University and Public. At one time it was a just cause of complaint that the University, upon which vast sums of public money were expended, never came into touch with the public, that its influence was confined to a few students. Since the Auckland University College ceased being a nomad and settled down into its own spacious house, it has really come into contact with the public, and its energetic professors are more than mere names to the man in the street. The college is realising its duty to the community, and, in order that the community may realise how it can help the college, the College Council has just issued a booklet giving a concise account of college doings. There is a list of benefactions, dated from the Sinclair and Gilles Scholarships, in 1884, down to the latest gift in 1927, the suggestion being that anyone who feels inclined to figure on the list would be gratefully welcomed.

Budding Architects. "Very creditable," said the Hon. George Fowlds, president of the Auckland University College, after the members of the College Council had inspected the work of the students in architecture, which was displayed yesterday afternoon in the lecture hall. Some specially good work was shown in the competitive designs for the prizes offered by the Brickmakers* Association, the subject being a Georgian house in brick. A. C. Marshall, A. L. Salmond and G. Sanderson were placed equal. The prize-money given by the association was £25, but their representative (Mr. W. J. Fletcher) was so pleased with the work that he added another £5, and tha three prize-winners received £10 each. Professor Knight, the head of the school, and Mr. Sladdin, lecturer, also gave £5, and this went to A. J. Sedcole, whose design was highly commended. At the meeting of the College Council satisfaction with the work was expressed, and it was decided to thank the givers of the prizes.

Can Yon Hear? Many good lectures and addresses are spoilt from the point of view of the listeners by the fact that they are unable to hear all that the speaker is saying. It is naturally most annoying to a listener to miss some important remark, and so lose the thread of the reasoning. Some lecturers and actors have been known to station a friend at the back of the hall to wave a white handkerchief whenever he could not distinctly hear the words from the platform. But it is not often that one meets with a lecturer who makes an appeal to his audience to let him know if they are unable to hear anything that he says. The Rev. W. Lawson Marsh does so. At the commencement of his lecture in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall last evening he said that if the lecture was to be a success the first thing required was that his audience should be able to hear him. He asked that if at any time during his address anyone in the hall should be unable to hear what was being said to let him know, and he would do his best to remedy the defect.