NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 79, 3 April 1928, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Good Friday. ,• ». ! he "Auckland Star" will not be published on Good Friday. Advertisers should make their arrangements accordingly. Additions to Mount Roskill School.

_ -Much-needed additions to the Mount Roskill irublic School have been completed, and to-mor-row they will be officially opened by Mr. W. J. Jordan, M.P. The additions comprise two main rooms, with office accommodation for tlie headmaster, and cloakrooms for the children. Furler additions will be made as required, until tiie whole buildiug will consist of nine large classrooms, and the necessary offices. Need of Playing Grounds. The need of more playing grounds in and a jout Auckland is referred to in the annual report of the Auckland Rugby League. Last season the League had 14 senior teams, 91 junior teams, and a number of primary school teams to cater for, and as there will be addilonal teams playing during the coming season question of accommodation is one that is giving the League officials concern. Jewish Memorial Site. With the idea of restoring the City Council's decision in favour of the transfer of a portion ? *1 Jewish cemetery in Karangahape Road to the Auckland Hebrew congregation, Mr. M. J. Coyle has given formal notice that he intends to move at the meeting of the council next week that resolutions concerning the error, passed at last meeting of the council, be rescinded. The decision at the close of a two hours' debate on 1 hursday, March 22, was that the area should not be transferred as previously agreed to The Jewish community has asked for the site for a communal memorial hall. Preparing for Elections. Complicated machinery incidental to the general election is now in course of erection by the Electoral Department. The accommodation at the head office of the Department in the Government Buildings annexe at Wellington is sufficient tor ordinary requirements, but an election requires a larger space for the handling ol the immensely increased volume of clerical and other works. Accordingly, the Department is now removing to the ground floor of tlie Huddart Parker Building, in Post Office Square, to occupy rooms formerly used by the Tourist Bui "e a u. This will meet the special requireriients of the Department till after the election. Fruit for Overseas. Laden with the first fruit shipment of the season from the Auckland district, the steamer Cambridge, when she left Auckland on Saturday evening, carried apples and pears assembled from Whangarei, Mount Albert, Huapai, Tinopai, Hen-derson-Oratia, Albany and Te Kauwhata. The shipment included 11,9(52 cases for Avonmoutli, and <318 cases for Liverpool. Chief among the varieties shipped were Delicious apples (8983 cases), Dunn's (3720 cases), Jonathan (3422) with ten other varieties accounting for the remainder. There were 222 cases of pears on board, made up of the following varieties: N. Barrv, u. Cole, Keiffer and Beure Bose. Another shipment, intended for the American market, will be sent to Montreal by the Port Napier at the end ot this week. Easter Railway Traffic. Things are beginning to hum down here." said a railway official this morning, "and present indications point -to Easter passenger traffic eing fully up to last year's volume." Continuing, he said that excursion tickets would be available from to-day, and would expire on May 12. To cope with the holiday Main Trunk traffic the Department is running a daylight Limited beiA £ a . Wellington daily until April 14. Ihe first train in this service left Auckland this morning. During a part of the "rush" period extra expresses will be run, arrangements having been made for an 8.40 p.m. train to leave Auckland to-morrow, and on Thursday, Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday, for Wellington. A tram Wlll ,eav e Wellington for Auckland at J. 36 p.m to-morrow and on Thursday, Good iriday and Easter Monday. There will also be an extra express leaving Wellington at 8.30 p.m. on Thursday for Auckland. For Rotorua two expresses will leave Auckland on Thursday evening, one at 9.30 and the other at 10 20 The same evening an extra night express will leave for Opua, and the Whangarei service will also be augmented for the holidays. A Tale of Shellfish.

More than a week ago a visitor to Waiheke Island sent to a friend in AucKiaud a consignment of shellfish. Thereby hangs a tale. The llh.l Cr W1 to his colll l«»ion miorming that the parcel would arrive in a small suitcase on the good ship Waiuku, and requesting the recipient to meet lier at the, Northern Company's wharf. Somehow or other the message failed to connect, and the shellfish remained in the shed, safely immured in the suitcase. To-day the returned holiday-maker met his friend and asked him if he enjoyed the shellfish.. Imagine his feelings when the other replied that he had not received any. A discreet inquiry at the wharf in°thl h H a \ hat f here was a Bmall suitcase 11 the shed, and also that there was a mysterious hshy smell coming from somewhere." Verv gingerly the owner opened the case by the waters deep' a contents were returned to the vasty

Water Supply Problems Elsewhere. lhe prolonged and rainless summer has had an enect on water supp.ies geueially throughout the Dominion. Paimerston now completing the drainage of the borough, is giving grave attention to us municipal supply, being divided between an extension oi its present waterworks and a probable artesian system. Nelson s supply is in a very precarious condition. The main uam lias ceased to flow, and an auxiliary supply, drawn from a weir up the stream, i a falling at the late of a loot a day. Feverish attempts aie being made to utilise a bore put down on the banks oi the .M&itai River, which runs through the town, and' it is proposed to pump this straight into the city mains. As tnis flow is at present problematical, every possible effort is being made to conserve the supply. Nelson has a population of 11,000, and witn jam factories aU n slu PP in o requirements, needs about 700,00U gallons of water per day. A forecast of rain would be more tnan welcome, but so far this year the district has more than justified its sobriquet of "Sunny Neison," and bids fair to increase its past year's reccird of 2780 hours of sunshine, and to lower its annual rainfall figures below its extremely moderate average of 38 inches. 6

The Value of Soil Survey.' In addition to its marvellous work in scientifically • combating tlie insect pests of the Dominion, the Nelson Cawtliron Institute has made, a soil survey of the whole province, and prepared a map' which minutely,, records the terrain. From each separate section samples of earth have been collected and tested out in the grounds of the Institute under expert supervision. An interesting . series, of photographs illustrate the analytical and practical results for the information of the visitor, and for the instruction of the farmers of. the district. Testimony as to the value of • the analysis was vouched for by one farmer, who worked a barren hillside, the feeding capacity of which was onethird of a sheep to the acre. He consulted the, Institue, and adopted its recipe of fertility for his own particular area. The result, at a cost of about £3 per acre, was an increase in the pastoral quality of the portion of his farm thus treated up to a carrying capacity of five sheep to tiie acre, and "next year," he wrote to the Institue in narrating hiß experience, "I hope to carry eight to the acre." This demonstration of the rtial value of the Instituei to the community was very much appreciated by Municipal Condelegates, who took the opportunity of inspecting its wonderful work.