NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 120, 23 May 1928, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Maori Boys' College. The new building in College Road, Northcote, to be known as St. Peter's Rural Training School for Maori Boys, is nearing completion. The opening ceremony has been fixed for Sunday week, June 3, at 2.30 p.m. Inquiries About the Strike. "How's the strike going?" This was a c|uestion freely asked by passengers when the Marama arrived in the harbour yesterday from Sydney. It was stated that the outlook was regarded in Australia as serious, much for the reason that there was fear that, unless the trouble was soon settled, it would spread and further affect travel between Australian and New Zealand ports. Empire Day Celebration. The Auckland Fellows of the Royal Colonial Institute will celebrate Empire Day to-morrow with a luncheon, the first celebration of its kind to be held in Auckland, although celebration luncheons are annually held by branches of the institute throughout the world. The annual report will be presented, and the election of Auckland officers will take place. Broken Eggs. A crate fell off a motor lorry in Wellesley Street East yesterday, many eggs smashed on the spot, and others began to roll on the steep grade. "Threepence each, too!" said one little maid from school as she surveyed the wreckage. Some little boys from school discovered that an egg was a handy missile, particularly half-broken ones, with the result that some young Aucklanders landed home bearing eloquent testimony of the Wellesley Street mishap. An Act Improved. Mention was made at a meeting of the Anglican Boys' Home Society in Wellington by the president (Mr. J. W. Henderson) to the Child Welfare Amendment passed by Parliament last session. Mr. Henderson said that they sometimes had difficulty in getting people to meet their obligations in the matter of maintenance of boys in homes. By the new Act any agreement entered into with the parents of a boy in a home for his upkeep could be registered with the clerk of the Court, and stood as a judgment of the Court. "Some parents," said Mr. Henderson, "immediately the child is nnder cover of the home, say 'good-bye,' and are off." Postponed! An administrative block at the Auckland Hospital had been suggested in his annual report by the superintendent (Dr. C. E. Maguire). The matter was discussed at yesterday's meeting of the board, when it was decided that, owing to the financial stringency and the many difficulties which at present are facing local bodies, the proposition should not be given immediate consideration. Mr. Wallace (chairman) said the board realised that an administrative block was a necessity, but on account of the big year in front of them the work could not. be carried out just now. Improved Since the War. That the army sergeant-major had improved since the war was spiritedly claimed at a public debate held at Devonport last evening on the subject of military training. One of the speakers, Mr. S. Black, contended that the unfortunate sergeant-major of to-day had been grossly libelled, and in the following discussion it was suggested that even if a recruit inadvertently stepped on his foot he would not make the unkind remarks associated with sergeant-majors of the old type. The Rev. Lawson Marsh spoke highly of the conduct of the military campß and the way that young soldiers were trained. With the All Blacks. "The sickness that attacked a number of the All Blacks on the trip between Sydney and Hobart has not been explained," states a member of the travelling football party in a letter which has been received in Auckland. The writer says that the outlook at one time was regarded as very serious, but the patients made a quick recovery, and were soon all right. For those who have not made the journey previously brief impressions of the tour have been the beauty of Sydney Harbour, the colour of the apples at Hobart, the facilities for cabaret life in Melbourne, the profusion of churches in Adelaide, and the general respectability of that centre, and the monotony of the Australian coastline in the vicinity of Albany. Record Number of Patients. To consider a report prepared by Mr. Lloyd Mandeno on the engineering departments of the hospital, the Auckland Hospital Board held a meeting in committee yesterday afternoon. At its conclusion Mr. W. Wallace (chairman) said there was nothing for publication at present. The board also considered the annual report of the medical superintendent (Dr. C. E. Maguire), in the course of which it was stated that a new record for the number of patients in hospital had been established yesterday, the total being 603, with 50 people on the waiting list. The previous record, on May 10, was 652, with 50 on the waiting list. All the available beds were occupied yesterday, and use had to be made of lounges in some of the wards.

Rewards of Brain Workers. The question of remuneration for lecturers was discussed briefly by the Auckland University College Council on Monday afternoon, the chairman (Hon. Geo. Fowlds) remarking that the Auckland College could not hope to compete with some overseas institutions in the matter of salaries. A salary of £400 a year, rising annually by £20, was not very attractive. Mr. S. I. Crookes said he had just left a meeting of the Auckland Power Board, where a elerk of works had been appointed at a salary of £8 8/. The chairman said the board dared not offer more than it was doing, owing to the state of the college finances. There was also the present staff to be considered. A member of the council remarked that he thought the law of supply and demand would operate in the long run. Whan Bridge. The condition of the Whau Bridge is not improving under the strain of heavy traffic. The New Lynn Town Board received a letter from the city engineer last evening, in which he stated that after careful examination he recommended that the load limit should be fixed at five tons. This confirms the board's recent action in adopting a by-law to that effect. In-the meantime there appears to be nothing definite known in respect to the construction of a hew bridge, the Auckland City Council not having replied to the New Lynn Board's suggestion that the council should prepare plans for. a new structure ,to be approved by the Main-Highways -Board and the local bodies interested. The present position cannot be regarded as a. satisfactory one, practically no maintenance has been carried out since the bridge was renovated several years ago. "Water-waves" for Waterfront.; A cynical smile stole across the face of one of the members of the Auckland Harb6ur~ Board at a meeting yesterday, when an application was received for permission to instal hair-waving machines in one of the ladies' waiting rooms on the waterfront,, the applicant suggesting that the Harbour Board should supply the electrical current necessary, and take a percentage of the proceeds. On behalf of the application, it was urged that the waterfront wasja very appropriate place for hair-waving machines, that they, would be just as useful as weighing machines, and that trans-harbour passengers would appreciate, now that the close shingle was fading out, the pos« sibility of a water-wave of the popular Cheltenham Beach variety being arranged while waiting for a ferry. As none of the board members could speak with authority on either "longer cuts'* or "curly helmets," the problem was sent to the Finance Committee for a report, the mem* bers being at full liberty to consult their wives on the perplexing subject.