NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 122, 25 May 1928, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Empire Day Service,

A King's Birthday aud Empire Day service will be held in St. Matthew's Church on Sunday, June 3, by Canon C. H. Grant Cowen. The City Council will be represented by councillors and officials. ' Motor Speed Limit. At a special meeting of tin: Hauraki Plains County Council the motor speed limit was fixed at 35 miles an hour, with reservations for a limit of 20 miles an hour through the townships, and 15 miles an hour for a distance of ten chains on either side of a school. Many Applications. The position, of traffic officer is evidently popular with a large number of people, judged by the fact that 191 applications have been received by the City Council for four vacancies. Ihe applications were referred to the Legal and By-laws Committee with power to act. North Shore W%ter Supply. As the result of recent rain the level of Lake Pupuke lias risen twelve inches, an increase of many millions of gallons, as the area is 264 acres. The level of the lake is now seven inches above the level of Rangitoto Channel, whereas on May 1 it was five inches below it. Sake of Unanimity. "I take my hat off to you, Mr. Bloodworth," said the chairman of the Transport Commission yesterday afternoon. "You are the only man to come before us and give us hope in saying that for the sake of unanimity you are prepared to forfeit some of the suggestions you have put forward." "Do What It Liked." Town planning does not applv to harbour boards. This was a statement made by Mr. J. A. C. Allum at a meeting of the Auckland City Council last evening, when referring to proposed railway crossings in Quay Street near the new railway goods yards. He said that the Government could do what it liked, irrespective of any town planning committee or local body. Preparedness for War. A_ remit that, in the event of anv war involving New Zealand, mobilisation should extend not only to human life but to all resources, and that machinery for this purpose should be designed at once, was unanimously approved by the Auckland Provincial Conference of the Farmers Lnion at Hamilton. It was suggested that all the labour and money needed for the country should be compulsorily mobilised when war occurred. ' Mud Geyser Active. The other morning shortly before six o'clock the mud geyser that lies behind the eighteenth tee on the golf course elected to have a morning out (says the liotorua "Chronicle"). It shot blocks of mud in all directions for a-quarter of an hour. 1 lie sound of the flopping mud could be heard for miles in the still morning air. These geysers seldom go up in the day, but exult on frosty nights and when sharp barometric changes occur. Setting of Examples. I do not give up cigarette smoking because I cannot, but because I do not think that there is any harm in it," said Miss Maude lioyden, when asked a question at a meeting yesterday. She said tliat, in her opinion, the smoking of a few cigarettes a week—that was hex' average— did not have any detrimental effect. Setting an example was one of the most odious things that people could do. People who set good examples made her feel bad. Young people, she said, should do right because it was right'. Eecause He Felt Col". Example is a line thing, particularly in the North Shore suburbs, where it is a daily experience, for people to hurry to catcli the ferry. Many Bayswater residents were strolling casuallv towards the wharf this morning when one man started to run, and soon all the intending passengers were moving at a greatly-increased gait. The race was continued right to the wharf, when it was found that there were still live minutes before the ferry left. "What made you run?" inquired one resident, amid ga3ps for breath. '"I felt a bit cold," replied the man who had started the race. Christian Duty. "Do not split the party working for peace by arguing what yOu would not do if there were another war," pleaded Miss Maude Royden at the Lyric Theatre yesterday afternoon. "Red Ci •oss and similar work is a Christian duty, from which no plea of conscience can excuse us. Suffering is a terrible thing, no matter what the cause, and we must always lend a helping hand. Christ did not ask what men would do witli their health; they were suffering, and He cured them. So we must do our best for those who suffer, even though it means sending them back to fight." Ex-Soldier's Gratitude. The spirit of soldiers all over the British Empire during the war was reflected in a letter received at last night's meeting of the executive of the Returned Soldiers' Association, when a Canadian ex-serviceman, now resident in Auckland, wrote expressing grattitude for the efforts made on his behalf by the association to secure for him a pension. The association also offered to assist the man and his family in their struggle against adversity. "I still feel that I cannot expect charity," wrote the grateful Canadian. "The New Zealand Digger's claim should come first, as I am only transient." After expressing a hope that some day he may be able to return to his native country, the overseas soldier points out that a grant received from the Patriotic Society he would regard in the light of a temporary loan. Custard and Patches. Gay ladies and gallant gentlemen, with powdered hair and dainty patches, made the Victoria League's annual ball last evening a brilliant spectacle, but tragedy stalked into the gentlemen's dressing room as the dancers were preparing for the official gavottes, a feature of the evening. A well-known resident of one of our marine suburbs, whose heart was not big enough to give him sufficient courage to come across the harbour in full war paint, had been pressed for time, and had asked his sister to wrap up some powder for him. And so, with light heart, he had set out, but consternation was to follow. Instead of the snowy powder he had imagined he was carrying, he found, on opening his package, that sister had inadvertently wrapped up a small quantity of custard powder. There was a little momentary confusion, but a dash to a nearby chemist's shop negotiated the difficulty. New Park for Epsom.

Epsom Domain, with.an area of 11J acres, is to be developed by the Auckland City. Council as an unemployment relief scheme. It is an exceedingly broken piece, of land, and consists of irregular volcanic lava, which it would not be practicable to attempt to convert into a sports area. A plan was submitted to the City Council last evening and adopted, providing for three tennis courts on the north-eastern border of the property near Gillies . Avenue, one sports ground on the north l western end near St. Andrew's Road, the formation of a sunken garden, approximately in the centre of the property, and generally the provision of paths and ultimate planting with native and exotic shrubs and trees suitable for the rocky nature of the reserve. The cost of carrying put ' this work could only be given approximately, but the scheme submitted had the advantages that it could be carried out progressively, and. as one portion was finished off, it could be 'brought into use. The cost of the provision of. any buildings, or auy.. fencing other, than that already existing would be approximately £9000.