NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 214, 10 September 1928, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Busy Telephones. It is doubtful whether the Auckland telep one system has ever been harder worked than wa» the case during the week-end. Inquiries as to the flight of the Southern Cross and the time of the arrival of the Aorangi were constantly being recehed at the "Star" office, and the signal o\ver on Xing s wharf was also bombarded with f 3, ,' -Between two o'clock and five o'clock yesterday afternoon the officer on duty answered over LoO inquiries as to when the liner was expected to berth. Was it Accidental? Yesterday afternoon IYA interrupted its ordinary broadcast programme to announce particulars of the reception that would be accorded on the wharf to Tom Heeney after his arrival by the Aorangi. The programme was then resumed, and the announcer remarked that the next item would be a Maori song entitled, "Hine e Hine (the "Hine" being pronounced in the same way as the name of the boxer). As a matter of fact it is a love song, "Hine" being Maori for "girl." ° Auckland Accidents. Cycling in Parnell Road last evening, a boy named McGregor, whose parents reside at 47, George Street, Newmarket, collided with a stationary motor car near the post office and was thrown heavily. He sustained slight concussion £ brain, and after treatment by Dr. A. Kinder he was conveyed to his home by the St. John Ambulance. Mr. John Brame, of 7, Melford street, Ponsonby, sustained concussion of the brain and injuries to the head as the result of a tail from his motor, which collided with the rear of a car in Summer Street, Ponsonby, on Saturday evening. He was removed to the hospital. His condition is not serious. A Good Catch. Members of the crews of overseas vessels berthed at the Auckland wharves often while away their leisure hours by fishing over the side, but it is not often that their zeal is rewarded by really good catches. An exception was seen on (Saturday, however, when one of the men of the Mahana landed a fine kahawai, apparently betvveen 31b and 41b in weight. The catch was witnessed by the passengers on a Devonport ferry boat, who gave the lucky angler a rousinw cheer. They were on the lookout for further sport to-day, but "at the time of going to press" the capture had not been repeated. Planets in Conjunction. The planets Venus and Mercury will be visible less than two degrees apart in the western sky soon after sunset this evening. The conjunction is interesting because is affords a splendid opportunity of identifying Mercury, which is seldom clearly visible to'the naked eye. Venus, however, is very brilliant, being familiar as "the evening star" to many who may not be aware of its name. To-night and for the next few nights she will serve as an excellent guide to the fainter planet. The conjunction should be looked for while the sky is still fairly bright, for when darkness has fallen they will both have set below the horizon. Dominion's Jewish Population. "How many Jews are there in Auckland?" is a question that, offhand, would puzzle fellow residents of the city. Random guesses at a social function yesterday ranged from 5000 down to 1000, and even then they were wide of the mark. The actual Auckland figures are 848, of whom 443 are males. This city ranks second to Wellington, which totals 89(5, where the preponderance is in favour of the weaker sex by 4G6 to 430. Both Auckland and Wellington far outnumber Christchurch and Dunedin, which have a Jewish population of 182 and 190 respectively. The Dominion total is 2591, an increase of 211 over the five-year census period from 1921 to 1926.

Roaming on the Hills. Rain or shine there may always be met on the hills around Auckland at the week-end happy members of the Auckland Tramping Club. The most ardent walkers among them declare that it is when the winds blow and the rain descends that they get most out of battling with the elements. Leaving Mount Eden by train yesterday morning, a party walked from Henderson up through Ferndale, along the Dreamland Road, and thence by a bush track to Ruotewhenua, a distance of about ten miles. "We have just about explored every track on the Waitakere Ranges," said one of the members. "Yes," added another, "some of our champion walkers know every mouse track on the hills around Auckland." Devonport Fire Brigade. "Our fire brigade holds a high reputation for efficiency," said Mr. E. Aldridge, Mayor of Devonport, at the annual fire brigade social on Saturday evening. "There have been 40 calls in the borough during the year, including gorse fires and a few false alarms, and in only a few cases did .the fire obtain the upper hand, due to late alarms." The Mayor went on to say that the local Borough Council regarded the brigade as its first line of defence against the dread ravages of fire, and was doing its best to help the brigade. Fire prevention now cost Devonport over £1000 per annum, including fire pay and interest on loans. During the year new ladder equipment had been provided, and there had now been completed a new bell tower for a water-driven alarm. The hose-drying apparatus was also well in hand, and all gear had been overhauled. On behalf of the borough he complimented the brigade superintendent, Mr. H. Follas, on the year's record, and his own personal service of 19 years' fire-fightin" in Devonport. ° Railways Save £11,000. Mainly owing to the use of a larger proportion of the New Zealand soft coal, a saving of £11,000 has been effected in the fuel bill of the Railway Department since the opening of the financial year, on April 1. In an article in the "Railways Magazine," the general manager, Mr. H. H. Sterling, remarks: "When it is realised how important is the economy thus effected, the staff concerned will, I feel sure, have an increasingly friendly feeling towards the soft coals of New Zealan<L The increasing use of local coals is also important as a national economy, implying reduced imports, which in the past have been principally from Newcastle, New South Wales. In the Auckland Province the Waikato mines have benefited by the policy, which makes for larger output and more employment." Two Causes of Fire. "There are two main causes of fire," said Superintendent Wilson, of the Auckland Fire Board, when speaking at the Devonport Fire Brigade annual social on Saturday night. "They are—want of care, and want of cash." The superintendent further referred to the enormous fire wastage in the Dominion, which totalled nearly three-quarters of a million per annum, representing 18/4 per head of the whole population. Mr. Wilson's remarks were supported by Superintendent Watts, of Newmarket, who replied to the toast of the United Fire Brigades' Association. He pleaded for more consideration from the Government in the installation of automatic fire alarms, and auto-detector systems. Out of the total of 143 fire brigades in the Dominion, only 25 enjoyed the aid of automatic alarms. Superintendent Watts asked Mr. A. Harris, M.P., who was present, to advance the cause of fire prevention by impressing on the Government the necessity of including definite instruction in the primary school curriculum. Mr. Harris promised to investigate the charges made by the P. and T. Department with regard to the wiring and maintenance of automatic alarms, and he will also inquire into the fuggeeted ichool iwgan