NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 260, 2 November 1928, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Motor Patrols. Commencing on Sunday, mo-tor cycle patrol officers will be stationed by the Auckland Automobile Association on the Great South and Great North .Roads for the convenience of members. The patrolmen will render assistance in the event of breakdowns or minor difficulties. They will also be well posted on the state of all roads. The association's office in Durham Street East is now open on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. Sport and Charity. As the result of the juvenile gymkhana arranged by Mrs. P. H. Smith, which waa held at East Tamaki on Saturday last, the sum of £8 has been handed over to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Over £12 was spent in prizes for the young folk, and a banner costing £3 3/ will be competed for yearly by the school children in the district. The banner will be awarded for the best team of four ponies. "Watch Your Steps." The alterations to Queen Street, with ultimate improvements in sight, are not without some of the inconveniences that usually accompany street and footpath upheavals. The removal of the upper paving surface has resulted in leaving the tramline bare, so that it projects several inches in places. Passengers leaving tramcars with eyes alert for general traffic frequently trip up on the projecting rails, and a good many nasty falls have occurred. It is suggested that some temporary means of "taperinw off" should be adopted. Howick by the Sea. With the object of developing the Howick district, a movement has been commenced to form a ratepayers' association Jo function with the Town Board, and assist to provide amenities which are now lacking. At the moment the local body is in a parlous plight financially, and there has practically been a cessation of operations as far as public expenditure is concerned. A revaluation of the Town Board district is proceeding, and when the new valuations are ready it is expected that there will be considerably' increased revenue for the development of roads in the district. An Enterprising "Guy." "Worse this year than last year." is the, verdict of many Auckland citizens who have been victims—perhaps not altogether unwilling— of the youthful "desperadoes" who, in paint and feathers, hold up the peaceful citizen and demand "a penny for the guy." Last evening one of the local bandits showed a degree of enterprise which might almost be described as prescience. He invested twopence in a tram fare to Mount Eden, and collected well and truly from the passengers. History telleth not how he made his journey back to town, but there can be little doubt that the return on his capital outlay of twopence was of the noble order. "A hundred per cent business boy," as our Yankee cousins might say. North Shore Traffic Regulations. At the meeting of the Takapuna Borough Council, complaints were received from the No. 2 Licensing Authority that buses passing through the borough were frequently overcrowded and it was suggested that the traffic inspectors of Takapuna and Devonport should co-operate in order to regulate traffic in the area controlled by the authority. It was in 1927 that the Devonport Borough Council was constituted No. 2 Licensing Authority, but this being a temporary arrangement, the authority could not proceed to appoint the inspectors necessary for carrying out the work of supervision. Until No. 2 Licensing Authority is properly constituted it is not considered expedient to make any permanent appointments. In all probability co-opera-tion will be agreed upon between the two boroughs, thus making a useful working arrangement to overcome an obvious technical difficulty. Soldier Boxers. * The enthusiasm shown nightly at the military boxing tournament, which is to conclude tomorrow, should, in some measure, compensate the officials, who have spared no effort to make the tourney a success. Again last evening there was spirited barracking for almost every bout, and there were not a few hoarse juvenile throats when the last glove had been pulled off. The nethod of announcing the winner is one that ias proved highly successful throughout the tournament, except for an hour on Wednesday evening, when the electricity failed. The competitors, whose names are announced at the commencement of the bout, wear coloured sashes, one blue and one red, and as soon as the judges give their decision a coloured light is flashed on, the colour corresponding with that of the winner's sash. Inconsiderate Motorists. Who manages the traffic of our city, the man on the small square board, or the man behind the wheel of the motor car? This subject was discussed one morning about nine o'clock at the intersection of Customs Street and Queen Street as the business people came into town. A long lino of motor cars and motor trucks was drawn up along Customs Street to wait while the tramears passed down Queen Street. This was prolonged, but did not please the haughty motorist, and presently there arose a din of motor horns that rang in the unfortunate pedestrian's head like a regiment of kerosene tins holding a war dance in the dim watches of the night. °As this did not immediately make the traffic cop come to heel, there was a short pause, and then a burst of hideous sound that split the welkin. Evidently it was too much for the nerves of the man in charge, and they were allowed to rush across.

Brighter Days Coming. A marked decrease in the number of bankruptcy cases from the country districts has been a feature of the returns for 1928. This, said Mr. G. N. Morris (Official Assignee for Auckland), in an interview, is an indication of the improvement of conditions in the country, which should be followed by better times in the towns. Bankruptcies in Auckland last month numbered eight, compared with 14 during the previous month. In October of last year there were 18 cases. The total for 1928 so far has been 117, against ISO up to the end of Pctober, 1927, and 163 for the first ten months of 1920. The decrease is very marked, but it must be remembered that the figures for 1927 and 1926 include those for the Hamilton district, which was separated from Auckland early this year, and now makes its own return. Artillery Pioneers. A correspondent, Mr. George Dixon, of Mount Eden, writes: "In your Saturday's Supplement there is a very interesting article on our pioneer cables, and a description of their ultimate success. This to me was doubly interesting, as my father, Mr. Thos. Dixon, of the Coast Brigade, Royal Artillery, stationed at Dover Castle, was one of a detachment that took part in that experiment. The method adopted was this: The two Governments of England and France lent their aid to establish the fact that guns could be fired by means of an electric spark caused by a battery. Their gunners loaded the guns at Dover, which were fired by the French, and the French guns were fired by the same means from Dover. The testing of the submarine cable was assured by these methods, and, as your article states, it was put into operation as a means of communication from then on, with the result that we can now send a private message in a few minutes between the most distant parts of the Empire. My father stated that many took pieces of the cable wire as souvenirs of the occasion. I could not give dates, but no doubt the tune mentioned by you ia correct.''