NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 12, 15 January 1929, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Bay of Islands Election Petition. Kaikohe lias been definitely fixed as the place at which the petition against the election of Mr. H. M. Rushworth for the Bay of Islands seat will be heard on January 28. The Electoral Court will consist of Mr. Justice Hcrdman and Mr. Justice Ostler. A Railway Removal. A quick and efficient "removal job" has just been completed by the Railway Department, tho old outward goods shed in Auckland having been transported in sections to the new site near the vehicular ferry wharf in Mechanics' Bay, where it will be used as a temporary inwards shed. The present inwards shed near the Parnell overhead bridge will be taken down before the work of building the new station and approaches is completed. Assisting Motorists. A workman on the Parapara Road said he had some interesting experiences during wet weather assisting motorists to get through and utilising horses to haul several of them out. Some of the motorists were full of gratitude for assistance, and some would hardly say "Thanks." One man was so pleased when his car got on the metal again that he immediately handed out £3. Some of the motorists were most impractical and had not the least idea what to do in case of emergency, and it was a wonder that they managed to drive the cars so far from home. Mount Albert's Loan Proposals. Mount Albert Borough Council is applying to the Local Government Loans Board for authority to place before the ratepayers a loan of £20,000 for improvements to the three recreation areas, the Morningside Reserve, Mount Albert Domain and the Gribblehurst Park. The loan would cover the first section of a comprehensive improvement scheme and would include provision for the proposed scenic road round the upper part of Mount Albert. Provision would also be made for football and cricket grounds and children's playing areas.

The Wonderful Eel. The wonderful tenacity with which the eel clings to life was instanced at Palmerston North by Dr. Johannes Schmidt, director of the Carlsberg- Laboratory, Copenhagen. He stated that some three years ago 3000 live eels were shipped from New Zealand to Denmark in crates for research purposes. The iish were merely packed in ice and seaweed and very few died on the trip. Dr. Schmidt also mentioned that an eel's most vulnerable point is its tail. In the tail of the fish is a second smaller heart and this fact renders the tail the eel's Achilles' heel. A "New" Sneak Thief.

There have been complaints lately from Wellington motorists who, not having the good fortune to own a garage, park their cars for the night in private right-of-ways, of the depredation of what they describe as "the new sneak thief." In the past car equipment—spanners, jacks, pumps, etc. —have disappeared overnight from motor cars, but gear of this kind is now left untouched—petrol is the aim of the motor thief. With an up-to-date siphon it is easy to pump the petrol out of a car tanlf. Wise is the motorist who, leaving his car at night on a side road, transfers the petrol from his tank into a tio before leaving.

Real Optimism. Hβ stood at the roadside, and under his arm nursed a large dog which might have been an Alsatian or some other of the '-outsize" breeds. A suburban bus bound for the seaside, literally crammed with passengers and hampers, came along. When it pulled up the driver gazed apprehensively as the man and his live parcel came forward. "Takin' him dahn to the beach," said the dog's owner pleasantly, as he sought accommodation near the front step. "Then you'll have to lead him," said the bus driver. "There's no room here." The man and his dog were left at the roadside. Perhaps they reached the beach later in the day. Perplexed Officials. The system of single-word comments upon the attributes and peculiarities of Civil servants has caused the heads of some Departmental branches to think seriously ere they underline the correct word which they regard as befitting each of their underlings. At least one officer was determined to do the thing thoroughly. He took down a bulky '"Webster" and studied therein the exact meaning of each word from which he was required to make appropriate clioire. His resultant state of mind was worse than his former one. So varied and so complex were the interpretations placed by the dictionary upon the adjectives which he had to choose that he is now wondering just what the exact meanings of the words aro in the mind of the "big chief" who drew up this startling system to assist classification. Italian Artist's Visit.

A well-known Continental portrait painter, Count Ca sella Taniburini, of Florence, is a through passenger in the Aorangi. He attended the Eiicharistic conference at Sydney, and took with him from the Vatican a picture of Pope Pius XI. which he himself painted. Archbishop Mannix was one of his principal subjects during the conference. Other famous people who have sat to Count Tamburini are the King and Queen of Italy, and Signor Mussolini. The Fascist leader had his first sitting before his triumphant entry into Rome in 1922 and the portrait was finished after that important event in Italy's history. Count Tiiniburini describes Archbishop Mannix as one of the best subjects he has ever painted. Another famous man of whom he has affectionate memories is the late Sir Wilfred Laurier, the veteran Prime Minister of Canada,' whom he painted many years ago.

Promiscuous Plant Importation. Commending a system of exchange of plants and seeds between New Zealand and Oreat Britain, Mr. K. F. Stead, speaking at the Hortitietiltuval conference in Christchureh, issued a warning against careless and promiscuous importation of plants which might possibly outstay and outgrow their welcome. "While I was in a garden in Ireland," he said, "I admired a plant with a pretty- mauve blossom. 'Oh.' I was told, 'that is a. Chinese raspberry. It has grown wonderfully and has covered that field inside three years, while it lias also got into the woods.' If it can grow like that in threat Britain," said Mr. Stead, "heaven help ns if it gets in New Zealand. If that species of raspberry gets into New Zealand the Cawthron Institute will be kept busy breeding bugs for many years to come to eradicate it." He added that he had also been shown a creeper which had grown up an oak within a year, and ventured the opinion that if ever it got into this country it would escape from the gardens and take years to eradicate. Shipping—Ancient and Modern. It would be difficult to imagine a more comprehensive collection of vessels than that which met the eye in Auckland Harbour last evening. At Prince's wharf there lay the Aorangi, most modern of motor ships; at the King's wharf was moored the old windjammer-Olivebank, and in between, at the Queen'e, Central and Northern wha»ves were steamships of all ages and types. Just astern of the Olivebank there passed a rowing four, a pair oar, and a skiff, and out in the harbour were yachts and dinghies of all kinds. Over at the Naval wharf lay the cruisers, sloops and smaller craft of war, and to the westward were the hulks of "Rotten Row," with the masts and spars of the old Rewa outlined against the sunset. The ferry steamers crossed and re-crossed the smooth space of water and down towards Hobson Bay the Hinemoa pointed her clipper bows seaward, as if eager to slip once more into the bosom of the Southern ocean which she knows so well.