NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 19, 23 January 1929, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Post Offices Wanted. ' Mount Albert residents are asking for post offices at Edendale and Mount Albert. Last evening the Borough Council decided to support the request. A public telephone in Koslyn Terrace is also wanted. The Bed Planet. The conjunction between Mars and the moon was a brilliant and impressive spectacle last evening, the deep red of the planet and the cold light of the ''orbed maiden with white lire laden" being most striking. The conjunction was a close one, though not so intimate as that between Jupiter and the moon last December. Next month Jupiter will actually pass behind the moon, as seen in New Zealand, and will be hidden for a time. A Pathetic Belie. A relic of the ill-fated Isabella de Fraine, wrecked at Hokianga, about six months ago, was found on the beach at Port Jackson, Coromandcl Peninsula, a few days ago by a son of Mr. H. Johnson, a settler there. It was the half of a life buoy, with the name "Isabella de Fraine" distinctly legible. It had travelled a long distance and been much buffeted before finding a resting place. ° Cricketers' Autographs. Youthful autograph hunters were busy during the afternoon tea adjournment at Eden Park yesterday afternoon. As the players filed off the held to refresh themselves after two hours in the sun they were besieged by a host of small fry, armed for the most part with school pads, exercise books, or scraps of paper, few, if any, of them possessing genuine autograph books! Evidently the youngsters anticipated a Wellington victory, for it was chiefly the visiting players who were in demand. Disconcerting. Nervous motorists have recently complained of a sign-post near Houipapa in Otago which reads, "Speed maniacs, before taking this hill order your coffins." At the monthly meeting of the Southland Motor Association when a photograph of the offending sign was shown a member mentioned that at least one car had been turned back as a result of the notice. The hill in question was not particularly dangerous, in any case. It was decided to communicate with the South Island Motor Union in an .effort to have the si"n removed. Restoring Lost Beauty. With the cessation of quarrying work in the Mount Albert crater, it is proposed to turn the pit into a reserve. Discussing a letter on the subject from the New Zealand Tourist League, the Mayor, Mr. L. E. Rhodes, stated at last night's meeting of the Mount Albert Borough Council that it was proposed to turn the railway track that runs from the crater to Mount Albert station into a foopath bordered by trees and ferns. Railway employees are now sloping the sides of the pit to make them safe, he stated, and when this work had been completed, the council will plant tree ferns and native trees. ' The Spaniel and the Denture. After having carefully brushed her removable teeth the owner put them on the window-sill. She turned away to «o on with her toilet, and when she came back she was horrified to see a bare sill. What could have happened? Mystified, she summoned the household. No one had played a joke. The mystery grew embarrassing. *Thcn someone had a brain-wave. That cocker-spaniel. Whistles failed to elicit any answer, and a search was ordered. Away up in the bush—the familv was camping out on the Waitakeres—the spaniel was found busy burying what he evidently thought was a new sort of crinkly bone. The Debit Balance. An increase, of £803,000 in the public debt of Auckland took place during the financial vear ended March 31, 1928, as shown in the abstract of accounts just issued. A summary of the principal items of municipal expenditure shows that the paving and formation of streets accounted for £317,000 of the increase, bringing the total for that work to £2,070,303. Other items of increase were: Drainage, £33,000; town hall, library and baths, £8000; waterworks, £159,000; tramways, £30,000; abattoir, £19,000; destructor, £12,000. The total public debt amounted to £7,377,599 on March 31 last, compared with £«,574,G14 on March 31, 1927. Transport Board Membership. Information as to the possibility of Henderson. New Lynn and (Hen Eden joining the Auckland Trans|>ort Board was sought by Mr. W. L. Titchener (chairman of the New Lvnn Town Board), and reporting yesterdav to the Transport Board the secretary (Mr. W. St. J. Clarke) explained the procedure necessary if th;'*e outside (listricts wished to have representation. If outside districts wished to come in and the Minister agreed the board would have to accept them. The board, however, would have the right to decide whether the number of members should be increased, the matter of representation resting entirely with the board. If the membership were not to be increased new districts would require to be bracketed with some of the existing groups. The matter was referred foiv committee consideration. Glorious Mountain Holiday. Looking wonderfully lit after eisht days under canvas at National Park, a party of 2S boys, mostly from the <> ram mar School at Mount Albert, returned to Auckland yesterday, all agog with stories of fun above the snowline on Mount Ruapehn, where tobogganing, sliding and snowballing are favourite pursuits. The lads were under the charge of Mr. W. Worley, a master at the school, who has taken groups of pupils to the park annually for the past three or four ysars. Mount Ruapehn was ascended soon after f lie ; r arrival at the park, and a round tour of Tonjrariro and Ketetahi Springs was made, the boys bfithing in the hot pools. Many valuable object lessons, particularly in geology, were provided during the trip to this wonderland of snowv mountains and volcanic activity. Erosion on Beach. Departmental investigations to ascertain the cause of the erosion taking place on Point Chevalier Beach have been suggested to the Minister of Marine, the Hon. J. G. Cobbe, by Mr. John S. Fletcher, M.P. for Grey Lynn. Mr. Fletcher has written to the Minister as follows: "I have been requested to draw yo\ir attention to the fact that there is a considerable amount of erosion taking place at the Point Chevalier Beach, and it is alleged that a cause is the mooring of a big punt right opposite the Dixieland Cabaret. This is a question for "experts, and I should like your Department to have an investigation made as to the eause of this erosion, because, should the erosion develop to any greater extent and the beach become muddy and unsuitable for bathing purposes, it would be a grievous loss to the city, •as...this is .one of the most popular and most readily accessible from the city." Mr. J. P. Bennett, honorary inspector of beaches to the Marine Department, has also recommended to the authorities that the pontoon be removed. Tireless Prime Minister. ' . Few men dn New Zealand are working longer hours than the veteran Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Ward). Ever since he left school to join the Post and Telegraph Department as a messenger Sir Joseph has been a worker, and much of his success in life is due to his unflagging zeal and aptitude for sustained concentration upon the task in hand. Even as a private member, he was regarded as one of the most tireless men in the House of 1920-28, and frequently made long contributions to debates in the early hours of the morning. "Since the New Year, Sir Joseph Ward has been working night and *iv," said Mr. A. E. Davy, chairman of the Dominion executive °f *«e United-party; at a reception to the Hon. G. \V. Forbes yesterday afternoon. «/l have been m his office at 10 and 11 o'clock at night, and Sir Joseph, who started quite early in the forenoon, was still there. After a long day's work, bir Joseph Ward is invariably as fresh as a daisy. I feel that he will be spared for many years to lead the Government party." (Applause.)