NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 40, 16 February 1929, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Tossed by a Bull. A young lady, of Apiti, near Feilding, Miss Marjorie A. Cummerfield was savagely attacked by a bull early this week. Miss Cummerfield was standing in the yard near the cowshed when the bull, thought to be quiet, rushed at her and threw her in the air. She landed on a roof above the cow bails, and rolled from there on to a concrete flour, a fall of several feet. When picked up, she was suffering from severe laceration, but had escaped serious injury. Tobacco Crops Near Auckland. "It has been stated that a total area of about 20 acres near Auckland have been put down in tobacco this season by pioneer* of the new industry, 7 ' says the -Xew Zealand Smallholder/' "There are certainly one or two nice patches to be it will be interesting to note the result of this season's efforts in this line. One of the crops; noted is that on the propertv of Mr. E. J. Bendall, West Coast Road, Glen Eden. Tins^ crop comprises 4UOO well-grown plants, which appear to be in excellent order. Thev have grown freely, and the yield from this area should be fairly substantial.'' Chamber of Commerce Tour. Touring in a body has evidently made an appeal to the members of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. In November a special train was ru*, by co-operation with the Railway Department, and the success of that venture has prompted the chamber to arrange a short excursion to the Waikato during the present weekend. The district to be visited will include a large portion of the pumice country between Okoroire and WairakeL A number of members of the chamber left bv motor car earlv this morning, and they will visit the nurseries forest plantations and other points of interest on the road. The party ii expected to return to Auckland on Monday evening! Eels and Trout. The menace to trout cau-ed by eels has been discussed to some extent by acclimatisation societies iu the Taranaki district, in consequence of the proposed petition of the Maoris to Parliament. Tuere is alarm among the Maoris at the active war being waged on the eeis. There is no doubt eels are destructive and a menace to trout. Thev appear to be able to mesmerise trout. Angler-, while ri-hing, have repeatedlv seen an eel come upstream to where a ca-t"was being made fur trout, and the latter appeared unable to get away, and to fall an ea*v prey. Ca-es ha\e been noted al-o where "the eel follows up the female trout during *pawn:n<<time and secure* tie eggs jus; after they ha\e been ia,d and covered iu the .-oft mud or" sand. New Lynn Working Bee. The Rev. W. P. Rankin, of New Lynn, had an encouraging experience to-day. Early in the summer he took upon himself the task of building a new Presbyterian Sunday school, and. being an experienced bricklayer." he has made good progress. The front ejpvation is now completed, and the rest of the building was carried to the level of the window arche* this week. This morning Mr. Kankin was joined bv a gang of 20 bricklayers and labourers in the employ of the Fletcher Construction Company, who had arranged to put in a full working day on the building. Generosity on the part of the employers in undertaking to pay the men for six hours' work had made the scheme possible, and the men themselves gave the remaining two hours voluntarily. Jupiter's Occultation. Some year* ag... when the occupation of ->ne of the planets was vi-ible in bruad daylight, f'e Turks celebrated the event by national deuioii;trat on?. The symbol of Artemi?. ur tiie an: eat symbol of Byzantium, with a -tar on the ■.■•;■•- *»te aide of the circle, was adopted a* the emu!'-:.! of the Turkish Empire after the taking of (.•».- staiitinople, and came to be regarded as the emblem of Turkish power. Last evening the symbol was seen clearly in the we-teru skyT The crescent moon and the planet -Jupiter approached each other betueen eight and nine o'clock, and there was a gradual d"-ing of the gap until complete occultation was It was some time before Jupiter rea •.<[•*■ i r-d. traversing a slightly downward '.:i:li a. :•■.-- th.- -kv. During the proximity of the : jii and -Jupiter, Venus was seen below a: a brilliant pianet. The Modern Way. While two young women from Chri-tcuurcli were standing near the ruhennen's step- at Lyttelton the other day. one dropped her handbag into the harbour. Noticing her anxiety, a fisherman inquired whether it was worth diving in for. "Oh. ye-, indeed it is." came the reply", "for it contain* not only :jii ; . but several articles that I should be sorry to lose." The fisherman'* son, a boy of L.j years, volunteered to try to get the bag. He was lowered from a boat "with a rope, attached to which was a boathook. In a few moments the boy appeared above the muddy water with the treasure, which was handed to the owner. "How lucky!" exclaimed the young woman, after opening "the bag and rinding that a negative of her sweetheart" was still quite dry. Then she went off gleefullv without even thanking the plucky lad who stood ; shivering on the wharf.

A Constitutional Climb. '"If I had the wings of an angel, up these stairs would I fly," is written on the wall of a Government building in Wellington. The ground and first floors of the building are occupied by the Police Department. On the second floor is the Railway Land Office, and on the top floor is the Valuation Department. The notice, "Valuation Department, top floor." confronts callers as they climb the stairs. There is no lift, and the comments written on the wall give an impression somewhat pointed. "Get a lift—two of 'em"; "ileLn Gott, vere vos dot lift?'' "'Won't you get a lift please, an old one will do." Better than these are: "Matthew, Mark. Luke and John, hold the lift while I jump on"; '-Keep fit by using these stairs regularly"; ''Why join the harriers if you can ran up and down to the Valuation Department?" Pigs in Possession.

Many years ago a number of pigs were liberated on Auckland Island to provide food for any shipwrecked marinera who might find themselves on these lonely coast*. "I found unmistakable evidence there," said Mr. Edgar Stead (on his return from a visit to the Islands in the Tutanekai), "that the pigs were rooting the petrels out of their burrows to secure either the eggs or the birds themselves for food. This will eventually make a great difference to the petrels nesting on Auckland Island itself. Should the pigs manage to get across to Adams Island, they will almost certainly wipe out the Wandering and Royal Albatrosses. It is significant already that colonies of Sooty Albatrosses are now to be found only on the steepest faces of the cliffs, safe from the ravages of the pigs. In like fashion the goats liberated on Ocean Island are clearing the island of all -vegetation, and it is only a matter of time before the island is devoid of either vegetation or goats." Tuis, bellbirds, red-headed parrakeet* and species of pipits and snipe were among the best-known bird 3 found on the islands. "The outstanding sight on the islands was the rata," continued Mr. Stead. "There are hundreds upon hundr«da of trees there having a wonderful purple or reddish oolour in the young growth. The flower was at* its best during our visit, and appear* to be of a richer tint than that of the *pecies on the mainland. In many cases the rata is a magnificent blood-red. I brought back several plants with me. but it i» doubtful if it will maintain its distinctive colouring in our climate."