NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 85, 11 April 1929, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

A Fine Effort

Ihe lakapuna Borough Council last evening expressed its pleasure at the excellent result of the recent floral fete held at Taharoto Park. I he treasurer of the fete forwarded a cheque for £42 7/7. Of this sum, £114 .1/7 is to he at the disposal of the Parks Committee, and £2 14/ each is to go to the Takapuna and Belmont Schools and lakapuna Grammar School. The sum of £1-3 10/ will be paid to the Takapuna Municipal Band.

Many Motor Campers,

Though the Faster rush lias subsided, there is still a good deal of extra traffic on the roads. Several camping parties are still doing the rounds of the North Island, and Aramoho Park, near Wanganui, has provided a temporary home to numbers of car travellers every night since the holidays. 1 hat the standard of facilities at the paik is at least as good as ever is indicated by the highly complimentary remarks made bv tourists who have stayed there. Big Butter Consignment. Ihe consignment of butter and cheese which the Niagara is taking to Vancouver is one of the largest ever sent from the port of Auckland. It consists of 16,588 boxes of butter and 275 crates of cheese, the allotments being:—Butter: Vancouver, 11,607 boxes; Victoria, 1797; Victoria or Vancouver, 300; Honolulu, 2094; Shanghai, 790. Cheese: Vancouver, 275 crates. The autumnal rains have had a beneficent effect on pastures in the Auckland district, and the increase over last year s production bids fair to be continued. The increase to date is represented by 10.4 per cent. Nationalisation of Highways. Ihe council of the Auckland Automobile Association last evening discussed the proposed nationalisation of the main highways of the Dominion. Such a vital artery as the AucklandWellington Road, said Mr. G. Henning, should be nationalised, for divided control caused much delay in necessary work. Mr. Curd said that under the present system poverty was permissible as a plea for such neglect. Nationalisation could be easily accomplished, said the chairman, Mr. A. Grayson, if only motorists would pav the full cost of roading. "I do not believe in removing all responsibility from the land." he added. The matter was referred to the North Island Motor Union. The "North Poll." A remarkable degree of public interest was manifested last evening in the progress of the Bay of Islands by-election. The "Star" telephones were ringing continuously from 7 p.m. until a late hour, and there were many inquiries from the country district. One correspondent caused a slight mystification by asking: "Any news from the North Pole?" The member of the staff who answered the 'phone gathered the impression that the inquirer was referring to the Byrd Antarctic expedition, but the man at the other end of the wire soon explained himself. No, not the South Pole," he said, 'T mean the Northern one, spelt 'p-o-1-I.' Who's at the top Rushworth or Bell?"

Settled at Last. A long-standing dispute between the Devonan<l .Takapuna Borough Councils concerning the water mains originally laid by Devon port within the Takapuna Borough has at last been satisfactorily settled. At last night's meeting <>f the Takapuna Council the Mayor, Mr. .J. \V. Williamson, and Mr. Gould reported on the recent conference held with the Devonport Borough Council, when a settlement was effected. This provides for the payment of £527 by the Takapuna Council for the purchase of the mains as a compromise upon Devonport's claim for a much larger amount. The delegates, in their report to the council, recommended that the council should consider the question of replacing part of the King Edward Avenue water main "to provide for an adequate fire-flghting pressure in the Bayswater area. However, consideration of the report was deferred. "Flat Bate" Fines. "I may be old-fashioned, but I prefer the present system," said Mr. A. Grayson, chairman of the Auckland Automobile Association, at last night's meeting, when a discussion took place in regard to a proposed scheme to simplify the method of minor traffic prosecutions. The support of the association was requested for a scheme drawn up by Mr. W. W. King and forwarded by the Chamber of Commerce, in which it was suggested that motorists should be «ivcn an opportunity to pay flat rate fines within three days, to the police or local authorities, defended cases to be dealt with by Court procedure. A member remarked that the simplicity of the system would double the number of prosecutions for trivial offences. It was decided to refer the matter to the Legal Committee for a report. Supply of School Books. The Minister of Education (the Hon. H Atmore), writing to the Wellington School Committees Association, which, at a recent meeting, discussed the advisability of getting school books published by the Government Printing Office and issued to the children at cost prices, says that the possibility of arranging for the printing of the books in the Government Printing Office was fully explored, and it was found that that office was not equipped for carrying out the work The Master Printers' Association was, therefore, taken into consultation, with a view to the production of these hooks as cheap as possible consistent with good quality. The suggestion that the text books should be issued to the children at cost price had been thoroughly investigated. This procedure would involve expenditure out of all proportion to the benefits derived, and would not result in a very substantial saving to parents. Many Miles of Road Work. In carrying out its progressive scheme of dis- ™ works during the past two years, the Mount Albert Borough Council has on the average maintained a staff of 140 workmen on road construction works. Tn a special report to the council the Mayor (Mr. L. E. Rhodes) stated that durin? the period under review twelve miles of streets had been reconstructed and laid down to permanent levels, and eight miles of residential streets had been permanently constructed. In all, 41 roads had been dealt with, averaging 24 chains each in length. Of these, seven miles had been carried out by day labour and five miles by contract. The new method of treating a road with bitumen over a hand-packed way was proving very satisfactory. It -was found that the wearing surface was in better condition twelve months after being put down than it was immediately after completion, and the probability was that it would not require maintenance expenditure for five or eight years. Dangerous "Fag Ends." Burned or burning cigarettes arc discarded at the rate of 170,000 a minufe, or* 90,000,000,000 a year, according to an American statistician. Every one of these, if not thoroughly put out before being thrown away, is a potential source of fire. In ignition tests with pads of dry grass it was found that burning cigarette butts, with a wind of from three to four miles an hour, would start a fire in 90 per cent of the cases. During the American forest week recently held special consideration was given to the problem of forest fire prevention, foresters well knowing that the cigarette is one of the greatest fire hazards against which they liave to contend, a very small fraction of the enormous number of cigarettes that are discarded being enough to do untold damage. Forest week, it was suggested, was an excellent time for smokers to learn to form the habit of making sure that the cigarette is out, dead out, before being thrown away. New ftslwid foresters would libs see this habit ♦armed 4a tk# Poggtafaa sks