NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 102, 2 May 1929, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Fewer Bankruptcies. There were fewer bankruptcies in the Auckland district last month than in the preceding month. In March there were 20 failures, as compared with only 11 last month. In April of last year there were seven. There have been 59 bankruptcies during the four months of the present year, as against 42 for <the corresponding period of last year, and 64 in 1927. Prawns and Peannts. Judging by the refuse which littered Fort Street and Customs Street in the early hours of this morning, prawns and peanuts must have been the main items in the dietary of some of those who watched the screening of the results from the 'Star" office last evening. Roadways and pavements were littered with rubbish of all kinds, and peanut shells and the heads of prawns were prominent in the debris. It all meant extra work for the street cleaners, but that is hardly Hkely to cause perturbation to the untidy ones. "Keep your city clean" is a watchword which Auckland people might well take to heart, writes "Veritas." A Grim Relic. A grim relic of the bad old days, when society demanded an eye for an eye, was dramatically produced by Mr. W. H. Bennett, chairman of tHe Wellington Technical College Board of Governors, at a function at the college the other night. After addressing the architects and builders, who had been inspecting the night classes at work, Mr. Bennett held up a rusty pair of chain shackles, which he explained had been uneaithed during excavating operations on the college grounds. He stated that these were relics of the bad old days, when prisoners wore chains, and he himself had witnessed in the streets of Wellington the unhappy spectacle of human beings going about with chains on their ankles. An Impromptu Service. Probably the most curious church service ever held in the Okoke district took place last Sundn.y._ A large crowd was at the hall, and in the adjoining grounds cleaning up after the sports, when the Methodist missioner (Mr. Bennett) arrived on the scene. There was a hurried scramble of boys and men to get down over the river bank, but the ladies stopped them, and after a short conference they agreed to attend a half-hour's service. So they filed into the hall, most of them coatless, and wearing heavy farm boots, while the ladies had aprons on and were minus the necessary headgear. However, these slight matters did not prevent them from joining heartily in the singing, while the address by the missioner was listened to with the keenest interest.

Town Sky-Signs Wanted. With the increasing use of aircraft a new need arises in the form of a sky sign for towns (remarks the "Taranaki Herald"). On their way from Auckland in the Marlborough Aero Club's Moth, Captain Chandler and Mr. C. A. McDonald, after flying down the coast in thick rain, came •upon Waitara. Realising that it was not big enough for New Plymouth, they tried to identify it from the air, and dived down low over the railway station, but failed to discover a name.Next they flew over the main street low enough to read the name of a leading hotel, but nothing was seen by which they could identify the place! Finally they decided from their map that it was Waitara, but not before most of the town's populace had poured itself into the streets to watch the 'plane which had appeared so suddenly. Debt Paid After 21 Years. Prior to. the year 1905 there roamed the Canterbury Marlborough districts, hawking and grass-seeding, a Sikh of splendid physique (reports the "Express"). These occupations not being profitable, he took ordinary farm work on a station in Marlborough, staying there until 1908,_ when he married and departed for India. In his home town things did not turn out as well as he expected, and late in the year 1908 he and his wife found themselves stranded in London, England. Meeting a member of the family of his old Marlborough employers in the street one day, lie borrowed enough money to return to his old job, and work , the debt out. However, his job was by this time filled, and, borrowing a few more pounds, the Sikh went off for other parts. On Tuesday last, 21 years after his departure, the former Marlborough employers received a registered letter enclosing a post office order for the full amount of the loan.

Ambergris on Sale. The 2cvvt Chunk of that mysterious substance, ambergris—queer, morbid intestinal secretion of the sperm whale, usually found floating in tropical seas—which was discovered last summer on Ninety Mile Beach, is now safely housed in a vault in Mincing Lane pending its sale. Most of us think of Mincing Lane as the place where merchants make the world price for tea, but Mincing Lane, -it would appear, is equal to ambergris. The New Zealand treasure finders dreamt of big sums—at least £3 an ounce. This lump is not realising any such price, but it is, of course, valuable. The price of ambergris varies greatly, and depends, naturally, on tlie quality, and may be as low as 5/ an ounce. One piece found in 11)13 weighing 9071b was valued at £26,000, an average of 36/3 per ounce. A piece weighing ocwt was found on the shore of one of the Azores. Ambergris, therefore, can be found in regions where whales do not abound, and therein lies the romance of the hunting of the prccious substance. Railway Crossing Accidents. "I cannot regret sufficiently the frequency with which there appear in the columns of the Press alarming headings, such as 'Another Railway Crossing Fatality,' 'The Deadly Level Crossing,' and the letters we get about accidents at, railway crossings," said Mr. H. H. Sterling, general manager of the New Zealand Railways, at the Wellington Automobile Club's last meeting. "We have given anxious and constant consideration to the protection of human life, both on and off the railways, as affected by level crossings. We have from time to time carefully made up our programme. We have gone with the utmost carp into every circumstance as we can see. it as it affects the motorist and the train, but then we fiild the accidents • happening where we did not think they could. Just as , all-of us have to live within the limits of our purses, so the jftilvvays have to live within the limits of the purse of this country. If we could, we would wipe out every dangerous level crossing, but we have jjot the magic wand. Without fear of contradiction, I say that our record in New Zealand will bear the most microscopic investigation. Artificial Limbs. . .The conditions imposed by the Government in with the supply of artificial limbs to men-who were injured m the .war were discussed at the annual meeting, of the Returned Soldiers' Association.. A decision was made to recommend to the next Dominion conference that ; steps should be taken to urge the Government to ■set up a commission to investigate the whole ] question of artificial limbs. A suggestion to be 'incorporated is that the personnel of such com- : mission should be the same as that of the Pensions Appeal Board in each centre. The feeling was expressed that greater liberty should ; be allowed patients in choosing makes, of ■ artificial limbs and in having them fitted. One suggestion ■is that in cases where Government assistance is given the present; difficulty might be overcome by fixing a limit , for financial assistance and allowing the patients or their friends to make up tlie balance. Some of the patients state that they would prefer this rather than be confined in their choice to certain makes, and rather than experience difficulty in the fitting oi ilia limbs* ,