NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 222, 19 September 1929, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Out of Gear. A request to continue street lighting on tramway routes until 1 a.m. was made by the Auckland Transport Board to the One Tree Hill Road Board last night. The clerk of the board said he had written to the Power Board to supply details of the additional cost involved, but no reply had yet been received. Such a practice would throw the whole organisation out of gear, as a number of street lights were 011 a time switch. It was decided to defer the matter until a reply is received from the Power Board. Beautifying Takapuna. A newly-formed beautifying society at Takapuna has organised a working-bee for Saturday next on the park frontage in Taharoto Road. The society was formed at a meeting of residents of the western area of the borough, at the home of Mrs. Blomfield, Karaka Street, 011 Tuesday evening, when the needs of the district from a beautifying point of view were stressed. It was 1 stated that the council had promised assistance, and had offered the use of tools and a horse dray, and was willing to provide trees for planting. Staffing the Schools. The Education Department and the Government received recognition in the course of discussion at the meeting of the Primary School Committees' Association last evening; "I think, on the whole, that there are not many Governments in the world that give such facilities as New Zealand does," was an observation by the Rev. F. Greenwood. He was referring to the training of teachers. Another significant remark was made by Mr. G. Brownlee. "You will notice," he said, "that the staffing of schools has been gradually going up, and is better to-day than it ever was." The Tobacco Industry. It is estimated that there are now some 1000 acres devoted to tobacco growing in the Dominion. Of this total, approximately 150 acres are in the Auckland district, 30 acres in Marlborough, and the balance in the Nelson and Motueka districts. The bulk of the crop at the present time is under contract to tobacco manufacturers in New Zealand. The future of the industry 111 this country, says a Departmental report, depends very largely on a satisfactory overseas market being available for the surplus not needed for New Zealand requirements, and until this is definitely assured the planting of tobacco 011 an extensive scale requires to be carefully considered. Unique Species of Beech. Professor W. A. Sledge, B.Sc., Ph.D., lecturer on botany at the Leeds University, England, has been paying a visit to Te Aroha, hcing considerably interested in the flora and scenery of the mountain. In the matter of vegetation the mountain has a considerable variety, and recently a species of beech, unique in the locality, has been discovered. This was a hybrid produced hv the crossing of the Nothofagu* Fusca with the Xothofagus Menzieii, and was considered a most remarkable type, as the latter was thought to have never departed from the pure strain. The varieties of plants on the higher ridges were objects of great interest in every way, and formed a most attractive study. The professor spent three days on the mountain, and regretted his stay could not be extended. Squeaky Brakes. The squeaky brakes on some Devonport buses were discussed at last night's meeting of the Devonport Borough Council, sitting as the No. 2 Licensing Authority, Mr. J. Hislop voicing the complaint. "Why," he said, "I know several ladies cannot get their babies to sleep for their howling!" "The babies or the buses?" queried several members. Mr. Hislop's reply indicated the brakes as being the disturbing element to the slumber of the infants. On reference to the traffic inspector, he enunciated the theory that "a squeaky brakt is a safe brake." While the members unanimously supported the idea of safety first, they were also emphatically opposed to noise as a contributing factor, and the inspector was instructed to see that all brake linings on buses in the borough were as effective and as non-musical as possible. j England's "Power and Poise." An Auckland lady has received a letter from | Canada which throws a fine .light on English trad-

An Auckland lady has received a letter from Canada which throws a fine .light on English trading life and incidentally English commercial honesty. Referring to a visit to Spain and England, a talented woman writer, Mrs. Madge Mcßeth, of Toronto, whom the New Zealander met in Canada, said: "I left Spain with some regret to go to England. After the picturesqueness and the colour of Spain it seemed to me that any country would be dull. This was not so. I had hardly arrived in London when I was gripped by a great excitement, the admiration of magnificent power and poise. There might be a certain political unrest, which was inevitable in connection with a general election, but the feeling in. England was one of reassuring serenity, strength and benignity. I found honesty and integrity in all relations. If I asked in a shop, 'Are these stockings all silk?' I am told, 'I am not sure they are all silk, madam, but I think you will like them.' A saleswoman would not say the article was silk unless she was sure. That was typical. I realised, as never before, why the ties of confidence are so strong which bind the Dominions to the Motherland." Rival Routes. For- many years past the Aria Settlers' Association, in the King Country, has been using its best endeavours to obtain a thorough investigation of a proposed deviation route between Piopio and Mahoenui. The present road is reported to be in a deplorable state. Advice received by the Waitomo County Council states that the Highways Board has not yet gone into the respective costs of the deviation and the present route. In the association's opinion a deviation through Totoro would provide a main highway with an easy grade and few sharp corners, whereas the present route would cost a large sum to bring up to highways standard. Dislocation of traffic during the improvements would be avoided by adopting the proposed new route,- and 7000 acres of land suitable for close settlement would be opened up. When construction was completed, all stock could be kept on the present route, and that through Totoro would be free of all but local stock for 17 miles. Owing to the representations of parties vitally interested in the present route, it is stated, the association's endeavours in the past have been frustrated. Quaint Sporting Terms. A correspondent of the "Star" wrote in asking the proper names for the male and female swan. It looked simple enough, but it was surprising the number of people who were asked and had no idea there were special names for the two swan sexes, similar to cock and hen among poultry. Even people well up in natural history did not know. Eventually the question was solved by Mr. G. G. Kelly, the well-known rifle-shot and sportsman. He says the proper name for the male swan is'"cob," and for the female "pen." Talking, about sporting terms, Mr. Kelly pointed'out that there were many oldfashioned names that. would be: unfamiliar to anyone outside sporting circles. Some of the terms were quite picturesque. For instance, the proper name for a gathering of starlings was "a murmuration. of starlings." Other terms which were perhaps not generally known were gaggle of geese, nye of pheasants, baddling .of ducks, skulk of foxes, sounder of swine, pride of lions, sege of herons, spring of teal, "covert of coots, sord of millard, bevy of quail or larks, covey of partridges, pack of grouse, congregation of plover, walk of snipe (a lot on the beach) and whisp of snipe (a lot in flight). Non-sporting people would generally refer to the above under such general term 3 as "flock" or "herd," but the old terms, many of them of great antiquity,.have survived to this day.