NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 225, 23 September 1929, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Dominion Day. To-day is the 22nd anniversary of the establishment of New Zealand as a Dominion. The holiday was observed by banks, Government and legal offices, the Stock Exchange, and offices of members of the Real Estate Institute, but it was not a public holiday. Engine Trouble on Limited. Engine trouble delayed the Limited express for over half an .hour in the King Country early this morning. A further delay was occasioned at Ohakune on account of having to wait to cross the Auckland-Wellington Limited express. Arrival was made at Auckland at 10.15 a.m., nearly three-quarters of an hour late. Ellerslie Mantled. Ellerslie's shallow basin was mantled in white early yesterday morning, the frost scorching the foliage of plants that had responded to the first touches of spring. In the southern suburbs of Papatoetoe and Mamirewa the frost gave a sharp check to early potatoes and other tender subjects, but the damage was not regarded as serious by amateur gardeners. The general opinion was that the frost would be the last of the season, and this morning, with only a suggestion of crispness on the grass, gave added force to this belief. Trains New and Old. A special train, carrying members of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and other visitors, will run over the Weatfielcl railway deviation to-morrow morning en route to the Otahuhu railway workshops. This will be the first passenger, train to travel over the new line. Regular passenger services will not be run over the deviation until the new railway statien at Auckland is completed, but practically the entire goods service between Auckland and southern stations now uses the line, leaving the old route, via the Parnell tunnel, for passenger trains and goods trains to and from the north. It is interesting to recall that f>o years have elapsed since the first passenger train left Auckland. That was on December 24, 1873, when 15 passengers travelled from the old Britomart station to Onehunga. Frost-bitten Potatoes. A great disappointment awaited many residents at Onehunga yesterday morning when they found that their early potatoes had been cut down with a heavy frost on Saturday night. Onehunga lias been noted for growing early potatoes, and nearly every garden had a crop that pave promise of a good yield for home consumption. Now, owing to the frost, some of them are hardly worth digging. August has hitherto been considered the worst mouth for frost in Onehunga, and residents were congratulating themselves that their crons had come through that month unscathed. Where the rows have been sot wide apart, say, 27in or more, another set can be planted between them, and, as they grow up and want moulding, the present crop will be dug, so that there is still time for a good crop this season, given favourable conditions. An Echo from the Past.

"Going far back to the early days of sailing ships, some of the sea chanteys are over 150 years old," said Mr. Edward Branscombe, organiser of the Westminster Glee Singers. Composed with the solo aim of alleviating the heavy work of the men before the mast, he said, the words, often impromptu, wore sometimes nonsensical; but the chantey invariably went with a swing. Different sailorn'ien's jobs produced different chanteys, the rhythm of each depending on the particular'kind lof work. Thus a capstan chantey was slow and steady to ensure the regular beat of the men; but some were fast and keen. The leader would sing a short solo, between the efforts of the sailors, and then as the strain was taken again the chorus would be roared out and tossed away on the wind. Thieves Abroad Again. Several cases of stealing have been reported to the police lately. Thieves entered the house of Mr. M. Morley BelJ at Howick on Saturday evening and took £4 from a room occupied by the chauffeur. Mr. and Mrs. Bell were at home at the time, but in a different part of the house from that which was ransacked. A shed belonging to Captain E. Dorling, Great South Road, was entered on Saturday evening, and the thief took some cutlery which was stored there after the house had been recently partially destroyed by fire. A very mean theft was the taking of a quantity of articles from St. Matthew's Parish Hall, articles that had been made by the women of the parish for the annual sale of work, to be held next month. The goods taken were worth about £50, and the theft means that the women will have to start and make a fresh supply. Plucky Women Workers. The fine spirit shown by some of the wives of the unemployed was commented on by the members of the Hospital Board Relief Committee at its last meeting when they were told that some of them had gone back to their old occupations' as waitresses, laundry maids and other tasks, to help to "keep the pot boiling" till better times come. Often, too, when girls got out of work, their' mothers left them in charge of the home while they themselves went out and earned 30/ to 40/ per week. Complaint was often made that young people in good situations did not always help their parents when they were in need. The hope was expressed that when seasonal work absorbed more hands, many of the men seeking lisht work would get off the board's books. The expenditure on relief by tl:o board exceeds by £500 per month the amount spent during the same period last year. "A Well of English, Undefiled." Those purists who are continually expressing alarm lest correct English speech should become a thing of the past by reason of slipshod conversational habits and the pernicious influence of American "talkies" would have found cause for rejoicing yesterday at the Young Women's rally held in the Pitt Street Methodist Church. Thers, as an accessory to an inspirational address by Miss Jennie Street on "The Proclamation of Freedom," forty girls from the Auckland Girls' Grammar School recited in chorus two eloquent portions of Scripture. "It was a treat," declared an elocutionary authority who was present, "Perfect in accent, enunciation and expression. The rhythm of the sentences was charming, and every word was given its full value. While the pupils of our secondary schools are taught their mother tongue like that there need be no fear of foreign influences, because no one could help but admire the- beauty of cultured English." Another interesting feature of the occasion were two tuneful anthems in Maori by a choir from the Queen Victoria School. The Girls' Citizens' Guild paraded in uniform, and the building was crowded with r6presentatives of all the girls' institutions in the city. Miss Jean Begg presided. Concert Number Requests. Before taking a final farewell of the enthusiastic audience which assembled for the last performance of the Westminster Glee Singers at His Majesty's" Theatre on Saturday night, Mr. Edward Branscombe made apology for his inability to accede to all requests for special numbers. " Taking the audience into his confidence, he explained the nature of some of those requests. One dear lady, who had attended a matinee with a number of friends, asked that the company should sing some hymns. They were always pleased to sing hymns in the proper place, but for purposes of the tour they had not come provided with the necessary books. Another request, said Mr. Branscombe, was for Jackson's "Te Deum," and those in the audience who understood the mournful nature of that work would understand why it was not included in the programme. Then there was a different set of people hailing from the North of Britain —Scots, they were called —who had asked for the singing of their national airs. "We find that we are able to include one of the favourite Scotch airs," Mr. Branscombe added, "and also respond to a request that at this last concert of the season our youngest boy, Harry Fearn, should sing a solo." These promises were fulfilled, to the delight of the audience, and when Mr. Branseombe intimated that the party would return to Auckland for two or three concerts early in December there was a hearty round of applause.