NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 233, 2 October 1929, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Tenders for Debentures. Eight tenders were received by the Mount Roskill Koad Board for taking up of the board's drainage debentures, ranging from the whole amount of £62,000 down to £1000. The matter was deferred until the hctual contract price is ascertained. Frost Fish Caught on Line. Fishing from the launch Lancia, between the Noises and Tiritiri, last Sunday, Mr. Mason, a member of the Globe Fishing Club, caught a line specimen of the frost fish. It is rarely that this species is taken on the line, and the instance ; recorded is the second since the formation of the club, eleven years ago. A Scientific School Year. According to science, the present system of ending the school year in December is all wrong. Dr. A. B. Fitt, Professor of Education at the Auckland University College, speaking last evening before the Educational Society, urged that July was the natural end. He showed by means of a graph that the ability of a child to learn began to rise at the beginning of the autumn, and rose steadily for the first six months, after which it gradually receded. -In July the rising curve ceased and dropped to a point* in August, when it resumed a steady trend to the following autumn.

Bolting Horses Stopped. The plucky action by which two runaway horses attached to a timber wagon were stopped in Queen .Street yesterday forenoon was credited to Mr. H. Roger Jenkins. On reading the report, the latter took prompt steps to make known that the credit was due to Mr. Stanley Francis, a member of the staff of Messrs. Goodwin and Moorcraft, of Karangahape Road, with whom lie happens to be acquainted. After the incident Mr. Francis quietly disappeared on his motor cycle, and it was a similarity in the number of his and Mr. Jenkins' machine which caused the confusion as to identity. Every Little Helps. On the principle that every little helps, the Auckland Transport Board voted a donation of £10 yesterday to the Auckland City Mission. "I regret we cannot be more generous," said the chairman, Mr. J. A. C. Allum, "but this will show the board's sympathy, and should be an indication that we are not unmindful of the needs of the community." Mr. E. J. Phelan, who moved that, the hoard's donation be £10, said all local bodies had the same responsibilities, whether they were trading or administrative bodies. The chairman thanked Mr. helan for his lead, and said lie had been a little cautious, on account of the board's financial condition. * | Winstono Park. Mr. Geo. Winstone,'sen., in a letter read at a meeting of the Mount Roskill Road Board last night, said that, in addition to equipping the children's playground, he would like to assist in the formation of the park. In order to do so, he asked the board to acquaint him with their scheme of outlay, so that his work may conform therewith. He also asked to be informed of the location of the children's playground as soon as possible, to enable him to proceed with the equipment. It was decided to furnish Mr. Winstone with the information asked for, and'to ask the City Council to allow their landscape gardener to advise the board in laying out the ground. The Bridge Commission. When asked at yesterday's meeting of the Auckland Harbour Board if any information had j been received as to the nomination of the third member for the Waitemata Bridge Commission, ! the chairman (Mr. M. H. Wynyard) said nothing | had been heard so far. Mr. J. B. Johnston pointed j out that, according to a Press telegram from Wellington, the Premier had stated that two members had been appointed by the Government, and the third would be appointed as soon as he was approved by the Harbour Board. The superintendent (Mr. H. B. Burnett) said he had telegraphed to Wellington, but had not, up to the time of the meeting, received an answer. I * I Valuable A.H.B. Lease.

In view of future extensions, the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company at. King's wharf is leasing from J. J. Craig, Ltd., some land held by the latter from the Auckland Harbour Board, and yesterday afternoon the board was asked to approve the transfer. The price stated to have been paid for the lease by the Freezing Company was £19,250. The lease has until 1908 to run. As some of the members of the board desired more information as to the terms of a sub-lease back to Craig by the company, the matter was sent on to the Finance Committee. There is no intention on the part of the company at present to build, but more railway sidings will be laid down. • Papatoetoe Reticulation. Reticulation of the Papatoetoe district is well advanced, and a commencement will be made this week with the service connections to consumers. A contract has been made with Messrs. Forrest Bros., whose tender at a price of £501 14/3 was acceptor! at the meeting of the Papatoetoe Town Board last evening. The tender was £189 below the engineer's estimate. Twelve contractors submitted prices, the highest being £1930. Satisfaction at the terms of the contract was expressed by the chairman, Mr. T. B. Smythemau, who said the board would be in a position to provide fittings to cut off the supply of each consumer, if necessary, at the main, instead of having to disconnect a whole street, in the event of a leakage. Pipes of Jin will be provided, and the work should be completed by Christmas.

New Zealand's Proud Record. The "New Zealand News," published, in London, gives prominence to what it justly describes as the Dominion's proud record in having the lowest infant mortality rate in the world, as shown by the official statistics for the last recorded year. A table is given showing the superior position Ne'w Zealand holds in comparison with other countries. New Zealand comes first, with Norway second, the next in order being Australia, Sweden and. Holland. It comes as a surprise to find that a country of such great material prosperity as the United States has an infant mortality of 73.83, or over twice as high' as that of New Zealand. The preservation of infant life is supposed also to be vitally concerning the French Government, yet the rate for France is 90.55. Canada shows'itself the most backward of the British Dominions with a rate of 9(5.80 (thrice that of New Zealand), while great civilisations like Germany and Italy have rates as high as 115.39 and 125.23 respectively. Jamaica, Ceylon and Hungary come last on the list with infant deaths of between 169 and 181 per 1000 live births. ■

Quail for Matamata, Quail in the Matamata district arc promised a social event of some importance within the next few days; To the twelve dozen quail that have been in captivity at the Zoo for more than three weeks past the plains of Matamata' will mean a return to liberty; but quails have an ungracious way with them, which might mean a strenuous rivalry. There are variations in their three-syllabled call-note, "wet-my-lips" or "wet-my-f eet," and the elocution of the imported species might give them away in their new haunts. They are unsociable, unamiable birds, rather shy in their habits, and they show a preference for evening in their foraging excursions. The imported quail have been under careful observation at the Zoo by Agricultural Department officials, and authority has been given for their liberation. They were brought out from India on the Narbacla, and will be taken to Matamata by Mr. W. T. Routledge, the Acclimatisation Society's head ranker. In appearance and size the Asiatic quail resemble the well-known Californian quail.