NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 241, 11 October 1929, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Proposed Cornish Association,

It is proposed to form a Cornish Association in Auckland, and if, as is expected, the scheme becomes a success, to form branches in other parts of the province. The Rev. Tremayne Thomas, of Birkenhead, is organising secretary. A Very Sporting Bird. "A very good sporting bird, difficult to shoot," was the description given by Mr. C. M. Gordon, secretary of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society, last evening, to the Asiatic quail which has recently been liberated in small numbers in the Lower Waikato. They fly a somewhat zig-zag course, not unlike the snipe of Great Britain, which is generally recognised as the most difficult of all to hit. Children's Library Subscriptions. In order to encourage the reading habit among boys and girls it has been decided to reduce the subscription rate for the children's department at the Central Library and all branch libraries. The subscription was 5/ a year. From to-day, to the children of city ratepayers or residents, it will be half a crown. The old rate will hold good for all other children. The Auckland libraries are well supplied with juvenile literature, there being some 8000 volumes located in the various libraries. The new rates should induce a greater use of the facilities provided for the younger generation than has been the case in the past. Social Service Bequests. "I am of the opinion that the frequency of bequests to social services throughout New Zealand is a sign of a sincere interest in child welfare," said the Rev. G. Budd at the annual meeting of the Auckland Presbyterian Orphanages and Social Service Association. The needs of the child were greater than could be fulfilled properly by orphanages, he said, and by legacies being left to the carrying out of general work as i opposed merely to that of orphanages, a new and wider phase of social work could be embarked on, and the child mind made aware of a wider sphere in religious teaching. Old Colonists' Gathering. In mentioning at the annual reunion of the Old Colonists' Association yesterday afternoon in the Town Hall that the attendance Was a record, as far as he was aware, the Mayor , (Mr. George Baildon) warmly complimented the secretary (Mr. Syd. Coldicutt) for the arrangements that had been made. Mr. Baildon also paid a tribute to the secretary for the amount of work he put into the association generally, saying it would be difficult to find many men who would devote the amount of time that Mr. Coldicutt did. During the past ten years the major part of the work of organising these gatherings has been performed by Mr. Coldicutt, who takes a very keen interest in perpetuating the- memory of the pioneers. Tauranga's First Missionary. A most interesting ceremony is to be held in the old Tauranga Mission Station, "The Elms," next ■ month (writes a correspondent). On November 29, 1829, Archdeacon Brown landed in New Zealand, and was the first missionary in Tauranga. He took up residence at "The Elms," and when, full of years, he came to die, his body was laid to rest in the military cemetery, where many gallant soldiers, pakeha and Maori, sleep. The old mission bell, which not only called to prayers, but in troublous times to "safety, has been recast, and on November 29 next it will be rung. On the following Sunday at 3 p.m. it is ' intended to have a commemoration service. Bishop Bennett and Archdeacon Williams hope to be present. Progress of Fruit Industry. The remarkable progress made by the fruit industry in Auckland during the past four years was mentioned at the farewell dinner tendered last evening to Mr. W. H. Rice, late orchard instructor of Auckland. In speaking at the function, Mr. Rice said he came to Auckland four years ago, and during that period the numbers of cases of fruit exported from this district rose from 8000 to over 80,000. There were now over 1500 orchards in the district, of a total area of over 5000 acres. There were 170 nurserymen, 250 strawberry growers, and large numbers of tomato growers. In the period under notice the area planted with passion fruit had doubled, and the same conditions applied to citrus growing. The latter, however, showed greater advancement than the mere doubling of the area planted, for poor trees had been replaced by pedigTee stock. No Blind Beggars. The blind beggar has been removed from our streets, said Mr. A. J. Hutchinson, yesterday, when speaking before the Lyceum Club. Did the residents of Auckland realise this? Did they realise what it meant? It meant that the persons who had the misfortune to lose their eyesight had been removed from the charity line and put into self-respecting work, which enables them to maintain themselves and to be self-respecting and useful citizens. If at any time anyone was seen blind and begging on the street, he advised those present not to give alms, as it was not necessary. Blind people could be taught to earn a self-respecting livelihood. New Zealand stood alone in this. In England, in America and in Canada he had seen blind people on the streets begging, but from Auckland to Invercargill there was not one now to be found in the Dominion, and he thought this was a credit to the country. Sydney Visitors Impressed. "People who have travelled the world live next door to me. When they heard that I was going to New Zealand, they told me I was going to see the most beautiful country in the world. Their words were that if New Zealand was nearer the Continent, Switzerland and all the other resorts would not be in it. These glowing reports, of course, were transmitted by me to the boys of the club, so you can understand how keenly the South Sydney team has looked forward to this visit." These were the remarks to-day of Mr. C. J. Lynch, the manager of the South Sydney League team. The visitors already are delighted with the scenic charms of Auckland, and hope to see quite a lot more of the country before their visit ends. Stipends of Maori Clergy. "We trust that it will be possible shortly to give the Maori clergy in this diocese, where they are more poorly paid than in any other diocese, a stipend that will be nearer a living wage," said Archdeacon Hawkins, in a report on work amongst Maoris which was presented at the Anglican Synod yesterday. "It will be recalled that about 18 months ago the Standing Committee increased the stipends of the Maori clergy from £120 per annum to £150," continued the report. "This has meant an increased expenditure of over £400 per annum. The funds from pakeha and Maori have not sufficed to meet this added amount, and hence it will be noted in the accounts that the Maori Mission Fund has a debit balance of over £500 this last financial year. Coordination into the Board of Missions will assuredly assist us to bear the burden placed upon this diocese by the fact that so many Maoris are included within its boundaries." Dangerous Corners. "Traveller" writes: "Driving up the hills from Glen Eden to Nihotupu the other day, I was struck by the very great danger involved in the many sharp corners that one meets. Being in a hurry, the driver of the car put on speed, and while the road might have been quite safe for the settlers' traps and carts, it is quite unsuited for fast motor traffic. The roadway is not wide, and at corners a' big car, taking the sweep that is almost inevitable, even with a first-class driver, leaves practically no metal at all for a passing car. Up to just beyond Captain Theet's place there are no bad bends, but between there and the top the road simply bristles with them. It struck me that, instead of putting unemployed on to build stadiums and other things that could very well wait, or be built by private people, it would be a very good thing to put thsm on to make such as road as this West Coast one safer. It only needs the corners cutting back; the expense would be very trifling."