NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 246, 17 October 1929, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Military Service Problem. At yesterday's meeting of the Baptist Union Assembly it was resolved to urge that the law relating to conscientious objectors should be amended to exempt certified bona fide objectors without regard to Church affiliation. A motion advocating that the section of the Military Service Act dealing with compulsory military service should Be repealed was also passed, as was a resolution expressing appreciation of the great world movements in favour of the reduction of armaments. Takapuna's Unemployed. A letter from the Prime Minister was read at yesterday's meeting of the Takapuna Borough Council, stating that the Government had no work which it could offer to Takapuna unemployed in the immediate vicinity of their homes, but applicants would receive equal consideration with others in connection with the new Government relief works. Sir Joseph Ward pointed out that the men could register either at the Government Labour Bureau in Auckland or the Takapuna Post Office. The "Rafferty" System. "I don't think any of us want to live a champagne life on a beer income, but there is certain expenditure which is absolutely necessary," said Mr. A. H. Wilkie at a meeting of the Takapuna Borough Council last evening, during a discussion on the control of borough finance. The subject was raised by Mr. J. Guiniven, who urged that a more careful check should be placed on expenditure, and asked that periodical summaries of the borough's financial position should be placed before the council. He said the "Rafferty" system which was adopted by a previous council proved disastrous, and the time had come for a stock-taking. It was agreed that the Mayor and the chairman of the Works Committee should be asked to report. The Mayor said he had no misgivings as to the borough's financial stability. ' Swordfish and Pain. "A 4001b fish with the brain the size of a walnut!" exclaimed Dr. W. A. Fairclough, when iie was explaining, at a lecture in the University College Hall last evening, the visual and mental processes of fish. It was the swordfish (Xiphias gladius) that he was talking about when he mentioned the walnut-sized intelligence, and he illustrated his statement with a lantern slide showing the rough dissection of the head of a swordfish that he had made some six years ago at Mayor Island, using a tomahawk and a sheath knife for the operation "The mental processes of a swordfish must be non-existent," said Dr Fairclough "Pain, as we appreciate it, is a mental process, so I conclude that the swordfish is incapable of feeling pain. He certainly cannot feel pain as we know it. and to suggest that the iish can distinguish between the triangular gang hook and the single hook is absurd." With Duster and Spray. j The new day of increased service to passengers on the New Zealand railways, is emphasised by greater activity in the matter of dusting and spraying. Travellers by trains which run through the night on the Main Trunk line now awaken to the sensation of a freshened atmosphere, and the person of average perception is not long in attributing the change to the activities of train attendants armed with fumigating sprayers. Especially is the effect noticeable by passengers I who rise from their reclining seats to take their early morning stretch soon after dawn, for that which was heavy and oppressive overnight is now charged with an invigorating perfume. Nor are these and similar activities confined to the Main Trunk expresses. There are attendants also on the expresses which run to terminal points such as Napier and New Plymouth, with the result that travelling is made more pleasant for patrons of the railways. Telegrams in Maori. When about to leave Eotorua on Tuesday, | Mr. C. J. Lynch, manager of the South Sydney League team, was greatly intrigued to receive a telegram in Maori from Auckland. En route to Arapuni a native woman on the road was stopped by the motoring tourists and asked to interpret the message. Being uncertain about the text, she decided, in true Maori style, not to admit her difficulty. Therefore, guessing where they were heading, she said the words warned them to be careful at the Irydro-eleetric station. Yesterday at Waahi pa, Huntly, the footballers found that the telegram meant: "Beware of the pitfalls (and other temptations) of Eotorua, that you may conserve your strength and courage for battle with the Waikato district of the hundred taniwhas (nionsters)." The team has now decided to send a special message of greeting to the Kangaroos in England, who will also have to find a Maori interpreter.

Control of Worth Shore Services. The North Shore Water Board recently advised each of the transmarine borough councils that they were considering a suggestion that they should seek legislative authority to obtain extended powers to control the major public services in the whole of the North Shore, such services to include water, drainage, refuse disposal and transport. They asked for an expression of opinion from the boroughs. "I think we should be extremely careful what we hand over," said Mr. A. H. Wil'kie, at last night's meeting of the Takapuna Council. "I shall certainly oppose any interference with transport," he said. Similar views were expressed by other members, Mr. L. H. Titchener saying that it was altogether too dangerous to hand over such matters until the powers of the board were defined. Mr. Guiniven said' the Mayor of Northcote had declared himself opposed to the scheme. It was decided to defer a reply until the matter has been discussed at the forthcoming conference on the subject of amalgamation of the North Shore boroughs. This is to be convened by the Mayor of Takapuna (Mr. J. W. Williamson). Pigeons for Aeroplanes. A successful experiment in the use of carrier pigeons for communication between aircraft in flight and their home aerodromes was made by the Marlborough Aoro Club recently. One of the Blenheim pigeons liberated from a Moth in flight over Paekakariki arrived home promptly, before dark. The other, which was liberated over Palmerston North, was evidently overtaken by darkness, but it returned to its loft the following morning. The pigeons are the property of Mr. K. Patchett, who is co-operating with the Marlborough Aero Club in its experiments. It is proposed, states an exchange, to train the birds in picking up bearings from the air by taking them up in flights over Blenheim from time to time and releasing them at varying altitudes. When the system is perfected, one or two pigeons will bo placed aboard all aircraft taking off on crosscountry flights from the Blenheim Aerodrome.

Coromandel Peninsula. It seems odd, but there is mo map name for the Coromandel peninsula, which may b& said to begin at the Thames and end at Colville. The result is that it is known by various names, when there is any necessity to refer to it—and that does not occur so frequently as it did in the days when it was a hive of goldmininjr. A "Star" reader asked the official name of that" long, narrow tongue of land, and when inquiries were made it was found that there was no official name. The common name, however, is Coromandel Peninsula, so called not only after the settlement, but because the greater part is in Coromandel County. This is the,name by which it is known by the people in the Lands Department, and for most people that settles the question. Colville, Moehau, Hauraki, are all names which will be heard-applied tothe peninsula, but Coromandel carries it'on the voices. There are several similar peninsulas in New Zealand which have no set name. It seems to be the custom of geographers to name only those peninsulas which are rather more obviously "nearly islands" as the name means—such as Banks Peninsula and MaMa Peninsula.