NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 259, 1 November 1929, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Technical Students at Otahuhu. Over 200 students from the Seddon Memorial Technical College paid a visit yesterday to the railway workshops at Otahuhu. Special accommodation was provided on the train, and the boys were taken through every department at the workshops. It was an interesting afternoon, spent iu practical education of a very useful type. Fowls and Aeroplanes. It has been asserted that the ordinary domestic fowl is frightened by aeroplanes, and that its egg-laying capacity is adversely afl'ected, but this is certainly not the experience of one of the mechanics at the Hobsonville air base, who has a line flock of Black Orpingtons. 'Planes are in the air during most of the daylight hours, and the noise of machinery is seldom still, but the chickens continue to thrive exceedingly and to lay abundantly. "I'll back my birds against any others," he said to a "Star" representative. Erosion at Arapuni. Referring to a statement that there was a further fall of sft of rock below the Arapuni spillway on October 10, Mr. T. MacLennan, the district electrical engineer, stated yesterday that to all appearances there was no change in the falls at Arapuni from their condition immediately after August 19, when extensive erosion occurred. Mr. MacLennan said surveys were taken at frequent intervals, and the change in the position had been so slight as to be of no particular consequence. Getting the Bird. An amazing diversion was created in Karangaliape Road yesterday afternoon by the antics of a bantam fowl which.escaped from the custody of a lady, who was carrying it under her arm. The lively little bird ran hither and thither, and quite a crowd assembled, either to join in the chase or to watch the fun, trafiic being held up for a few minutes. The bantam dodged its would-be captors like an All Black three-quarter, but eventually ran into a fruit shop, where it was captured. Belgium's Centenary. The centenary of the independence of Belgium will be celebrated next year, and two great international exhibitions are being organised to mark the jubilee. One at Antwerp will bring to the fore the colonial and maritime activities of the nations, and at Liege an international exhibition of science and industry will bo held. The agricultural section will take the form principally of a model village, where agricultural plant can be shown under the best conditions. It will include two model farms, several agricultural workshops, a blacksmith's shop, an inn, a bakery, a greengrocer's shop, a drug stove, a municipal hall, and a school. Trout Pishing Regulations. Amended regulations for trout fishing in the Taupo and Rotorua districts have been gazetted. Under the Order-in-Council the anomaly of the boundary between the two districts still continues. The Rotorua boundary terminates at the Huka Falls, about four miles from Taupo. In order to fish the Waikato River above and below this point, it is necessary to hold licenses for both districts. Many fishermen hold that the boundary of the Tauno district should extend to below the Aratiatia Rapids. The fee for a wholeseason license for the Taupo district has been reduced from £3 to £2, but the Rotorua wholeseason fee remains the same, namely, £1. Mutual Protection Needed.

Decided views regarding the protection of younger members of the community were expressed by the Chief Justice, the Hon. M. Myers, in the Supreme Court at Wellington on Tuesday, when addressing the jury in a case in which a youth was charged with an olTence against a girl under the age of 1(5. His Honor said the case showed that not only did young girls require protection, but also that young men required protection from some of the young girls in the community. "We hear much of the protection that young girls require," his Honor added. "I admit they do, but a precocious young girl, such as this one, is a menace." Eve of All Hallows. Had we been living in Europe, we should probably have been more alive to the fact that last evening was Hallowe'en, the popular name for the vigil of the feast of All Saints. In England and Scotland the evening is still given over to some extent to fireside revelries and to the playful divination of the future, while in some parts of Europe "Halloweve" is the occasion for visiting cemeteries and laying flowers on the graves of friends and relatives. In the United States of America the practice of celebrating the occasion has been carried over, but there it is given more of a carnival effect, with black cats and symbols of /'spookland" figuring largely in the decorations. This is one of the ancient customs which has not been developed in New Zealand. Why the Emden Stopped. When the German cruiser Emden visited a small island in the Pacific after leaving New Zealand, comments were made in some of the Dominion newspapers speculating upon the reasons which influenced the commander in spending a day there, if not actually hinting at espionage. The Herman Consul, Mr. W. Penseler, sent the cuttings to Captain Von Arnauld de la Perriere, and has just received his reply, sent from Costa Rica on September 18. The captain writes that, with the consent of the Governor of Fiji, he anchored off the island of Wailagilala in order to give the crew an opportunity of bathing. He himself spent the day in deep-sea fishing, and enjoyed excellent sport. Captain Von Arnauld described the rumours as "pretty thick," and said it was most unfortunate that sensationallyminded pe'rsons should have the power of sending incorrect and uncontrolled news out to the world. National Importance of Swimming. , "The object of the Auckland Swimming Centre is to forward the educational side of swimming, with the idea that at some future date the Government will make swimming a compulsory subject in schools wherever facilities are available," said Mr. L. Brighton, educational officer to the centre, at the annual meeting last evening. He said it had been proved what could be done by honorary work, and it now remained for the authorities to assist in a work which was undoubtedly of national importance. Some idea of the centre's activities may be gathered from the fact that during the past year 506S certificates were issued for 109 schools. The total was made up of 2754 learners' certificates, 14S0 proficiency, and SO4 merit awards. The previous record was 2G23, held by C'hristchurch, and Auckland's previous highest total was 1805, in the 1920-27 season. < Hag Customs. A man who was down the wharf the other day when ail American cargo steamer sailed was struck by the fact that from the signal yard on the foremast she flew the blue peter from one j vardarm and Old Glory from the other. He could j understand that the blue peter meant the vessel was sailing within 24 hours, but lie could not make out why the ensign was flown; he always understood that the proper place was from the ensign staff at the stem. When the matter was put to a salt-water sailor on the waterfront, he explained that the meaning was that the ship's destination was U.S.A. There was no regulation on the point; in fact, it rather depended on the whim or otherwise of the chief officer. In the old days in Auckland, when steamers ran to Tahiti (a French possession),- they used to flv the Tricolour at the fore truck. Even to-day the Tofua, when bound for Tonga, flies the strangelooking Tongan flag at the fore. Nowadays the j sailor is getting as busy as the rest of mankind, j and these rather interesting little outward signs | of an inward aad spiritual appreciation of the j fine old traditions of the sea are growing fewer I and fewer.