NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 210, 5 September 1930, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

"Crazy Pavements." I The frequent showers of misty rain which fell yesterday made the surfaces of city roads dangerously slippery, as motorists found to their alarm. Although no serious accidents resulting from skids were reported, a number were narrowly averted. A taxi-cab turned completely round after skidding in a city street, while" many other 'vehicles were seen .to slide bodily for some yards. Motor cyclists found the conditions particularly trying, and slippery tram rails were avoided. One Tree Hill's Red Cow. "It is hard-to believe that a single person, or rather a cow, could do such damage," said a member of the One Tree Hill Borough Council on Wednesday, when reference was made to the extensive damage done to trees in Waitapu Road and Allison Avenue by straying cattle. "Trees have been knocked over, stakes uprooted, and the depredations of this red cow have become a byword in the neighbourhood generally." It was decided to have the trees replaced, and to make inquiries regarding the ownership of the cow.: Outhwaite Park Vandalism. At this week's meeting of the Newmarket Borough Council a motion by Mr. W. J. Jeffery that cyclists be prohibited from riding in Outhwaite Park, and that a notice be erected at the entrance to the effect that £5 reward be paid to: anyone who will give information leading to the arrest of persons defacing the council's property, was passed. This was a result of complaints that many windows had been broken, and. much disturbance had been caused by larrikins who treated the park as less than their own property. Hitching Post Survives. • . & In the good old days when horses provided the principal means of transport,.. hitching posts were recognised parts of street equipment. But with the advent of the motor, they have almost entirely disappeared. In the country districts some still survive. Out at Howick, for instance, it became necessary recently to remove the hitching rail in front of the post office during the course of roading operations. So serviceable was it to farmers in the district, however, that the local Town Board has decided to re-erect the post. ■'- : '•'• Snowed Under. Three members of tfe Mount Egmont Alpine Club made an ascent of Egmont last week to see how the new hut on Fantham's Peak (oOOOft) was standing up to the winter conditions. When the party reached the spot the only sign of the hut was the top two feet of the- eight-foot pole that projects above the roof. To this a shovel had been tied, and with the shovel a tunnel was excavated to the hut door. Inside everything was in perfect condition. 'There was no sign of dampness, and a thorough examination failed to disclose any sign of strain as a result of the weight of snow carried on the roof. Force of Habit. Isot infrequently} as the result of ignorance or a fit of mental aberration, people address dignitaries wrongly at public meetings and functions. A breach which was quite forgivable in the circumstances was made at Wednesday's meeting of the Auckland Education Board, when Mr. W. G. Campbell was addressing the chair. Accustomed to appearing almost daily in the Police Court in the capacity of probation officer, he referred to the chairman of the board, Mr.. A. Burns, as "Your Worship." So easily did the expression come to him that the speaker did not notice his lapse into Court parlance till he was reminded of the fact by Mr. G. G. Brown lee. Mr. Burns keenly appreciated the joke, and jocularly remarked: "You're quite right." Dangerous Play. ■ To parents, at any rate, school holidays are not an unmixed blessing. Leisure hours occasionally lead to mischief, and sometimes the consequences are disastrous. What might very easily have been a serious accident occurred in .the Stanley Bay reserve the other afternoon. A party of young which included a small baby, was playing on the'roundabout, and a schoolboy, who was much bigger than the others, and certainly old enough to know better, began to push the revolving seat at a speed which was far too fast for safety. Repeatedly the little ones asked him to stop, but he persisted, with the consequence ihat the youngsters became alarmed and fell in a heap on the ground. The baby was underneath and sustained a nasty bruise on the forehead. Higher Bus Fares. A request for permission to increase their faros by Id a section \vas made by representatives of Suburban Buses, Ltd., who waited on the One Tree Hill Borough Council this week I The extra cost of petrol, oil and tyres, it was pointed out, made the increased charge essential. The present fare of 8d single from Te Papapa to the city, and 1/2 return, would be increased to 9d single and 1/4 return. The 12-trip concession cards would cost 7/ instead of G/6, and the worker's weekly ticket would cost 5/3, as compared with 5/ at present. Shorter distances would be charged for at the rate of Id a section extra. The company's representatives said the i proposed schedule had been laid before the Transport Board for consideration. It was decided to inform the Transport Board that the council was agreeable ■to the proposed increases being permitted. Rights of the Road. "There is a feeling among a section of those who do not own motor cars that we are out to chastise the pedestrian and to protect the motorist, no matter how reckless he may be, but that impression is . entirely ■ wrong and must ■ be removed," said the chairman, Mr. E. A. Batt, at a recent meeting of the executive of the Wellington. Automobile Club. "The pedestrian has his rights. He needs educating. But we also take up the attitude that there are some bad motorists who require just as much talking to. Such drivers do not deserve any protection. They.do' not get it from this club. It is true that our i members have the privilege of free legal advice, ■but if they are guilty of reckless driving they are left to get out of the mess as best they can. They get no sympathy from us." Early Shipping News. ■Replying to the article of "Yachtsman No. 2," which referred to the••burial place of the vessel Examiner, "Mark Seven" writes:—"l read 'Yachtsman No. 2 r s' article in Monday's 'Star' and thank him for confirming my statements about the old Examiner's burial place. I thought 'Yachtsman No. 1' was wrong when he said'that the Examiner's bones.were at .Matiatia, which I know-"well,-although it is some time since I was there. But when yachting, I visited it frequently. For the information of 'Yachtsman No. 2' I may state that the ML A. Doran, which , he mentions, was a brigantine rigged without a royal. She carried nothing above the single top gallant sail. Her name appears in the 'British Code List' for 1888 as' 'M. A. Doran, .of -Sydney,. N.S.W., 316 tons, official number 72173, .signed, letters, B.C.T.F.' Tlfis is on.page 55 of the 'British Code List' which, I believe, is now called 'Signal Letter for British,, Ships,' a book published in London under the : authority of Lloyd's and compiled by.-' the ''Registrar-General of Shipping and Seamen. 'Yachtsman No; 2' states that few remember her coming to Auckland. I remember her coming here well, as on her. last voyage from Newcastle, N.S.W., she brought over a cargo of coal. I saw her dismantled and, if my memory serves me right, it wds in the 'nineties when she came here. I can remember her with her name ( M. A. Doran' on: bows, quarters and stern,-along-side the wharf being dismantled, and seeing her at different times moored as a coal hulk"'