NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 241, 11 October 1930, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Teachers' Association Formed.

Men teachers drawn from various city and suburban schools at a meeting last evening decided to form an Auckland Male Teachers' Association, and Mr. G. A. Hamilton, of Papatoetoe, was elected the first president. After an interesting discussion, a proposal that the recommendations, of the Parliamentary Education Recess Committee, so far as they concern the powers of the Auckland Education Board and the area it controls, be disagreed with, was defeated. Cars at Kohi.

Wooden fences 2ft high with iron pipe rails are to be erected by the City Council around the Selwyn Domain, Kohimarama, and motor cars will be prohibited from driving or standing stationary on the enclosed area. The eastern and western portions of the domain outside the fenced area are to be levelled for parking, and are expected to accommodate between 1000 and 1200 cars. Shelter trees are to be planted on the boundary lines. External Migration. The excess of departures, which is usually a feature of the migration statistics for New Zealand from March, was arrested a month earlier this year. The Monthly Abstract of Statistics reveals that arrivals in August were over 500 in excess of the number of those leaving New Zealand. The arrivals were normal, the recession being entirely due. to a heavy decrease, in departures. New Zealand residents departing permanently showed a falling off of 162, and those departing temporarily a decrease of 335. Too Much Pessimism. "There is a growing chorus, of pessimism, and wc must get rid of it," said Sir George Fowlds yesterday afternoon at the reunion of old settlers in Auckland. "We must always expect a pessimistic soloist, sometimes a duet, or even a quartet, but there is no reason for a chorus." Sir George said the example of the old times was one of unquenchable courage and optimism. These qualities served them well in times of danger and difficulty. A similar spirit was urgently needed to-day. Medical Films. Medical films are now produced, and in England these can bo hired by medical societies. Some of the iilms are highly technical, and show the performance of major operations by some of the greatest of English surgeons. Other films are meant for the teaching of students and nurses in anatomy and physiology, and are more suitable for public exhibition. The Auckland B.M.A. has recently purchased one of these films on the physiology of digestion, and Mr. Eisdell Moore, F.R.C.S., is making use of this film in his lecture on "Surgery of the Digestive Tract," which is being given to the Auckland Institute on Monday evening in the University Hall.

His "Swan Song." Aucklanders pride themselves on the almost complete absence in tlie city of those who beg for alms in the streets. There are one or two "characters" who are well-known to every business man, Ibut apart from them beggars are almost unknown. Judge of the surprise, therefore, of a citizen on being accosted in Victoria Street the other afternoon by an elderly man, neatly shaved, and dressed fairly well. "I don't suppose you can spare me Gd, old man?" he asked. "Sixpence?" said the other. "For a meal?" "No," replied the first man. "For a drink. You sec, I am going into a veterans' home.Ao-morrow morning, and it will probably be the last drink I'll get for a long time." lie got it. When Savings Disappear.

To have saved for years so as to have a "nest egg" when it was required and then, through bad times, to see the last penny drawn from the Savings Bank and have to apply for relief, lias been the lot of many honest men during recent months. Many families have been undergoing severe privations, hoping that when October came, with more sunshine and longer days, perhaps they would get work or their old jobs back again. IVlany good citizens have this week had to apply for help for the first time in their lives. Those dispensing relief, whether at the Hospital Board offices or anywhere else, have been moved to the utmost sympathy for those who, for the first time in their lives, are feeling the pinch of poverty as they have never known it before.

Shock for Wrestler. Some mild excitement was caused in a local picture show recently when one of the spectators recognised one of the film players as a man with whom he had once engaged in deadly combat. The spectator was one of the professional wrestlers at present in Auckland, and the actor he recognised was taking the part of a strong man.. Apparently the wrestler did not pay much attention to the cast of players, or, if he did, he did not recognise one of the names as that of a former opponent, for it was not until the "strong man" made his appearance on the screen that the wrestler became excited. "I know that man. I met him. I beat him," ejaculated the wrestler. A woman who was sitting next to the wrestler heard the remark, cast an eye of his big bulk, and did not doubt the truth of the statement.

Playing "Possum." A crowd of men were standing in the lighted area outside one of the picture shows on the North Shore the other night, when they noticed a collie dog run from the blackness of the night into the bright shaft of light shining on the road. It seemed to have something hanging from its chest. As the dog again crossed the light it looked as though it had been run over and some of its skin torn away. One of the group caught it, and to his surprise found that the appendage to the collie was a live opossum. It was lodged iu the thick fur just between the forelegs, and it was clinging with all the might of. its little sharp 'Claws. The dog was not the slightest bit perturbed, and his "passenger" seemed to be conscious only of the snugness of his neSt.

To Help Cancer Fund. People's powers of observation are to be tested by a shop window "spotting" competition to bo held to assist the cancer campaign. The scheme which the Queen Street Development Association and the Cancer Campaign Fund Committee propose to carry out will call on Aucklanders to detect articles in shop windows that are foreign to the type of articles usually displayed in the windows. The scheme will assist the cancer campaign materially and, in addition, will induce close scrutiny of shop windows. When the plans of' the combined committees get under way all persons who have subscribed to the cancer fund will be entitled to "spot" ,tlio article which is to be given away free each week. The shops that will be co-operating in the scheme will be identified by "'Conquer Cancer" signs on the windows, cards with directions in the windows, and special' advertisements in the Press.

Queen. Street Collision. r.AL 2.45, yesterday afternoon a light motor lorry, in attempting to cross in front of a tram--car., was: struck by the tram, and both were held up in the middle of Queen Street. The tram Tost a little paint ' from its front, and slight damage, was done to the' running-board of, the lorry.° The. driver, of the lorry made repeated attempts to crank his somewhat dilapidated vehicle,' but failed in every attempt, -to the amusement of the large crowd that had gathered. <H length some citizens nearest him advised him to aet into the "old bus" and; they would push him to safety to Durham Street nearby. This he did;' but the lorry perhaps appreciated the assistance given by those pushing behind, and, with 51 few preliminary back-fires and grunts, fathered speed, and in a few seconds had .disappeared. There is something decidwlly funny in watching an old lorry, that a minute or so before seemed as stubborn as a mule, suddenly career up the street, and the ! .cnr<'d appreciated the spectacle.