NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 15, 19 January 1931, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Roll of Honour. The committee of the Auckland U.S.A. will meet to-morrow at the Officers' Club to discuse the plans for the provincial roll of honour at the War Memorial Museum. The calling of tenders will be authorised. Loaves Burnt in Bakery. An example of burnt cookery on a large scale occurred at the bakery of' Messrs. Walter Buchanan, Ltd., on Saturday morning. A set of new ovens had recently been installed, and owing to some mishap, they became rapidly overheated, with the result that nearly 2000 loaves of bread were destroyed. The outbreak -was suppressed by the bakers without difficulty. Kanna Trouble Settled. The misunderstanding between the crew of the Kanna and the Union Company over the signing of articles was settled on Saturday evening, when the seamen and firemen consented to sign on. After having been held up since Friday, the vessel went out into the stream shortly after 6 p.m. on Saturday to adjust compasses, and sailed at 11.40 p.m. for Weetport, where she is to load for Auckland. Broadcast Prom London. The Radio Broadcasting Company has been advised that on Wednesday morning at nine o'clock (New Zealand time) the Rt. Hon. Ramsay Mac Donald, Prime Minister of Great Britain, will broadcast a 20-minute talk on the results of the Indian Round Table Conference. The broadcast will be made throughout the Empire by the short-wave station SSW, Chelmsford, and, if atmospheric conditions are favourable, the New Zealand stations will carry out a rebroadcast. Smiles or Frowns. The victory of Harold Logan in the New Zealand Trotting Gold Cup at Wellington on Saturday once more provided evidence of how Dame Fortune bestows her smiles upon one and frowns upon another. Less than two years ago the horse was owned by an Oamaru trainer, F. L. Legge, who, failing to do any good with it, sold it to its present owner, Mise E. Hinds, of Christchurch, for £100. Immediately Harold Logan began winning, and in its first ten starts for Miss Hinds, it won eight races, and in prize money has earned about £4000. In the meantime his former owner, Legge, could do nothing right, and in a fit of depression a couple of months back he committed suicide.

Returned From Samoa. Among the passengers from Samoa by the Tofua yesterday was Mr. Thomas B. Slipper, formerly a well-known solicitor in Wanganui, but for some time past in practice at the Mandated Territory. Last year Mr. Slipper, as legal adviser to the leaders of the Women's Man, was instructed by his clients to write a letter to the Administrator and other officials expressing condemnation of an act of the Administration. He was arrested, and the Court held that his letter was libellous. He was punished by a heavy fine and the loss of his professional license. "All I have to say," observed Mr. Slipper, when he arrived in Auckland, "is that any brother practitioner, under the circumstances, would have done exactly the same thing at Samoa as I did." Supplies of Phosphate. Sir George Saltmarsh, United Kingdom representative on the British Phosphates Commission, who has returned to Auckland after conferring with Government officials and the managers of phosphate works in Wellington and the South Island, said it was generally recognised that ample supplies of phosphates were essential to the development and proper maintenance of New Zealand farm lands. Ample supplies were available at Nauru and Ocean Islands, the only difficulty being to estimate the probable demand and to fix the price, which would depend on the demand. Sir George left to-day for a tour of the Waikato district, and will come back to Auckland in time to sail by the Aorangi for Sydney next Monday.

Fish Scarce in Manukau. Although a party of four filled the cockpit of a launch with over 80 sehnapper and gurnard caught in the Manukau yesterday, there are complaints that fish are scarce this year. One professional fisherman, Mr. Pat Snelgar, who has fished on and off in the watere of the Manukau for 37 years, says this season is by far the worst he has ever known. He fishes for flounder, but there are none to be caught, he says. In former seasons it was regarded as a bad day for the fisherman if he did not come back with his launch laden with flounder. This season he lias been catching only three or four dozen at a time. "There has been too much wind from the south-west," said Mr. Snelgar. "The mud gets churned up and the fish won't come in the harbour if the water is muddy. A few days without ■much wind will make all the difference."

Where Marsden Rested. t Reference to the death of Hotene Paul, whose family and tribe at Orakei extended hospitality to the Rev. Samuel Marsden during his first visit to Auckland and return northward, recalls an incident illustrating the happy facility of the Maoris in originating names. The pioneer missionary was a man of large physique. Tramping* with a native escort just beyond Helensville, he decided to rest, and, in order to survey the country while he did so, he selected a sandy hill. The Maoris evidently noticed the impression nfade in the sand where Marsden had seated himself, so they took the opportunity to name a summit honoured by the presence and weight. of the esteemed pakeha. They called the hill "Te To-o-Matenga," which means "Marsden's Seat." The hill has a decided cleft in its top, which probably has been there for centuries.

Young Fijian's War Service. During the war, when Fiji decided to assist the Allied cause by sending abroad a native labour corps, there was a strapping young islander who had more martial ideas. He was not satisfied to be a utility soldier; he wanted to fight. He found a way of reaching New Zealand in time to enlist under his Christian names of "George Brown." He went to France with the 21st Reinforcements, and served until the end of hostilities. The unassuming volunteer was Mr. George B. Tognivalu, a member of the house of Bau and eon of Ratu Deve Tongnivalu, 1.5.0., ex-member of the Legislative Council of Fiji. When the latter retired from office, his son was appointed Assistant Commissioner of the province of Bua in the Fiji Civil Service. Yesterday he arrived by the Tofua to spend portion of six months'* furlough in the Dominion, where, in 1925, he toured with his father. Mr. Tognivalu, who is accompanied by his wife and young child, takes a keen interest in the Boy Scout movement. Wheat-growing Experiments. The suggestion of the director, Dr. F. W. Hilgendorf, of the Wheat Research Institute, that an investigation be made into the production of feed wheat, and that field trials be made,with a view to testing the relationship. between wheat quality and soil quality has been approved by the committee. Mr. Hewlett expressed the opinion at the laet meeting of the Wheat Research Committee, held at Canterbury College, that the institute should take up the matter of growing high-yielding wheats suitable for stock feeds, in order to provide for the requirements of the North Island, and to make New Zealand independent of outside supplies. The committee has decided that the institute approach "the poultry and pig interests in the North Island with a view to inaugurating experiments aiming at the production of a high-yielding wheat capable of being grown for feed purposes under North Island conditions.. It has also been decided to set apart £50 in next season's estimates for the extension of the variety trials undertaken by the Department of Agriculture.