NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 151, 29 June 1931, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Lunar Rainbow. That rare natural phenomenon, a lunar rainbow, was witnessed in Takapuna last evening. The moon, almost at the full, was'shining brightly in the eastern heavens as a light rain squall came up from the west about 8 p.m. The result was a true bow containing all the familiar colours oi' an ordinary rainbow, although, on account of the diminished light available, the colours were much paler. Shoaling Fish at Takapuna. A large shoal of kahawai was seen a few hundred yards off the. beach at Takapuna yesterday. Many seagulls circled and dived for the fish, which were evidently also harassed by kingfish. The shoal moved up and down the beach, staying in the vicinity all day. The visit was a most unusual occurrence for the winter months. Town Hall for Napier. Negotiations are in hand by the Napior municipal authorities for the acquisition of a suitable section of land to be the site for the Napier Courthouse, says the "Daily Tel&graph." As soon as a suitable property is secured the Government will hand over the present courthouse site to the council, which will then own the whole block bounded by the Marine Parade, Browning Street, Herschell Street and Upper Tennyson Street. If satisfactory financial arrangements can be made, the erection of a town hall will probably be undertaken. "Bible a Closed Book." The failure of many people to read the Bible was commented upon by Canon H. K. Archdall, headmaster of King's College, when preaching at the service attended by a number of old boys of the school yesterday morning. "The greatest slip of many intellectual men is their failure to read the Bible," lie said. "There was a tiir.e when the Bible was called an open book, but to-day it has become a closed book. Comic cuts to Zane Grey is about the extent of literature known to the average person of these times." Wakakura's Mascots. During her six months' absence from Auckland, the Admiralty trawler Wakakura, which returned to port on Saturday, has picked up two mascots, a fox terrier puppy and a pigeon. Both were given to the trawler's company by friends in Picton. The pup is far too small to attempt to go on shore unless it is carried there, and the pigeon cannot desert, for the very good reason that its wings are clipped. When the Wakakura received the heaviest buffeting of her career on the trip from Wellington, the pup set its sea legs well, but it protested loudly when a particularly violent lurch of the ship flung it half the length of the engine room.

India in Fiji. Like the Chinese, the Indian is an adaptable person, .and there are very few trades that come amiss to him. He has shown his versatility in Fiji, where lie is rapidly developing a Little India in the Pacific. There are 75,117 Indians in the colony. Of that number 1004 are storekeepers, including 47 holders of wholesale licenses. There were, in 1929, 754 individual holdere of drivers' licenses for public motor vehicles, and 273 for private vehicles. The corresponding figures for 1930 were 724 and 435, and 377 cars and 135 motor lorries were Indian owned. The driving of motor transport for hire is largely an Indian monopoly in Fiji, and the number of passenger lorries on the main roads is increasing rapidly. Historic Canoe. The Dominion Museum, at Wellington, lias received from Rarotonga a fine specimen of the double canoe of the Cook Island group. On ft recent visit to Mauke Island the Resident Commissioner (Judge H. P. Ayson, C.M.G.) was met by members of the sub-tribe of Ngati Kopati. who presented him. with the canoe, which they stated was made shortly after the advent of Christianity. A history of the canoe was given, together with the genealogy of the ancestors to whom the canoe belonged. 'The canoe was marie in 1523, and is of the same pattern as the original ancestral canoe, which was destroyed during a hurricane. The frail craft was used for making voyages between the islands of Mauke, Atiu and Mitiaro, and was often used in fishing expeditions. Reading of Roll of Honour. Considerable discussion arose at the annual meeting of the King's College Old Boys' Association on Saturday evening, following the reading of a letter suggesting that, in deference to the wishes of the people who had lost sons in the war, the reading of the roll of honour at each Armistice Day and Anzac Day service should be dropped. The reading of the names, it was stated, was a harrowing ordeal for bereaved parents. The headmaster, Canon H. Archdall, eaid that the practice had been dropped by public schools in England, and it might be remembered that the war had ended twelve years ago. It wa3 for the old boys themselves to decide, however. It was resolved that in future the names should not be read, but the matter will probably be referred to a special meeting. Another Historic Match. Middlemore rang again on Saturday with school songs, cheers and war cries, when King's and Grammar fought out another of their timehonoured Rugby battles. This time Grammar won, and that conclusively; but in a long succession of games this is merely an incident. King's have Avon many times before, and may again when next the game is at Middlemore. There was the inevitable crowd, many among which knew little about the game; but each member wore the colours of one of the colleges, and "barracked" accordingly. Besides them, however, there were hundreds of small boys, to whom the technique of the game -was an open book, and they kept up a running fire of criticism. Old boys of the schools were there in their hundreds, and to them the game Avae intensely interesting, but a little further removed. To the small boys the players were derni-gods or kings, and, like the latter, could (or should), do no Avrong. "In Glorious Memory." In the little chapel, which was once a classroom, a lamp of remembrance and a memorial tablet were dedicated by Archbishop Averill at King's School, Remuera, yesterday afternoon. The lamp is similar to the one which is always kept burning in the old boys' memorial chapel at King's College, Middlemore, one side of the lantern bearing the school's coat-of-arms. The engraving on the memorial plate reads: "To the glory of God and in memory of the 109 old boys of King's College, educated here, who laid down their lives in the. Great War, 1914-1918. With proud thanksgiving let us remember our elder brethren. Eequiescant in pace." The service was attended by a large number of town and country old boys of the college, who held their annual reunion celebrations during the week-end. The lesson Avas read by the Rev. J. M. Beaufort, headmaster of the school, and the lamp and memorial plate was unveiled by the president of the old boys' association, Mr. F. E. McCallum, just prior to the dedication.

Titirangi Road. A very small part of the New Lynn-Titirangi Eoad remains to be concreted, and then this fine ; thoroughfare will be an accomplished fact. The unfinished part is about 200 yds long, astride tho railway line. Apparently it is intended to make the crossing a level one, which is a great pity, as accidents are sure to happen. The temptation to get up a good speed on a concrete road is too great to be resisted, and to add to the risk this level crossing will be approached downhill one way —from the TitirangL side. With the exception of the 200 yd- stretch, the concrete is now all in a fit state to be tised, and workmen are now putting in the bituminised macadam shoulders. Near the top end of the road the high clay and earth banks on the left-hand side have developed a bad slip in several places. Near the junction of Godley Eoad with the concrete road there are several houses on' top of the bank, and in order to try and arrest the slipping bank long lengths of heavy tramway rails have, been sunk at intervals in an upright position. A certain amount of stone retaining wall ales has been necessary at this spot. . .