NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 256, 29 October 1931, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Native Trees For Mount Victoria.

At last night's meeting of the Devonport Borough Council the Mayor, Mr. H. F. W. Meikle introduced the.subject of planting Mount Victoria at Devonport with kauris and rinius. He addcc that the 'matter would not be lost sight of. He also urged the planting of native trees at'Rg.ngitoto Island.- : . •; . ! Beach Safety. The Taka.puna Borough Council is to obtair a report upon a proposal to erect a look-out towej for the use of the.Takapiina Surf and'Life-savinj Club. ; intended that the t'ower should b< situated; as near as possible to the centre o: Takapuna beach, thus enabling a continuous watch to be maintained over bathers who use th< beach. v- p . •. Session of Brief Trials. . Seldom has such rapid progress been mad< in disposing of the criminal calendar at - th< Auckland Supreme Court as during the first tw< days of the present session. Although the lisi included 22 cases for trial, all but three cases and-a fourth', which was 'unfinished, remained t< be, dealt with to-day. One explanation was th< comparative simplicity of the evidence, and an other the fact that a number of prisoners decidee to plead guilty. The cases that went to tria were each disposed 1 of, in the majority of in stances, in less than two hours. Parental Responsibility. A recommendation from the headmistress oj the Epsom Girls' Grammar School that corrective bare—an orthopaedic appliance—should ,be pur chased for the use of some of the pupils wai received at yesterday's meeting of the board o: governors. "The question arises whether w'( should assume the responsibility that should b< applied to parents," .remarked Mr. H. S. W. King The'chairman, Professor Thomas, said there wai no provision for a thorough, medical examinatioi in secondary schools, as there was in primary schools". It was decided' to refer the matter t< the chairman and Dr. Roberton. . A Trotting Mishap. •During-the running of the Junction Handicap at the Auckland Trotting Club's meeting on.Mon day' some excitement was caused when fgui horses,.'with their drivers and 'sulkies, were con ecrned in a mix-up as the field raced up the straight' the first time. The. horses were bunch ing up, when one of them went to a break, ant in. a flash four horses collided. Sulkies wer< .capsized, and one driver was thrown several feci in the air, to land' on the track. A speetatoi was heard to repmrk: "That was good. With i little more practice the driver could earn a living in a circus." .. • ' ■: ■■■ ■ Insult to Injury.. ' ; > v 'For.' gome mornings past a suburban house holder has bceii; awakened at six o'clock by th< quacking of his four ducks. Six "o'clock being the time when it is his custom to dwell contentedly on the thought of at least another hour in bed he" was incensed, but he managed to get a quartei of an hour more in rest. That was on the first morning, but the noise was repeated just undei his window again on the second morning. H( did not get to sleep , again. On the third morn injg he arose in anger to drive the offending birds away. They were nowhere to be found It, happened a fourth time. He stole round tc the front of the house quietly—and he' found the largest of the four ducks asleep under his window "Government Does As It Likes." , "It seems as though New Zealand people let the Government do as it likes, and leave tht Civil Service to manage as it pleases," remarket Professor' A. P. W. Thomas, chairman of th< Auckland Grammar Schools .Board, at yesterday's meeting. Professor Thomas was cbm'mehtihg or a circular from the Education Department, whicli stated that the authority to engage an architect at a fixed annual fee for works maintenance hat been withdrawn, and that in future the arrange ments must be made for, officers of the Public Works Department or. the Education Department to advise. On the motion of Mr. H. S. W. Kin<: it was. decided to point out to the Departmem that the Gramiriar ' Schools Board was in ar entirely different position'from that of secondary school boards, as it had a large: number oj endowment to maintain. The circulai letter, said Mr. King,' was the same as that seni to secondary school boards. * Papatoetoe Dental Clinic. y Efforts to establish, a dental clinic at the Papatoetoe School have been made during this month, , but without success. Last evening it' was decided, at a meeting of house holders, to adjourn the matter for con sideratioh at the annual meeting of householders next April. Mr. A. G. Grinter, chairman 01 the, school committee, .said there was a sum oi £93 in hand towards .the cost of .a suitable building, and £25 would have to be raised, foi equipment. The annual maintenance wouk amount to £65. On the suggestion of Mr. K. D Elliot, senior dental inspector for the Nortl: Island, the, committee had considered the possi bility •of .amalgamating with the Mangere Easi School, but, in view of the' meagre support foi the establishment of a clinic and the genera financial position, the only course was to postpone the • proposal." ' . : •' Unemployment Relief Scheme. There wa.s a brief meeting yesterday after noon at the. Town Hall of the conference of loca body representatives concerning , proposals for ,1 metropolitan scheme of Works for relief of unem ployment. The Mayor of Auckland; Mr. G. W Hutchison,: who' presided, explained that he hat consulted Mr. Coates when l in Wellington, bui could get-no-promise of assistance, as the Unem ployment Board lacked funds. The position was extremely-Difficult, and under the circumstance* the, committee had not, been able to bring for ward anything of a practical nature.- He advisee that the;committee should be allowed to reman in existence so. that it could be called togetliei at short notice - when .. the position - cleared anc it appeared, likely that some scheme could be formulated.' The delegates present l agreed thai nothing could be. done in the absence of funds and on the motion of Mr. J.iJ. Mulvihill, (Mount Eden), seconded by Mr. S. Donaldson (Mayor 6l Newmarket) the meeting decided:' "In view oJ the uncertainty of the position of unemployment work under No. 5 scheme, the conference adjouri sine die." ■' I ■:% •' Kennedy's Bush. ■ •

. "Tramper" writes: Everyone who has tramped along' Mr.: Ell's road on : top of the Port .Hills will be sorry to hear that Kennedy's Bush lias been. practically "destroyed by fire. : Being the only' high ,land in the .vicinity of Christchurcli, the Port Hills are justly held in high honour by the dwellers by the Avon. Tlianke to the persistency of Mr. H. G. Ell, there is a track along the summit right; from Godley Head to some" wheijp about Hill Top, which is-south of Kennedy's Bush and on the way to Akaroa.. Eventhe track will, .become a .road, and then a' motorist will be able to make an.ideal run.from Godley Head to Akaroa township, and the seascapes seen from this elevated highway will be hard to beat anywhere in New "Zealand. Quaint stone rest-houses with-swinging, signs, their pictures of old coaching days, and mottoes ■ of the "Merrily o'er the; stile-a" type, will be dotted along the roadway for the refreshment of the weary tramper. At present there are three of [ these houses—the Sign of the Takahc at the end •of the tramline, the Sign of the . Kiwi at the top of. Dyer's Pass, and the Sign of the Bellbird overlooking Kennedy's Bush. Kennedy's Bush makes a; delightful objective for a; tramp from towTV and : as bush is. so scarce in the vicinity of Christchtirch- as' to : be almost non-existent," the green gully stretching, below the rest-house was . always very much: appreciated by townspeople. The Port' Hills themselves.are generally a brown .velvet colour,' being tussocky country, and Kennedy's Bush always seems the greener by, contrast. ,