NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 290, 8 December 1931, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Camp Holidays For Boys. A scheme is afoot in Xew Plymouth to, organise a fortnight's holiday for 20 or 30 primary school boys whose parents have been too poor to give them a holiday during the past two years. The idea originated with Toe H members in New Plymouth, who have secured the use of a showground for a boys' camp. It is intended to hold the camp during the second and third weeks in January, and to admit boys from 10 to 14 years of age.

Clever Scholars. "I think -we could give our pupils a richer curriculum." remarked Dr. J. W. Mcllraith, senior inspector of schools at Wellington, when speaking at a. teachers' social. "I have been struck with the high intelligence of the senior girls and boys. Pupils in Standards V. and VI. seem to grasp far more than we could grasp, or that we were asked to grasp. I would make this plea that the education of the senior boys and girls be made ae wide and as deep as possible. I would suggest developments along the lines of modern history, modern geography, and social matters generally."

Steamer Calls at Jamaica. Steamers flying the flag of the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company will in future call at Jamaica, in the West Indies, for bunker coal, instead of at Cristobal, at the Atlantic end of the Panama Canal, when coming to or going from New Zealand. The change in the relationship between the pound sterling and the dollar is responsible for the alteration in programme. One result of the change will be that cargoes of British coal will have to be transported to the island, 60 that additional work will be provided not only for British miners but also for seamen in British colliers. Jamaica will gain the advantage of increased shipping figures, and passengers will have the benefit of a most interesting port of call.

Slaughter of Shags. Although the rare spoited shag is protected by law. and there is a £20 fine for anyone caught killing it, the unfortunate bird is still the victim of senseless slaughter. One of the few places it neste on is one of the Noisies, the unfrequented little islands near Eakino, in the Hauraki Gulf. Xotice-boards setting out the fact that the shag is protected were recently erected at the entrance to a cave where the birds nest. The othnr day people in a pleasure launch were seen ruthlessly shooting away at the birds -within a short distance of the 'notice-board. None of the oceanic ehags takes toll of the trout, so there is not even that excuse, which is used by those vrho make war on the river and coastal shags, supposed to be ruining the trout fishing. The spotted sha.? was rapidly being decimated when the efforts of the council of the Auckland Institute and Museum and the Auckland Acclimatisation Society were successful in getting it absolutely protected.

Her First Vote. It happened at Stratford on election day. She wa«= good looking and young; in fact, she was voting for the first time. She walked confidently into the booth and went straight into one of the little screened-off compartments familiar to all voters. She stayed there a long while, so long that one of the officials grew anxious. Had the young woman been plainer, probably she would have been there even longer. The official who got anxious had watched the girl's trim silk ankles underneath the booth-screen for probably a quarter of an hour, and. as they remained motionless, he sent an assistant to see if anything was wrong. Explanations followed, and the dear°girl had taken literally the information that the voting paper would l>c "handed to the voter in the booth/' She thought the "booth -wae the little screened-off stall, into -which she trotted straight from the door. London-New Zealand Talk. According to the London "Daily Hail." Mr. F. A. Mayer, one of the pioneers of short-wave and long-distance telephony, talks to a friend in. New Zealand every morning, the New Zealander replying in Morse, "as amateur telephony from that country is not allowed." In order that the New Zealander could "hear himself," Mr. Mayer hit on the idea of recording the Morse in a gramophore recording machine, with a reproduction on the other side of hie own voice translating the Morse. He then played the record over and broadcast it, so that the New Zealander was able to hear what his signals sounded like in England, together with Mr. Mayers translation. "One of the most interesting wireless experiments I have heard of for some time," adds the "Daily Mail" writer.

Thrush (Joes Voyaging. When the Admiralty tanker Xucula was bound north from Auckland on her periodic voyage to California, a thrush flew aboard, the vessel beini then several miles off the Little Barrier, a bird sanctuary. The bird was caught and put in a cage. On the voyage through the tropics it was fed on bread crumbs and other scraps. When it reached the Californian coast it was in good condition. There it was given its freedom, and that is how at least one newcomer defeated the "immigration quota" and evaded the U.S.A. officials. This incident enables one to realise that even non-migrating birds might easily be blown to sea and reach lands that are quite a distance away. It gives the key, for instance, to the presence'of thrushes, blackbirds and others on the Kermadecs. The prevailing wind is from the south-west,' and this would assist the birds, or more likely carry them against their will durinc a gale, even as far as the Kermadecs.

Road to Huia. When the road from Xew Lynn to Titirangi was concreted, the scheme included the forming and metalling of the ten miles of road from Titirangi through Big Muddy Creek on to Huia, on the shores of the Manuicau. Practically all the corners of this very winding stretch of road have been cut back, and the surface metalled as far as Pirau. Between the Titirangi Hotel and Mackie's Rest motors can go along the pretty Exhibition Drive, now metalled for that distance, and this gives a level road instead of the up-and-down old roadway, which dips into the valley after crossing the*Titirangi Range. The old road has been widened, along with the rest of the highway, but the Exhibition Drive will make an excellent alternative way, and as it goes through bush for all its distance it will no doubt be preferred by sightseers. From the schoolhouse at Huia round to Little Huia, near the wharf, the roadway runs at the bottom of the cliffs, and is built on an embankment reclaimed froan the eea. This bit of road is still a one-way stretch, and to widen it would mean extending the embankment further out, rather than excavating the cliffs, as the latter would be a very costly job. Malolo Tourists' Purchases. There are some people in the United States of America who, when they wake up on Christmas morning, will find that Santa Clans has brought them a case of Xew Zealand butter, a Xew Zealand woollen rug, or a quantity of toheroa soup, and there are some who will shortly be breakfasting off Xew Zealand rainbow trout (states the "Christchurch Star"). The one hundred and thirty American tourist? who visited the Dominion on the Malolo recently were only three days in the country, but what they saw in; the North Island enchanted them, according to Mr. R. W. Marshall, officer in charge of the Tour- j I ist Office at Christchurch, who met the boat at Sydney and accompanied the party in Xew Zealand. Mr. Marshall returned to Cbristehureh, and gave it as his opinion that the publicity value of the tour to Xew Zealand cannot be estimated. "It was striking,"' said Mr. Marshall, "to see one woman buying six Xew Zealand rugs, of the highest quality obtainable, to take back to America and give her friends as Christmas presents. Many bought rugs, several took back boxes of toheroa soup, and one man actually took, back several cases of Xew Zealand butter to give as Christmas After the party had seen the fine and varied jades of Japan and China, greenstone had little appeal.' 5 \