NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 98, 27 April 1932, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

"Shingle Case" Ends. At last the hearing of the "shingle case" at the Supreme Court has come to an end. This claim, by a farmer against four Auckland firms, concerning the supply of concrete shingle from his beach, has lasted nine full days, and has probably established a local record for civil litigation. Mr. Justice Smith, who has reserved his decision, yesterday expressed his appreciation of the assistance given him by counsel. It has certainly been a long and trying task for all concerned. Australian Silver Coins. A statement that Xew Zealand does not receive any share of the profits derived from the minting of silver coins in Australia is made by the Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Downie Stewart, in reply to an inquiry by the Papatoetoe Welfare League. The Minister adds that such coin is not legal tender in the Dominion, although it circulates freely. Since the issue of the coined silver regulations, importations of silver coin from the Commonwealth have been practically prohibited, and attempts to import such coin illegally have been dealt with severely. Borrowing on Mortgage. That it is very difficult to raise money on mortgage nowadays was mentioned in the Supreme Court yesterday, during the hearing of an application under the Mortgagors' Relief Act. "Am I to understand that people will not lend money on mortgage now on account of the existence of the Act?" asked Mr. Justice Herdman. Counsel replied that the existence of the Act was certainly a factor, but the present economic position was probably the main cause. "Very few people have money to lend under any conditions," he added. Old Pensioners. There is likely to be an inquiry into the methods of those who pay out pensions to the old people of Christchurch. On Saturday last there was a rather cruel and unseemly struggle amongst the pensioners, who were herded into an insufficient space, made to traverse a long passage, kept waiting an hour, and given an odd threepenny piece, which many old men and women could not see to pick up. "Worse than sheep," said one old man. "If they were sheep, there would be an agent of the S.P.C.A. to care for them, but these are only old people." Demands on Hospital Board. Some amusement was caused at the meeting of the Wanganui Hospital Board when correspondence was being dealt with. One letter asked that the board pay a doctor's bill of two guineas incurred by a motorist who had been sent to hospital by a policeman. The claim was made to the board for the fee on the grounds that the driver was indigent. The secretary, Mr. L. V. Kerb}', pointed out in his reply that if the driver had been indigent he would not have been in a position to drive the car about the country. The board approved of the secretary's action. Another case was that of a Maori who had been at the hospital for treatment, and while there had had his teeth taken out. He asked that the board supply him with a new set of teeth free of charge. The request was refused. Lecturers in Schools. At a recent meeting of the Wellington Education Board there was disclosed a sharp division of opinion regarding the propriety of allowing outside lecturers to address school children. The division arose over whether or not they should exclude all lecturers or none. Asked this morning what practice obtained in the Auckland district, Mr. A. Burns, chairman, said lecturers arc allowed to address the school children, providing permission in first secured from the board. All applications are treated on their merits. Lectures of small value or above the heads of primary school children arc excluded. Mr. Burns said that it had once been the practice to grant permission fairly readily, but the applications became so numerous that the present system had to be adopted. Lonely Voyaging. When the new Norwegian motor tanker Herborg, which arrived yesterday, was coming from San Francisco to Auckland she did not pass a single ship. The nearest sho got to a '•'meeting on the way" was when she was in the vicinity of Hawaii, a smudge of smoke being seen to cross the tanker's track one sunny afternoon. The fact that not a single ship was "spoken" on the three weeks' voyage was commented upon by the master of the tanker, Captain J. Paulsen, "It is a sign of the times," said the skipper. "In more prosperous days it would be unusual not to pass at least half a dozen ships during a run such as we have just completed." Research Ship's Visit. Mention of the approaching visit to Auckland of the research ship Discovery 11. was made at yesterday afternoon's meeting of the Auckland Harbour Board. A letter from the Colonial Office said that the vessel would arrive about June 25 and would refit at this port before resuming her research investigations in the Southern Ocean on behalf of the Falkland Islands Government. It wa6 not yet known whether the ship would have ix> be dry docked or undergo other repairs, but. it was asked, if such was the case, that the feicilities of the port should be made available. It was also mentioned that the scientific officer on board the Discovery 11. was Mr. D. Dilwyn John, M.Sc, and the commanding officer Commander W. M. Carey, 8.. N. (retired). The Harbour Board confirmed the action of the superintendent in replying to the Colonial Office that the board would be pleased to place the dock at the ship's disposal and to help in any other way possible. Hare Comes to Town. It takes a long stretch of imagination to picture the countryside's most confirmed inhabitant —the hare —in the streets of a busy city, but such a thing is not impossible, however improbable it may be. Yesterday afternoon at abcait four o'clock, a real Farmer Giles type of hane put back his ears and sprinted, with the usual alacrity of hares, across the Victoria Street intersection or Queen Street—one of the busiest points in the city. "Cars to the right of him," as it were, but he managed to evade them. Trains were absent at the moment, but there were "care to the left of him" on the other side. Whether a large grey two-seater still holds a piece of fur on a wheel or bumper is not known, but it is likely that that particular hare - has never had such a narrow escape in its life—and never will. It darted up Victoria Street West, vanishing over the crest of the hill in the direction of Ponsonby. It can only be surmised the anirraaJ came originally from Albert Park, where lunchoon-eaters probably routed him out of his secret lair earlier in the day. Why He Was Chosen. An amusing story was told by the Rev. D. McCosh, when he was welcomed by the congregation (9f St. Andrew's Church, Suva. He said that when a young minister he was an aspirant to the pulpit of a bfc church in Ireland. After all had preached their trial sermons, an officer of the church told him lie would be selected. He was surprised, .-ind asked, "Why?" The man told him: "As far as learning is concerned, the first candidate was much better than you; as for preaching and eloquence, the man before you could run rings round you; but you are to be chosen, because we think you would look better than the rest in a silK hat at funerals." At the same gathering a parishioner told a good story. He said there was a vicar who had two curates, one old and one young. He was a difficult man to get 'on with, and at last both curates asked the bishop to remove them. This he agreed to do. To the surprise of the elder curate he was asked by the vicar to take the service on his last Sunday, and he surprised the vicar by announcing' his text, "Tarry ye here with the ass. while the young man and I journey into a ,far couifctry."