NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 239, 8 October 1932, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Both Were Startled. A Te Uri resident had quite an exciting experience on a trip to Dannevirke recently, says the ".News." As he reached the top of a hill he felt something in the leg of hie trousers, and after a little hurried manoeuvring the car pulled up against a fence with a'bump. The driver then got busy, and much to his surprise caught a big rat, which apparently got into the car when a door was open, and had sought refuge in the driver's trouser leg.

Disused Cricket Gear. ? Appeals for any old or disused cricket gear have been made by unemployed associations about the city, and the Suburban Cricket Association has been able to respond and assist in a number of cases. The secretary, Mr. E. Stallworthy, cays he will be glad to hear of any more equipment with which clubs can afford to dispense, in order to help the less fortunate folk, who wish to enjoy the summer sport. Messages may be left care of the Y.M.C.A.

Summer Time To-morrow. Summer time, half an hour of extra daylight, begins to-morrow, the official time for putting the clocks on the 30 minutes being 2 a.m., but in most households —when they do not forget—the advance will be made to-night before going to bed. The observance of summer time will extend to March 19, 1933. People who have wireless sets should remember that summer time will throw the Australian programmes out another half-hour, and New Zealand time will be two hours ahead instead of an hour and a half. Three Chairmen. There was an unusual occurrence at the monthly meeting of the Wellington branch of the Navy League this week, in that the meeting was controlled* by three different chairmen. At the commencement the chairman of the committee, Mr. N. S. Fa 11a, was not present, and Mr. W. Perry was appointed in his place. The reading of the minutes had just been completed when Mr. Falla arrived, but he had scarcely signed the record of business before the president of the branch, Mr. J. T. Grose, arrived. At there was no one to displace him, he occupied the chair for the remainder of the meeting. Shook Hands with a Burglar. Awakened by an impression that someone was in her room, Miss M. Hosie, of Waitara, had an alarming experience on Saturday night, when she became aware that a hand was touching the bedclothes. Miss Hosie suddenly sat up and grasped the hand of the intruder, at the same time calling to her mother. The intruder wrenched his hand free and rah out of the house, with Miss Hosie in pursuit. Owing to the darkness she was unable to see him, but she heard him climb an adjoining fence and later a splash, and it is surmised that he fell into a creek 1 which runs through the property. By the time she reached the spot there was no one in sight.

Native Birds For Zoo. At the instance of the Auckland Zoological Society, permission has been obtained from the Minister of Internal Affairs to catch the following birds for the purpose of placing them in the Auckland Municipal Zoo:—Two pairs each of bitterns, landrail, black teal, brown teal, greyteal, spoonbill duck and blue duck. As all these birds are protected, it was necessary to get the Minister's leave before they could be captured. The idea of the society is that eventually there should be a strong native bird section at the Zoo. Specimens of the grey duck, the paradise duck and the pukeko are already inmates of the Zoo. When the native shrubs and trees grow up it is hoped to be able to keep pigeons, tuis, kiwis and other natives in a large enclosure 100 ft long by 40ft wide and 30ft high.

A Footballer's Soubriquet. An enthusiastic organiser of the old-timers' annual League match between Ponsonby and City, played at Carlaw Park this afternoon, was "Opai" Asher, who captained the City team. It is 34 years ago since "Opai" came into the Rugby limelight in Auckland. He was then 17 years of age, and he had come up from Tauranga to join the Parnell Club. He had already played in the Tauranga team for three years. When he went to Australia with the New Zealand team in 1003, he was dubbed the "india-rubber man," but it is the sobriquet of "Opai," earned soon after he commenced playing in Auckland, that identified him throughout a brilliant career on the Rugby and League fields. It came about through hie characteristic habit of hurdling opponents who attempted to tackle him. At that time there was a hurdle horse named Opae racing with success in Auckland, one of its victories being the Great Northern Hurdles in 1808. Playing in a club match, Asher brought off one of hie sensational leaps, and a spectator expressed the feat by calling out Opae. The apt description appealed to the crowd, and the nickname was taken up and stuck to Asher ever after, with the alteration of the final letter. "Opai" seldom hears his Christian name, which is Albert.

Britain's Sea Strength. As an illustration of the argument that Britain's sea power should be maintained, the Auckland branch of the Navy League recently staged a tableau. "King Alfred" told how in his days the Britons learnt the art of shipbuilding and met and routed the Danes when they arrived off the English coast to exact tribute as the price of peace. When Ethelred the Unready allowed the fleet to fall into disrepair, the Danes came again and bled the English merchants of their gold. "Sir Francis Drake" spoke of the defeat of the Spanish Armada, and of how the delayed sailing of the Spanish vessels allowed the Britishers "time to arm private ships, which made victory possible. "Nelson" told of his victory over the French at Trafalgar, and had. the last say in the tableau. "Where is the fleet that was once your boast and glory?" he asked. "Where is the line on line of white ensigns guaranteeing the safety of the Empire and the peace of the world? You cannot summon a fleet overnight; converted merchantmen are useless as capital ships. If you forget the Armada, the Nile, Trafalgar and Jutland, the day will come when you will be forgotten. My last words to you are: 'Keep watch.'"

City and Country Life. One lad, who, through the stress of the times lost his job in the city, says that against the wishes of his friends, who said he did not know anything about conditions on the land, he took a job on a farm at 2/6 per week and found. He stuck at the work, and was determined to make the most of his position. He got several small rises, and at the end of six months he was earning 12/6 per week. By this time, however, he was offered a good job in the city again, and he had to leave the healthful country life to get more money, ar.d now he was working in a place where, instead of the sunshine, he had the electric light burning most of the day. His experience in the country had ehown him how hard email farmers had to work under adverse conditions, how they arose early to attend to the cows, and how few recreations they have. What he had learnt in the country would be of the utmost value to him, and already he viewed life differently from what he did. What he had seen of the farmers showed him that they never asked anyone to do what they were not prepared to do themselves. Some of the farmers' wives had been town girls, who understood the way city boys had been brought up, and they were kindness itself. If he were given the same wages as in the city, he would prefer the country job. Already he had a faint hope that some day i lie might become a farmer., ■ .