NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 263, 5 November 1932, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Tremendous Grass Growth. Along the road from New Plymouth to Pal" "merston North t-ere is ample evidence of exceptional growth of pasture. Prom Wanganui to Palmerston North there are many pastures which seem more like hay; and cows lie quietly amid a luxuriance of fresh feed. In the Marton area, and in other parts of the Rangitikei, farmers are using all the stock they can to keep the feed down to its best feeding height, and some have been taking on grazing in an effort to copc with the heavy growth. On one farm the grass is being cut for ensilage, and from the appearance of the land from the road a number of farms have paddocks in a similar condition. Missing No Opportunity. A party of Eltham residents who attended a recent dance in Hawera tell an amusing story of the resourcefulness of a very small boy, wise in experience beyond his years. The party left the dance earlier than the majority, and were startled to observe someone crawling about under their car, flashing an electric torch. Strenuous action by the males of the party brought to light a very small and very dishevelled boy. "What were you up to?" was the query. "I was looking for bottles," came the reply. The youngster went on to say that he had already gone home that night with two sacks of bottles from outside that dance hall, and had almost filled his third. Story—and Sequel. The unfinalised condition of the tariff, as affected by Ottawa, was a matter of passing reference in Mr. A. C. Mitchell's presidential address to the New Zealand Employers' Federation. "The Ottawa agreements," he said, "are of a nature calculated to assist the farmers, whose interests, it must be admitted, are vital to the welfare of the Dominion and its people, and if the whole story has now been told, and the decision of tho Tariff Committee, which is to bo set up to make recommendations in respect to tariff alterations, are as satisfactory to the manufacturer as the conference decisions were to the farmer, the price paid is not likely to be out of proportion to the benefits derived. Naturally, however, the manufacturer will suspend judgment until the whole matter has been finalised." Register of New Zealand Aeroplanes. A register of aeroplanes in New Zealand, published in the October issue of "Wings," gives tho total number of machines in the Dominion as 81, of which 21 are military machines and GO are civil machines, the latter classification including 15 Government light aeroplanes on loan to aero clubs. There is only oi.e civil machine carrying mart than two passengers, the Wellington Club's four-place (pilot and three passengers), Waco, but there are seven three-place machines, all commercial aeroplanes with the exception of the Auckland Club's pilot and two-passenger machine and a private (Canterbury) aeroplane of the same capacity. Of the remaining civil machines all are two-place aeroplanes, with exceptions in three privately-owned single-placers centred at Whakatanc, Wanganui and Christchurch. All told there are over a dozen privatelyowned aeroplanes in the Dominion. Y.M.C.A.'s Collection Disappointing. Disappointment was expressed by the general secretary of the Y.M.C.A. at only the moderate total of £123 15/10 collected at yesterday's appeal in the city. The association had beeii doing valuable work among boys for years and in most difficult periods. If it was to carry on its work, funds were necessary. Mr. Drew said that lie was, however, grateful for what had been collected, and realised that hundreds of citizens were also financially embarrassed. The amount required was £1500, £900 of which had been collected at a previous suburban appeal. The secretary expressed appreciation of the help given by tlio various organisations in the task of collecting. A feature of the collection was the large number of small coius received, there being 150 half-pennies, 1200 pennies, 1290 threepences, 1200 sixpences, 859 shillings, 150 florins, 04 half-crowns and five bank notes. Miscellaneous bored coins, including dimes and farthings, were discovered in many of the boxes. "An Awful Pest." "Papakura" writes: "I wonder if it is generally known what an awful pest the honeysuckle plant (Lonicera Japonica) is. When it establishes itself in native bush, hedges or plantations, it takes complete possession and smothers everything -in its way. It is flourishing in many gardens and hedges around the suburbs of Auckland. About ten acres of native bush known as Kirk's Bush Scenic Reserve, near the southern boundary of the Papakura township and facing tho Great South Road, has just about been cleared of the roots and vines of this pest. Birds are fond of the berry, and carry the seed Loin tho surrounding neighbourhood and scatter it all over the reserve. I have seen plants in the Hunua native bush, also at Titirangi. I think anyone that knows what a pest this plant is .will agree that it should bo declared a noxious weed. Every effort should be made to eradicate. it before it gets a firm hold in our native bush. Perhaps it may help if others would give their experience of this plant where it has established itself in bush, hedges, or plantations." School Age of Children. The admission to a primary school of children under six years of age, without recording their attendances on tlio roll, is a point over which the Nelson Education Board and the Department have come in conflict. The official organ of the Department, the "Education Gazette," gave the intimation that no child under six years of age, not entitled to be on the school roll, may attend a public school. The director, in a communication to the board, indicated that the practice of allowing, children under school age to attend without enrolment could not be justified by the Act. The Nelson Board obtained a legal opinion to the effect that the Director of Education had no legal ground to make such a statement. A later communication from the Minister disclosed that he had no intention of reverting to the old five-year minimum for enrolment, but that it was the intention of the Government to introduce this session a clause permitting the enrolment of children during the term in which they reach the age of six. This means that on February 1 next, when the schools i resume for 1933, children who will reach the age of six before the end of the first week in May, 1933, will be allowed all the privileges now withheld till a child reaches the, sixth birthday. Hospital Life and Contrasts. A largo hospital is composed of patients of all ages, and this was seen this week, when a visit was paid to many of the wards. In the Princess Mary children's wards, when tho small patients were told that Christmas would soon he here, they said that could not be .because it would be nearly two months till they had their Christmas tree, and that was a long time yet. In one of the oldest wards at the institution an old veteran who was in his 80th year complained how quickly time passed, and it seemed only a brief time since he ate his last Christmas dinner, yet another Christmas would be here before they knew where they were. In the children's wards was a laughing kiddie who had come out in the last ship with a minor skin trouble, and would soon be well, and in another ward was an old colonist whose grandfather had settled in New Zealand in 1836 before it was proclaimed a British colony. He was waiting for the warm weather to come to relieve him of a bad attack of sciatica contracted when pioneering in the bush. Two laughing boys, just about ready to leave the hospital, looked serious when the visitors came in, and one was heard to say to the others: "I wonder if these people are faith healers, because of the interest they are taking in our welfare." The wards were full of contrasts, youth and old age, hope and fear, cheerfulness and moroseness, and with it all there was a good deal of contentment and general appreciation of the skill of the doctors and, nurses. _ _ . _ „ - J \