NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 276, 21 November 1932, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Thrives on Cuts,

Grass the only tiling that thrives on a succession of "cuts."—The humour of this remark by Mr. W. A. Waters, at the Hokianga Luncheon Club, when moving a vote of thanks to the Governor-General for his address on "Grass," was thoroughly appreciated by the large gathering. Mr. Waters drew renewed laughter when he observed that a cow blown on grass constituted "inflation" of the worst kind. Solving the Depression! "We have all grown tired of the word 'depression,'" said the Rev. A. H. Fowles in the course of an address last week at the Methodist Synod social at Christchurch (reports the "Press"). "I shall take care to use the word 'situation.' The sound of 'depression' has a bad effect on us, and the sooner we expel the word from our vocabulary the better it will be for us." Care of Prisoners. A report that the petition should be referred to the Government for consideration was made by the Public Petitions Committee of the House of Representatives on Friday, when reporting on the petition of D. R. Cousins, Wellington, who prayed for compensation in respect of permanent injuries caused by alleged neglect while under detention by police and prison authorities. The committee said it considered that a more thorough medical examination of prisoners was desirable. Novelty in Education. At the Motukaraka (Hokianga) School, the headmaster, Mr. W. Watson, has specialised in the instruction of painting. Through his instruction the pupils have quite excelled themselves in decorating the floors. With oils the floors are designed similar to congoleum, and are a great source of attraction. Besides this, horticulture is inculcated. There are several plots which rival those in evidence in Albert Park. The North is particularly beautiful at this time of the year, and the flowers in the Hokianga County generally present an exquisite show. Collection of New Zealand Books. The collection of New Zealand books formerly in the library of the Rev. William Baumber has been secured for the library of Trinity College (Auckland), according to a report made at a meeting of the North Canterbury Methodist Synod. The only condition attached by Mr. Raumber to their acquirement of the books was that Mrs. Baumber's memory should be perpetuated by gifts of £100 each to the home mission and foreign mission funds. The trustees of the Pitt Street and the Taranaki Street churches had made it possible to comply with this condition by giving £100 each. Council Motor Cars. A special committee 6ct up some time ago to make recommendations upon the question of transport last week suggested to the Wellington City Council that special arrangements should be made with those officers who require constant transport in their duties to operate their own motor cars, if they so desire, upon an allowance basis, the amounts suggested ranging up to £182 per year. Other recommendations made include those for the disposal of several cars past their prime, and the total saving, said the Mayor, Air. T. C. A. His lop, would amount to about £1400 per year. The report was approved.

Farmers Alarmed. A combined meeting of the Marton branch of the Farmers' Union and the Marton Chamber of Commerce passed a resolution expressing alarm at the action of the Government in offering 5 per cent free of stamp duty for a further issue of debentures. In the opinion of the meeting the Government's action would result in money which would otherwise be available for investment in farming and in trade and industry being put into the Government funds. The meeting strongly urged the Government to reduce the rate of interest on present and other Government loans to not more than 3i to 4 per cent, as had been done in Great Britain and Australia.

A Budding Bradman. A budding Bradman was given an ovation by players and spectators alike at Victoria Park on Saturday afternoon, when he retired after completing an innings of a hundred runs for the Y.M.C.A. fifth grade team. The lad, a Grey Lynn schoolboy named Eric Leighton, had attracted attention by the fact that though he was the smallest cricketer on the ground, he played ' like a champion, exhibiting the right stroke for every ball that came along. He had the opposition bowlers from Papatoetoe in difficulties, and his century was obviously only a question of his team-mates being able to stay long enough with him. Consequently the players in all the other games were attracted by liis display, and stopped their games for' a moment to give him a, "hand" when he retired unbeaten with 104 runs to his credit. Priyate Hire Taxis. Recently a deputation of a section of taxi proprietors waited upon the by-laws committee of the Wellington City Council and asked that provision should be made for certain taxi cars to rim without meters and upon other special conditions which they considered desirable for what is termed the private hire taxi business. The council last week approved of a by-law prepared by the city solicitor, but with certain amendThe cars which are to be licensed under this by-law are not to ply for hire from stands or from the streets, but are to answer calls to the proprietor's garage or by arrangement. The maximum charges provided for in the by-law are 1/6 for every five'minutes during the first hour,' and thereafter 1/ for every five minutes. Clauses fixing the minimum fare at 4/6 and to prohibit the calculation of fares on the basis of the distance travelled were struck out by the council. A. Legal Lottery. "It is, I believe, a perfectly legal method of settling a case," said Mr. Hodgson in the Opotiki Court on Wednesday, when the case of Kidd v. Kelly was called. Mr. Hodgson, for the defence, suggested that he and his brother solicitor toss a coin for the decision of a claim for 7/6. "Yes," remarked the magistrate, Mr. S. L. Paterson,. S.M., "I was thinking of suggesting some such method. It's no good your two clients spending £3 to £4 each scrapping like two prize roosters over 7/6." Mr. Bunkall, for plaintiff, at ,first agreed to this method of settling the argument, and the case was adjourned bv_ the. Court till the afternoon, each counsel departing balancing a coin on his finger. However, the advice was later disregarded, and after hearing the evidence the magistrate stated that he could not decide which of the conflicting statements of the two parties to believe, and he nonsuited the plaintiff. The First Ragwort. The ragwort which shamelessly flaunts its gay colours on almost every roadside during the summer months obtrudes itself in most unexpected ways into the discussions of local bodies and one never knows the moment when discussion, often quite irrelevantly, will turn in its direction. Mr. Hallett told the Thames Valley Drainage Board members the other day of the introduction of the plant into Taranaki. Innocent of .the fact that she was about to make very bad history, a lady of Inglewood cultivated one of the plants, which was considered choice enough to have, a flower plot all to itself and a favoured position. Visitors admired the plant, and as it multiplied were favoured with plants to home, and soon the ragwort was disseminated far and wide. Now it defies all the forces of man and money, aud is the'biggest i cms©-inown tft the. formal - . — - _