NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 287, 3 December 1932, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Anything That Comes. A young Wanganui lady science student, 011 completion of- her examinations last week for her second section of the B.Sc. degree, hearing of a position ae domestic help on a station in the Kawhia district, promptly accepted the offer and proceeded to take up her duties. Northcote Catholic School. Good progress has been made with the erection of the Roman Catholic school at Northcote. The exterior of the building has been practically completed, and everything will be in readiness for the opening of the school at the beginning of the New Year. On the opposite side of Onewa Road an addition is being erected to the convent for the accommodation of the Dominican nuns, who are to have control of the new institution. Shipmates Meet Again. There is a reunion going on at present in Christchurch, the reunion of two old shipmates, octogenarians both, who sailed before the mast in the Helen Denny in 1873, deserted together at Wellington in November of that year, and, after knocking round New Zealand more or less together for four years, separated. One of them, Captain E. T. Hunt, answered the call of the see, again, and the other, Mr. B. H. Price, remained in New Zealand to seek his fortune ashore. Fiftysix years ago young Hunt left New Zealand, and now Captain Hunt has returned on a visit to his

old shipmate. Ferns Taken From Domain. About half a dozen valuable ferns were taken from the Auckland City Council's fernery in the Domain last night. The ferns removed were of the kind known familiarly as the "Prince of Wales" fern, and, unless conditions are suitable for them, they are very hard to grow. Considerable trouble had been taken with them in the Domain, and they were flourishing in the' natural conditions there. Only the one kind was taken, and this morning, when the discovery of the loss was made, one was lying on the path, already dug up and ready to take away,. The fernery is locked at nights, but entrance is possible through the trellis work at the back. Their Alma Mater. The Auckland branch of the Timaru High School Old Boys' Association haa a happy way of keeping in touch with the institution. It donates a special prize annually for an event at the annual sports. This season's trophy to go to South Canterbury takes the form of an ornate hand-carved ebony inkstand. An indication of its Indian handcraft and the manner in which- articles are made in the Orient so that they will easily pack away as souvenirs (and for that reason appeal to tourists), is the curious way the inkstand, which carries small elephant decorations, pieces together. The prize is for what is popularly known at the Timaru High ; sports as the "Auckland half-mile"—a very popular event. Bad Times in America. An official of the Sainoan Government, writing to his mother in Otorohanga, says: "I don't know what is going to happen to lots of people, but you can rest assured that it is not half as bad in Xew Zealand as it is in the United States of America. I was talking to a priest here (Western Samoa), who has just returned from the States, and he paints a sorry picture of things there. In every town he passed through he found people on the sidewalks guarding their furniture and effects —they simply throw people and everything out of their houses when rent or interest gets behind. The people live on the sidewalks out in the weather, and finally join the bread lines with thousands of others. I think the States arc probably the worst off just now, but undoubtedly Samoa is best off. . . ."

Ideal Christmas Gift. Facts and information about all phases of local activity will be found in "Brett's Auckland Almanac" for 1933. In the 252 pages of this book are given the answers to the innumerable questions which perplex the average man or woman. Hints for the housewife, recipcs and a social guide; a business, political and sports directory for the city, man; a list of country organisations, provincial settlements and information for the farmer —those are features of the almanac. A copy , should be kept within hand's reach in every home and office. It gives in compact form an immediate reference to a wide range of data, and would make an ideal gift for Christmas. To the holiday-maker, the motorist and the visitor to Auckland it should prove invaluable. Microscopic Writing. A specimen of miniature writing, claimed as a world's record in this respect, has been completed by Mr., E. Bull, of Devonport. It is an ordinary-sized postcard, 4in by 6in, on one side of which Mr. Bull' has written the Lord's Prayer 28G times. Thus Mr. Bull has written 20,020 words in the space mentioned. Some time ago a resident of Spandau, Berlin, claimed a world's record for having written 10,000 words on a postcard of normal size, but Mr. Bull has far outdone that effort. The microscopic writing, of course, is illegible to the naked eye, but under a'magnifying glass what looks like the imprint left by pressing a close-woven worsted cloth on white paper shows up as a legibly-written iteration (many times over) of the Christian invocation. The work, of course, was done under a magnifying lens.

Christmas Cheer at Otahuhu. A meeting convened by the Mayor of Otahuhu, Mr. H. T. Clements, to consider ways ai)d means of providing additional Christmas clicer for the children of distressed fellow citizens, was held on Wednesday evening. Twenty organisations were represented. The Mayor said the idea in his mind was for all organisations which contemplated giving a Christmas treat to the children to combine to make.it a community concern. After considerable discussion, it was recognised that individual arrangements had gone too far to be cancelled, and that there was insufficient time to organise the bigger effort. It was finally decided that all organisations represented should make a donation to the Social Service Association as a special fund to provide additional assistance to necessitous cases. Wild Horses on the Move. A lady motorist had a very narrow escape when travelling from Wellington to Opotiki during the week. When a short distance from Taupo, she was suddenly confronted by a wild horse, which dashed out in the middle of the roadway, right in front of the car. The animal reared up and waltzed about the road on its hind legs and let out a wild scream of anger. The driver of the car had very little time to do anything, and blindly pressed her foot on the brakes, causing the car to skid off the road into the thick scrub at the roadside. The fact that the car skidded probably prevented a serious accident, as otherwise the rearing horse must have fallen down on the bonnet of the car. The ear received very little damage, and the driver escaped with bruises on both arms and a knock on the head. Needless to say, she also suffered a severe shock as a result of the happening. There was an amusing sequel to the mishap, as a young roadman working nearby looked up just in time to see the rearing horse and the car diving to the side of the road into the thicket. He heard the scream from the horse, but when lie went along to'the stranded car and saw that the driver was a woman he came to the conclusion that he must have been mistaken and it was probably the lady driver who had screamed. However, he was assured his first impression was correct. The roadman said that the dry weather was sausing the wild horses to travel further afield in search of grass. He also stated that there Had been a number of accidents around -about-T-araw-era- district, as a result of the horses running out suddenly oil to the road-way-ill front- of .motor vehicles,