NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 4, 6 January 1933, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Wellington's Pro-Cathedral. St. Paul's, Wellington's pro-Cathedral, is to be remodelled. The church will be lifted bodily to enable the rebuilding of the present front in permanent material, the extension of the length of the building towards Mulgrave Street, and the removal of the north aisle. No decision has yet been reached on the question of a tower or spire, and the present interior will be retained. The alterations are being made under the Unemployment Board's building subsidy scheme. In Remembrance. "In affectionate memory of the captains, officers and crews, and the happy travelling days of appreciative passengers." A large wreath bearing the foregoing description decorated the bow of the old Wakatere as she passed out of Shoal Bay yesterday on her last journey. Presented by a group of former Thames residents, the wreath was composed of rosemary (for remembrance), yellow and purple flowers, and purple streamers. The Marriage Season. Xew Year is a popular period for wedding bells. The Auckland registrar of births, deaths and marriages; Mr. B. Evans, has had a busy time since his office resumed on Wednesday. That day he married five couples, and yesterday there were three. There were four ceremonies on the list for to-day. Last year was a leap year, but, as the total number of marriages in Auckland was fewer than the number registered in the previous twelve months, the deduction is that the fairer sex did not exercise their prerogative with any significant effect. Historic Prow. In the possession of Mr. Heko Bidois, of Taura'nga, is a Maori relic of great interest —a carved prow of an ancient war canoe, about 7ft long, which once adorned the fastest war canoe on the Bay of Plenty. Many years ago an old Maori woman informed the late Mr. Charles Bidois that the treasure was to be found in the swamp on the eastern side of the schoolhouse at Omokoroa. After two days' search the prow was located, and was taken from the swamp practically intact. The carving possesses meanings which it may not now be possible to interpret. Christmas and Toothache. " According to the Wanganui "Chronicle," a local dentist always associates Christmas with plenty of toothache. His rooms were unusually full this year, and a feature was the number of people who wanted aching teeth attended to. Asked for an explanation of the prevalence, he said excitement was one of the causes. Even people who did not touch sweets were not immune from the torments of a bad tooth. The "festive season," with its excitement and general indulgence in good things, caused an increase in the blood pressure, and that had an effect on the teeth. The dentist said he had an abnormal number of extractions to make this Christmas. Graceful Divers. Soaring over the sea at a height of 200 ft, the gannet is probably the neatest diver of all, the sea birds on the Xew Zealand coast. A pair of gannets on the Xew Plymouth harbour recently gave an excellent exhibition of diving. A fisherman's herring bait, supported by a float, attracted one of the birds, which made a perfect dive from a high altitude. It secured the impaled herring, brought it to the surface, and devoured it. The gannet wa«*duly landed on the wharf, and the hook had to lw carefully cut before the bird was liberated. Xone the worst for the adventure, the bird joined its mate in further diving displays—but a greater distance away from the wharf. Toys In Native Village. Mr. A. E. Playlc, who returned this week by the Mariposa from a brief holiday trip to American Samoa, said to-day that one of the things that interested him most during a five days' sojourn in a primitive native village was that the young native boys and girls had some European toys to play with. They consisted mostly of rattles and bugles. Another point of interest was the fact that the children had fireworks to let off, from which they derived no end of enjoyment. "These two things a, pcared to me most strange," he said. "They were in such contrast to the primitive conditions under which the vil-, lagers were dwelling."

Motoring in North. Motor travelling records in the Dargaville district were broken during tlic holidays. The majority of the visitors did the round trip .up the east coast and down the west, or vice versa, taking in the Waipoua Forest and . Trounson Kauri Park en route. All the roads are reported to be in fairly good condition, except the portion of road between Pailiia and Waimate North, which is clay and much in use by motorists returning by the east coast route from Russell and those going to Russell by the west coast route. Only a short length is in very bad condition after a few hours' rain. American Standards. Americans are only now beginning to realise that their standards of a few years ago were falsely high, according to Mr. N. 11. Barlow, who has just returned to Christchurch from a tour abroad. Mr. Barlow said the impressions he gained were that tremendous sums .had been made, and some of the people who 'made 'he money had "spent it like drunken sailors." When they had first returned to a more normal stale they thought they were ruined, but now they were beginning to realise that it wan not so bad. One man he had known at the war told Mr. Barlow lie had made 7,000,000 dollars since then. Another man who had come back from the war with 2000 dollars had built up, by stock market speculation, a fortune of 750,000 dollars. But he had not known when to sell, and now he was back working in the leaf department of a tobacco factory, living on his wages. Sport With Trout. "Prospects are bright for a good fishing season on the Tongariro," writes the correspondent of the "Auckland Star" at Turangi. "Given a reasonable amount of rain, the runs ought to take place early, and the fish, although not expected to be large, are likely ,to be fat and good and up to 81b, with a few over that. At Turangi the flsh are better and more plentiful than at this time last year, numerous fresh run fish being in the river, but no one can say they have been easy to catch. Mututerc and Jellicoe Point were disappointing, probably duo to the weather conditions. When the wind allowed, the delta fished well, "one angler taking a OJ-pouiuler—tho best fish. A Wellington ansrler with three rods took 37, the best two fish being 91b and SJlb." Haymaking. "Agricola" writes: Anyone passing through country districts recently must have noticed at least one activity among the farming community—'haymaking. Every farm along the road seemed to be taking advantage of the fine weather to prepare winter feed, and the pungent, fresh smell, beloved of children, of newly-mown hay, filled the air. There is a glamour about haymaking, particularly for visitors to the country homes. Some of the farming pursuits they cannot enter into; but the day that it is decided to make hay is, by a kind of tacit consent, proclaimed a holiday. All the neighbours rally round, and the stack is built. Then, in the middle of things, there is an adjournment for a rest and something to eat and drink. Work again, and from a paddock Across the way would come muffled voices, the creak of harness, perhaps the sound of the mower—what Thomson in another age called "the cheerful sound of sharpening scythe"—and above all the sweet smell of the new hay. One thinks of these things, catching that smell again after many years in a city where , there are the close, 6tale smells of commerce instead of the freshness of open air. j