NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 74, 29 March 1933, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Babies For Sale,

An amusing slip in the rules of a Timaru flower show, held towards the end of last year, has been discovered by those who took the rules in question as a guide for the rules of their own show. The rule reads: "Sections 1), E, F, G and M to become the property of the executive and sold for the benefit of the funds." Section M was the baby show! Maori Cooking Places. Excavating in Nikau Street, New Lynn, today, relief workers unearthed two Maori cooking places. One of these was destroyed in the course of work. A native worker informed his mates that they were hangis, and of some interest, and the second one was left intact, pending a report being, submitted to the borough council. Relief Camp Needs. Men in the relief camps in the Auckland district have sent numerous requests for playing cards and reading matter to the Auckland Metropolitan Unemployment Relief Committee. Some of the requests were mentioned at a meeting of the committee yesterday, and it was stated that an appeal made last year had resulted in good supplies being forwarded to the Hobson Street depot. A further appeal for used packs of cards, magazines and other reading matter is to be made by the committee. It was reported that a number of gramophones had been bought at a sale at prices ranging from £1 downwards. These would be sent to camps.

Just In Time. The dangers of launching on the west coast without emergency provision for getting to shelter in the event of engine trouble were impressed on two New Plymouth fishermen, Messrs. G. Loder and W. McLeod, on Sunday afternoon. While fishing off Whiteeliffs their engine broke down, and after jockeying round a reef they were being blown towards the rocks, with their anchor slowly dragging. Flares for assistance were put up, and just when it seined that they wore certain to go on the rocks, Mr. A. Grocott appeared in a launch from New Plymouth, and took the disabled launch in tow. Had the rescue been delayed a few minutes, the launch would have been on the rocks in a heavy eea. Warning Still Issued. February, March and April arc usually the months during which most New Zealanders going overseas apply for their passports, and the applications lodged io date in Christchurch reveal that this year is not different from any other year in that way. Last year March was tlua month of most applications, February and April being equal. The number then dropped considerably, and began to go up again in January. The forms of application still carry, printed in red down the left-hand margin, the following notice:—"Warning: Any person visiting any country or place which is under any Communist form of government may be refused permission to land in New Zealand within three years after leaving such country or place." It is just 12 months since that warning was first issued. Nearly An Exodus.

Most of those who sat placidly in the members' stand at Lancaster Park on Friday watching the SI.C.C. team pile on the runs, were not aware during the course of the afternoon of an event which caused a temporary stoppage of the reporters' pencils. A sudden ejaculation from a visiting journalist drew attention to a small fire in the timbers of the stand under his feet. There was a hurried evacuation of seats in the vicinity, and one reporter hastily departed for a bucket of water. By the time it arrived there were many anxious glances cast at the blaze, which ate rapidly into the dry timbers. A few sluices from the bucket ended the incident, but it was some time before any serious work was done. Remarkable care was taken after that with cigarette butts and matches. Arapuni Showing a Profit.

The statement that, despite the heavy expenditure involved in repairing the headrace nt Arapuni, the plant is showing a profit of 6 per cent was made yesterday by the chairman of the Franklin Electric Power Board, Mr. John Dean. The board decided to ask the Government to reduce the charge for bulk supplies of electricity, and that the Public Works Department pass on to supply authorities any saving in interest reductions consequent on conversion of it.3 loans on the hydro-electric schemes and the suspension of depreciation on the Department's schemes for three years, the savings in depreciation to be passed on to supply authorities. The chairman said the present position was that consumers in the South Island were getting power cheaper than those in the North Island. He felt that there should be a uniform charge for the Dominion.

Nearly a Farmer. There was a small city dweller at the ram fair at Christehurch last week who is now congratulating himself on having escaped a profound embarrassment. He was attracted to the side of the ring in which the stud rams are offered, and, assuming a farmer-like attitude with his arms draped across tae top of the rail, began to absorb as many of the details as he could of the mystifying business of buying and selling sheep. The auctioneer struck him as being particularly well worth watching, and so closely did he watch one of the fraternity that after an exciting minute of shouting from the rostrum he found himself in possession of a fine Southdown ram, and the price the auctioneer was demanding was ]4 guineas. The little man strenuously denied that he had bid anything at all, and, muttering something about sheep farming on an eighth-acre section, left the ring, with the auctioneer's uncomplimentary remarks stinging his ears.

All For a Scrap of Paper. An incident at the Tepid Baths during the New South Wales and Auckland swimming carnival last night caused a good deal of amusement. A North Sliore schoolboy, just turned ten years of age, was awarded '..is 50yds certificate a fortnight ago. His two elder brothers declared that he could not and did not swim the distance, whereupon he challenged them both to swim against him at the next public carnival. All three started in the same heat last night, but as a race the event was spoilt through the challenger having only 2s and 13s actual start from the senior boys, instead of lis and 225, as arranged by the handicapper. Nevertheless, the junior refused to come out of the pool at the 33 l-3yds distance, at which stage, the brothers had reached the 50yds line. He insisted upon "swimming it out," and as a result of his plucky effort to uphold the value of the school certificate a swimming enthusiast announced his intention of f-ivino- the boy a medal, while Mr. C. F. Stratford" the centre's educational officer, intends to use the incident for propaganda purposes in connection with swimming instruction in primary schools. Cricket In West Indies.

Speaking on the keenness of cricketers in various parts of the British Empire, D. K. Jardine, captain of the M.C.C. eleven, told the boys of St. Andrew's College, Christchurch, that the statutes of the British West Indies afforded a good example of what cricket meant to the people there. "If you studied the statutes of that country, you would find that 'cricket may not be played with more than 200 players on each side,'" said Mr. Jardine. "Tliis is a sound law, for it shows that the people there are so keen that cricket played by elevens does not satisfy them. The whole village must join in. I know of one occasion when the star bowler of one side took 54 of the 99 wickets. Then there was another occasion when the losing team became dissatisfied both with the umpires and the members of the victorious team. Both sides and the umpires had gathered after the match to celebrate the victory, when the losers took up stumps, bats and anything they could lay their hands on, and a terrible free fight ensued. I am glad that there is nothing like that in New Zealand," he added with a laugh.