NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 102, 3 May 1933, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

"Dupedin Carries Auckland." "When I came to Dunedin recently I was told that Dunedin carried Auckland on its back, and that it had £70,000,000 invested in Auckland," said the Rev. E. T. Cox, a candidate for the Dunedin City Mayoralty (reports the "Star" correspondent). I believed it, and still believe it," he added. But he thought the people of 'Dunedin had too much of their money out in other cities. Yachting Commended. "Yachting helps to make good citizens just as much as, if not more than, football," declared Mr. G. It. Hutchinson at yesterday afternoon's meeting of the Auckland Harbour Board. It was a duty of the board, he said, to make adequate provision for yachtsmen. The Auckland boat harbours, Mr. Hutchinson added, were the envy of boat owners in all other parts of New Zealand. Opossums Increasing. This is a closed season for opossums, and trappers are warned of the heavy fines for unauthorised trapping. In the Rualiines and Wakararas (Hawke's Bay), particularly, opossums are steadily increasing, with the result _ that the secretary of the Hawke's Bay Acclimatisation Society has received frequent inquiries from many people interested in trapping. "If I Had the Wings." The Rev. S. G. Cook, of Otaki, who was the speaker of the day at the Hawera Rotary Club weekly luncheon last week, stated that he was unattached, and during the past six montlis had visited 26 churches and one gaol. Ho had in that period been present at six men's gatherings, including Rotary Clubs, and those in the gaol were the best singers of the lot. This observation followed the singing by the company of "Ob, Dear, What Can the Matter Be?" A White Pheasant. A freak, in the form of an alisolutely white cock pheasant, was brought down by a sportsman at Puhipulii, about 10 miles north of Wliangarei when the shooting season opened. The pheasant was pure white, even to its_ lege, and such a bird is very rai'e indeed. It is not the first time, however, that a pure white pheasant has been obtained from that district, as some years ago one or two similar birds were shot. As far as is known, though, the white pheasant is peculiar to the Hukerenui and Puhipulii districts. The birds are evidently some sort of throwback. A Citizen's Duty. The opinion that it was the- duty of every citizen at least to offer himself for some form of public service if he thought he could do the job was expressed by Mr. G. R. Hutchinson, the retiring chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board, when bidding farewell to members yesterday afternoon. If a man was not capable of occupying a public position himself, he should not, lie said, criticise others. "I formed that idea when I was a young man," said Mr. Hutchinson, who said that he gained his first experience in such matters as a member of the old Mount Albert Road Board. A Promoter of Fires. The most prolific promoter of fires was the amateur electrician, declared Mr. F. F. Gilmore, chief electrical inspector, at a meeting of the New Zealand Fire Brigades' Institute in Wellington. Particularly. was this gentleman to blame for the fuses he employed. Among the fuses discovered by Mr. Gilmore were bits of No. S wire, blades of knives, part of a metal matchbox, etc. The inspector showed a number of home-made electrical appliances. One was a home-made' switch, with the terminals through a piece of wood contained in. a metal box. Another device shown was a switch made from a window fastener. Mischief in the Country. The engineer of the Thames Valley Power Board reported yesterday that one of the insulators which support the 11 k.v. fuses on the Awaiti Road transformer structure was broken about April 20, apparently by stones, as quite a number were found on the platform. Next day one of the k.v. fuses was broken at the Waikino transformer, also by stone-throwing. The local schoolmaster and the police had been notified in each case. Apart from the loss to the board, which might amount to many pounds, there was the inconvenience and what might prove to be very serious loss to the farming and other consumers. A heavy penalty might be imposed upon anyone convicted of such an offcncc. Memory of Whaling Days. It was 90 years ago on Saturday that the whaling ship Harriet, belonging to Captain John Guard, was driven ashore at Oakura, Taranaki. With Captain Guard were the commander (Captain Hall) and Mrs. Guard and her two children. The crew numbered 28. The whole personnel reached the shore safely, and two of the men set off in a boat for Moturoa to obtain assistance. The third day after the wreck a party of about 40 natives from the Te Namu pa plundered the ship. On May 7 the plunderers were joined by another band of about 200, who warned the shipwrecked party that they intended to kill them. On May 10 an attack was launched, and, with the exception of Captain Guard and 11 men, the Europeans were overcome. Mrs. Guard arid her children were taken to the pa. After representations had been made to the Governor of New South Wales, the barque Alligator was sent to New Zealand, and Mrs. Guard and the youngest child were rescued after five months captivity. Story of a White Rabbit. __A well-known Dunedin Government official telliT an amusing story about his boy's purchase of a white rabbit. The boy—like many another boy —had expressed a keen desire to become possessed of a rabbit, and at last persuaded his father to give him the money to make the purchase. The owner of a white rabbit was located at St. Clair, and the purchase was duly made. It was impressed on the boy that he would have to secure a permit to enable him. to keep the rabbit, and he told his father what had to be done. This Was news to the parent, but on look' ing up the law on the matter lie found that application had to be made to the Minister of Agriculture for a permit. The application was made, and in due course an inspector called at the house to examine the hutch. He said that the door of the hutch would have to be strengthened. Then the matter was finalised by a lengthy official communication from the Minister granting the permit. It was suggested to the father that there must be-many boys in possession of rabbits who had not obtained a permit. "That may be," he replied, "but there is a penalty of £20 if one is not obtained." A Family Saga. Family trees are more or less common. Not so family sagas. But the Paterson family, whose forbears founded the Bank of England and played other important parts in Britain's development, have their origin and history recorded in verse. A copy of the "Paterson Saga" was shown to a "Southland Times" reporter by a descendant who lives in Invercargill. In vigorous verse the story of the Patersons is traced. "The Patersons, 'tis our belief (runs the tale) sprang from a roving Viking chief." Then "in later days they slew and harried where'er the, Douglas arms were carried." But "with the spread of peace and order they spoiled no more the English border, but gave their minds to SOW and reap, or multiply the black-faced sheep." Reference is then made to their work in building drains and cutting dykes. Then "fame o'ertook them, for in course one John evolved the Clydesdale horse, while cousin William's Darien scheme shook Scotland jike a fevered d-eam, and England grants him lofty rank as founder of its mighty bank." Thus the s'ory rans till near the close of the nineteenth century, after which a fresh poet will have to trace the destinies of the scattered descendants of the family, not a few of whom are to be found in Otago and Southland. Histories of Highland clans, of families, are to be found among several Southland families.