NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 189, 12 August 1933, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Signs of Spring. Sums of spring in Auckland suburban gardens are the kowhai breaking into bloom and the stars of the clematis in all their beauty. In 11 Loder collection at the Auckland Domain kaka beak, or cliantlius, is beginning to make a colourful display. Sardines In River Mouth. While netting whitebait near the mouth of the Tarawera River at Matata, near Wbakatane, a son of a Matata resident landed some small fish strange to him. These were shown to an old Scots ex-fisherman, wiio declared them to be saldines. Although these fisli are quite common m the Hauraki Gulf, it is not generally known that they also favour this sea coast. A Nation of Workers. Germany, particularly the Rhine. Valley, was a most interesting country, said Dr. W. H. Simpson, of Wellington, when addressing the Rotary Club on his tour abroad. He had been impressed bv the spirit of work that seemed to animate everybody, especially those in the fields. Xevei once* did'he see a workman in the fields stop to watch a train going by. They were there to work, and they were not to be distracted by anything else. Germany appealed to him as a nation Of workers. Wellington's Lawns. Apparently, on account of its liilly configuration, Wellington is not a lawnmower salesman .- paradise. "I did not know lawnmowers were made in New Zealand," said Professor B. K Murphy at this morning's sitting of the lann Commission. • "I am not surprised," said the W'tness. "Wellington is the hardest place in >ew Zealand to sell lawnmowers." The Chairman, Di. G. Craig "You can understand that!" Professor Murphy: "That is our misfortune —not our fault." Employment Decline. The number of employees in the engineering and metal industries has fallen considerably .in the last three years, according to figures placed before the Tariff Commission yesterday by i - ur - A. E. Mander, secretary of the New Zealand Manufacturers' Federation. He said the total number of persons engaged in 1930 was lo.iuu, the value of. the output being £( ,821,000. Since then the number employed and the value ot the output had dropped considerably, so that to-day the total number employed was 11,000 and the Value of the output £4,700,000.

Playgrounds Control. The Otahuhiv Borough Council apparently realises' that the good name of a borough or suburb is endangered and appreciation of public playing reserves is impaired by patrons who misbehave or incite others to misconduct. At Starless Park on Saturday the referee stopped a football match to reprimand a spectator, and, arising out of the incident, the council has decided that in future it will have officials at its "rounds to co-operate with all sports body representatives —and the police, if need be —to control the crowds. Gisborne Goods Services. A goods service license for linking Gisborne and Tancatua daily-by road was applied for before the No. 4 Transport Licensing Authority on Thursday bv the Gisborne-Opotiki-Whakatane Transport Company. The Railway Department would raise no objection to the license, provided that the firm did not compctc with tne rail between Gisborne and Motuliora, tliat they remained on tho Waioeka route, and that they did not accept freight that came by boat to Opotiki in competition with the railway. The company agreed to the proposal. The chairman, Mr. F. B. Logan, considered that the district was the most peculiar in New Zealand in the way of transport. Decision was deferred. The Doll's Pram. Not the least attractive part of the programme last night at the Town Hall, when the Prosperity Queen was crowned, was the giving oi prizes to the winners of the fancy dress competitions at the Mayoress' party. One tiny tot was lifted on to the stage to receive her present, it was a doll's pram. In her delight of the piara, she did not realise that she was alone on the stage in the presence of a great crowd. .be did not even see anyone. She wanted to take the pram back to show her mother. She wheeled it right across the stage to the steps where her father was waiting for her. He wanted to lilt it down the stairs, but the child insisted on wheeling it down the stairs, and then right alon 0 the front row of chairs, back to mother. The Final Count.

Right until the last minute the winner of the Prosperity Queen contest »wa« in doubt; awl while the crowd in the Town Hall were enjoying the concert, there was a busy band of wen in one of the committee rooms finalising the votes. From 7 o'clock the organisers received donations in cash and by cheque, and all donations were dropped into a closed ballot box. In that way complete secrecy was kept until the votes were actually counted. Precisely at 9 o'clock coiltnbuttons were declared closed; 'and in tne presence of one representative of each of the ton committees, the voting was commenced. All the committees handed in large blocks of votes, but the largest number comprised a block amounting to the sum of _ £933 17/0, which was handed in just before 9 o clock, thus securing the Sports Queen a lead of 160,000 over the next competitor. Demand For Boys. The law of supply and demand operates even in these days if given a chance, as is strikingly indicated in the work of the Auckland Boy© Employment Committee. Early m May the demand from farmer employers fell off, and had | to be stimulated, with very gratifying results. To-day the position is reversed, but with the seasonal demand calling urgently for help with incoming herds there lias been a lag in wages. There have been complaints in some that boys are taking undue advantage of the position, but, on the other hand, it is contended that they are entitled to make a reasonable bargain. A call at the office of the committee confirmed the statement that nearly 150 farmers were seeking boys, and that these could not be found in sufficient numbers. At the same time, a pel usal of the records showed that positions where the wa"-es offered were 15/ or more (for well-experi-enced boys) were quickly filled. In spite of difficulties, the committee continues to place approximately 20 boys weekly with farmers, but if lads were 'available these figures could easily be doubled. No Ratter. A suburban resident was troubled by a large rat that nightly invaded the family rubbish tin and scattered the contents about the back porch. One evening this week he decided to put an end to the nuisance, and went into ambush with a pea-rifle ready loaded. After half an hour's wait the rat popped the tip of its nose out from beneath the weather boards _of the house, and the smell _of a piece of toasted cheese soon enticed it _ into the open. Taking the best aim he could in the poor li»ht, the householder pulled the trigger. There was a sharp report, but the rat scampered back to cover unhurt. Admitting the rat one up, the owner of the gun next day decided to kill the pest in the more orthodox manner. He set a trap—one of the break-back variety. The same evening the trap went off, and the _ householder took a torch to investigate. The light showed the trap sprung, and a fully-grown hedgehog making a hearty meal off the cheese. The rat was two up. Last night a brand new trap of the cage variety was left beside the dust bin. and the householder retired undecided whether he would drown the rat in the fish pond or in the waslitub. This morning a great commotion 1 o-reeted the householder when he opened the back i door, but it was not the rat that was responsible. The cage contained seven friendly whiteeyes or blight birds, which among them had I emptied the trap of its cheese. Three up to the I rati