NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 201, 26 August 1933, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

'Possum Trapping.

Good results have been obtained by opossum trappers operating in the mountains in the Lower Wairarapa Valley. Silver greys of good quality predominate in the Tararua Ranges. As a result of the close season, the skins generally are of a good class, but, considering their the nrifos paid by many buyers have been disappointing to trappers, 5/ a skin being the average price puia. White Butterfly. The Farmers' Union executive has received a letter from a chemist at Ohakune, stating that he had prepared a solution to destroy the white butterfly, which was non-poisonous and did not injure the plant. He had endeavoured to get a final trial, but the season was late at Ohakune, and hoped to do so in a warmer district at an early date, and would advise the union later. "Kissing the Babies." , Members of Parliament receive special concessions for income tax assessment purposes. Members are allowed to deduct £150 a year from their income for expenses while in Wellington, and also the cost of "running round their electorates kissing the babies," as the Commissioner of Taxes (Mr. C. E. Dowland) puts it. "This is only a new allowance," Mr. Dowland remarked. "I think the Department has become altogether too generous in some respects." Maori Horse-sense. An amusing and touching story Was told by Bishop F. A. Bennett while he was addressing the children at the missionary festival being celebrated in the Foresters' Hall, Napier. A short while ago a party of Maoris were attending confirmation service, at which one Maori lady subsequently admitted she had walked bare-foOted 14 miles to attend. She was asked why she had come without shoes. She replied: "I've only one pair of shoes, and if I wear those out no one will buy me any more. But if I wear my feet out, they'll grow again." Repairs to Mokau Bridge. The Automobile Association advises motorists that repairs are to be carried out to the Mokau Bridge, on the Te Kuiti-Xew Plymouth highway, from about September 1. The engineet has informed the association that it is riot anticipated that motor traffic will be greatly inconvenienced, but that it will be necessary for cars using the bridge to reduce speed to 5 rn.p.h., although there may be times when the reason for this limit may not be apparent to the layman. Appropriate notices will be ejected at the approaches to the bridge, and the association appeals to motorists to co-operate by a strict observance of the specified speed.

The Masked Cow. "The cow in the iron mask," discovered in South Canterbury, which excited the attention of the Canterbury Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has recently been the subject of investigations by the society. Attention was first directed to the animal through a photograph which appeared in the "Christchurch Times," showing a cow with a pail tied over ite head. Mr. D. J. White, inspector to the society, advised the police, who located the owner of the animal after a search of the district. Explanations proved satisfactory, but the cow is not now disguised beneath a pail.

Property For One Penny. The fact that the Government had been offered an urban property in one centre in New Zealand for a penny, which was the value placed upon it by the owner, was mentioned by the Hon. E. A. Bansofft to a, Timaru Borough Courtcil deputation, to illustrate hie contention that the provisions of section 45 of the Land Valuation Act were being abused by some landowners. The Minister said that the holder hoped to escape payment of rates on the land by offering it to the Government at a nominal figure. In another instance, owners of a block of land behind Parliament Buildings had placed their own valuation on the property and offered it to the Government, thinking it would not be accepted. The offer was snapped up!

Netting An Eel. A surprising and unusual catch was ftiade by a whitebaiter in the Henui Streatfi, New Plymouth, who landed not the minute-fish he was seeking, but a 251b eel, 4ft 65n long and 19Jin in girth. Mr. A. Hunt saw what appeared from the distance to be a submerged branch floating downstream under water. As it came closer he saw that it was a huge eel. He turned the net to face the eel, and it swam lazily into the trap. A mighty heave and it Was landed On the bank. The eel made several attempts to reach the water, and after it had been headed off a number of times was finally imprisoned under the net again. On land its tremendous proportions became more apparent. It was aa thick as a man's thigh. The torn state of its jaws showed that several unsuccessful attempts had been made to catch it before.

Stones Thrown At Cars. Complaints have been made to the Automobile Association regarding children throwing stones at parsing motorists. In many cases, when this is observed, the offending children generally run away before the motorist can remonstrate with them, but if motor drivers would immediately stop and report such occurrences to the nearest police station, the association suggests that this action would considerably assist the police in putting a stop to the practice. Several incidents have been reported along the loose metal section of the Great South Road, and a report has been made to the police, but unfortunately some days elapsed before the matter was referred to the association, and through it to the official Department. The co-operation of schoolmasters is also being sought by the A.A., and it is hoped by this means to reach the children of school age, and thus warn them of the danger. v

"Not a Bad Lot." Though legislation has banned them, and the police are unaware of their existence, the fact remains—there are bookmakers. The authority for the assertion is no less than that of the Commissioner of Taxes himself. "I have quite a good knowledge of the bookmakers of New Zealand," said Mr. Dowland in an address at Christchurch. "Some of them I know personally, and they are not a bad lot at all when it comes to paying income tax. They would far sooner pay income tax than be caught dodging it." It had been decided, he said, that income derived from illegal sources was assessable, and therefore the bookmaker must pay tax on his profits. "But," he added, "if a bookmaker endeavours to set off a presumed loss by betting on the totalisator and he loses on the machine, we allow him to deduct the loss, and if he wins on the totalisator he is assessed with the profit. That is not the case with the punter. If you go to the course and lose money, you cannot claim exemption for it, because it is not your business. And if you make a profit, well, we do not want to know anything about it."

Whispering Campaign. After the manner of all such movements, the New Zealand Legion, according to its president, Dr. R. Campbell Begg, is the victim of a "whispering campaign." "The statement has been male that the Government has army tanks stored in the four centres, and that the legion is to be an auxiliary force to work thorn," Dr. Begg informed his Town Hall audience last night; "and that statement was made by an M.P.!" The president said the audience could imagine the chairman of the meeting taking his place in the front of the tank, or another member garbed in a Klu Klux Klan hood, with two 'slits for eyes, masquerading the city streets at night. The movement he added,'had-as much status as, and a great deal more democracy than, any party in New Zealand, and the attempt being made in some quarters to convert it into a military organisation was part of the same whispering campaign and an attempt to disrupt it. There was no more potent weapon than the whispering campaign—the most contemptible, misrepresenting and viperish form of attack that could ba launched. i