NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 247, 19 October 1933, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Doing ihe Rounds. The pair of white swans which visited the Domain gardens pond yesterday morning appear to be on a see-Auckland trip. Later in the day they were observed at Milford and Lake Pupuke, and this morning residents on the Orakei Basin waterfront, near Upland Road, 'discovered the graceful birds swimming about the basin. "Finest Held In Auckland." The fact that the second Checseman Memorial native flower show aroused wide and appreciative interest in the city was shown by a letter received yesterday at the meeting of the council of the Auckland Institute and Museum from the council of the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture. •The letter referred to the exhibition as the '•'finest ever held in Auckland, and one of the finest ever held in the Dominion." Use of Old Railway Carriage. Permission to use an old railway carriage as an office and storeroom was granted by the Mahukau County Council at ite meeting yesterday. The building inspector reported that, on finding that the carriage vaa being used as a dwelling, he had ordered that it should be removed. In agreeing to allow the carriage to be used as an ollice and storeroom only, the council decided to deal with all such cases on their merits. The Cup That Cheers. A cup of tea has been variously described, but it is doubtful whether more than one person in a hundred has heard the description ascribed to Mr, A. E. Bedford, deputy-Mayor of Napier, while talking at the opening of the United Croquet Club. Shortly after the opening speeches he said to a friend, as he made his way to the pavilion: "Oh, well, I think I'll go over* to have a cup of scandal broth." Hie friend, who is no mean tea drinker, was bewildered. She said: "A cup of what?" Onehunga Mail Service. The secretary of the Onohimga-Manukau Chamber of Commerce, Mr. P. C. Soar, reported last night that the Post and Telegraph Department had decided to provide a receiving box to be erected at the Onehunga Post Ollice, for an extra mail delivery' on Sundays. The mail will be removed and conveyed to Auckland to reach the chief post office approximately at 5 p.m. The mail will be sorted, and the southern portion included in the mails to be dispatched hy the Limited on the same evening.

Money For Wreaths. "A waste of money," was the comment made on the placing of wreaths in front of the Christchurch Anglican Cathedral on Nelson Day by several members of the Riccarton Borough Council. A letter from the Navy League asking that the council should provide a wreath for the occasion was being discussed, and Councillors R. G. Maloolmeoi), T. M. Ford and O. D. Fraser all objected to any such action being taken. On the suggestion of Mr. Malcolmeon, it was decided instead to make a grant of £1 to the Navy League. "It is a waste of money," said Mr. Ford. "These are not times when we should be wasting it." i Preservation of Scenery. A committee to assist wherever possible in the preservation of New Zealand scenery and historical spots was set up at the meeting yesterday of the council of the New Zealand Institute and War Memorial Museum, on the motion of the president, Professor H. W. Segar. The subject under discussion was the Scenery Preservation Amendment Bill at present before the House. The professor thought that a committee should be set up to give all resistance possible in that direction, and also to act as a standing committee to help where possible in the preservation of scenic and historical spots. The personnel or the committee is: Miss L. M. Cranwell and Messrs. H. E. Vaile (convener), A. T. Pycroft, A. H. Johnstone and T. L. Lancaster. Constable's Pluck Recognised. Subject to the permission of the hospital authorities, the £100 which was Subscribed by New Zealand motorists in appreciation of his effort to arrest a man in a stolen motor car in Williamson Avenue will shortly be presented to Constable E. E. Stewart at the institution. The constable, who was swept off the running board of the stolen car when it collided with another car at midnhht on September 19, is suffering from a broken leg, a hroken thumb and abrasions, and is likely to be some time in the hospital. Members of the council of the Automobile Association expressed the opinion last night that it would be preferable to make the presentation while the constable was still in the hospital.

University Examinations. University examinations for degrees and diplomas will begin on Wednesday, November 1, and end on Monday, November 20. Auckland candidates will lie examined at the University College. The following are the number of entries: —M.A. and honours, 41; M.Sc. and honours. 12; LL.M.. 4; 8.A., Stage 111., 135; Stage 11., 191; Stage 1., 380; 15.5 c., Stage 111., 39; Stage 11., 55; Sta-re 1., 95; Senior Scholarship in Law, 3; 8.E., 22; B.Agr., 10; LL.B., 120; B.Arch., 47; Mua.Bac., 8; B. Home Science. 2; B.Com. and Accountancy, 126; Accountancy Professional, 009; Diploma in Journalism, 15; in Social Science, 8; in Education, 10; in Banking, 57; in Insurance, 40; Medical Intermediate, 24; Dental Intermediate, 7. Total number of entries, 2066. There are in the Dominion 67 centres for examinations, those nearest to Auckland being- Whangarei, Dargaville, Warkworth, Pukekolie, Hamilton, Coromandel, Thames, Waihi and Tc Aroha. Ngaruawahia-Hamilton Road. With the approach of summer the dangerous state of the twelve miles of road between Ngaruawahia and Hamilton is again becoming evident, and the need of its reconstruction was brought before the council of the Automobile Association by its touring manager last evening. The re-forming of this road in permanent material was one of the proposals which was postponed as the result of the curtailment of the .expenditure of the Main Highways Board, aud in dry weather traffic stirs the light,pumice formation into clouds of dust. The touring manager emphasised that after the snort epell of dry weather visibility had already become bad on the road, making the overtaking or passing of another vehicle a hazardous matter. The council approved his suggestion that representation be made to the Minister of Finance to allocate to the main highways fund the necessary subsidy to the Waipa County to enable it to proceed with the re-forming of the road. Rare Fish. A rare species of band fish recently discovered at Cape Pumaway by Mr. A. E. Kemp has been forwarded to the Auckland War Memorial Museum. It is a fish that rarely conies near the shore, and is related to the ribbon and great-oar fishes, which also appear in New Zealand seas from time to time, the latter on account of its great length and sinuous method of swimming being probably responsible for the stories of the sea serpent. The fish just presented is, however, quite small compared with the oar fishes, being only 301 in in length, about Sin in depth of the body, and only tin thick, the general shape being very similar to the blade of a carpenter's saw for the greater part of its,length. It has a very high crest projecting from the front of the head, this being tipped with a very long, flexible spine. The tip of the tail is provided with a number of long black hair-like rays. When first captured, this fish is very beautiful, the whole of the body being of a brilliant silver colour shot with violet and rose tints, the dorsal fin being pink. When the body is touched the silver colour conies off, sticking to the fingers like wet alumhiium paint. Members of this family appear to be capable of ejecting a quantity of ink-like fluid for the purpose of hiding themselves behind this "smoke screen" as they swim hastily away. This particular fish ejected quite a large amount \ of it when it was captured.