NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 252, 25 October 1933, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Durability of Totara. Repairs which are being carried out to the Kohimarama wharf have demonstrated the durability of totara. Some of the heavy crossbeams have been submerged daily since the wharf was built, but the timber is in an excellent state of preservation. "Early Session." The possibility of an early session next year was mentioned by the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. J. Bitchener, when replying to a deputation during his tour of the Franklin electorate. The Minister said that important work would be done during the present session, and that it might be necessary to have an early session next year to deal with other legislation. Latest Highway Deviation. i A deep gash in the hill face on the south side of the Tangahoe Stream, a few miles south of Hawera, shows where work on the big deviation in the Wellington-Auckland highway has commenced. The work is the largest of its kind to be carried out in Taranaki, and tho road formation alone, involving cuttings of 40,000 cubic yards, will take about two years to complete. Work has been in progress nearly a month. Spring Tomatoes. The genial nature of Auckland's climate is shown by the fact that one resident in an Auckland suburb has in his garden ripe tomatoes, which have been grown in the open without resort to either covering or glass. The planting was done last autumn, the plants successfully survived winter frosts, and they are now about 4ft high. Usually tomatoes are planted in Auckland during the spring months, with expectations of a ripe crop about Christmas. i

Cheaper Water. The question of a water supply came before the Northcote Borough Council last evening. It Wats decided to send a representative, Mr. E. C. Fowler, to the committee of local bodies set up to promote the new Waikato water supply scheme and to support the bill in the House. _ The opinion was expressed that even if the Waikato eupply did not eventuate, the support given to it in its preliminary stages would perhaps result in a reduction being made of the rate at present being levied by the Auckland City Council for water. A Christchurch Nuisance. "Repeated warnings and increased fines seem to have 110 effect upon cyclists riding at night without a light," said Mr. E. D. Mosley, S.M., in the Christchurch Magistrate's Court. "I don't know what to do about it," he added. The magistrate said that while motoring on a recent night he had passed five cyclists without lights. The chief city traffic inspector, Mr. H. Macintosh, agreed with the magistrate, saying that ho had seen a number of unlighted machines. "Well, there are 40,000 cyclists in and around Christchurch, so I suppose it is difficult to catch offenders," continued Mr. Mosley. "There are 30 or 40 cyclists before me every Friday for riding without lights, and though this kind of thing is bringing in a lot of revenue, I would like to see it stop." Mr. Macintosh: "Yes, they bring in between £800 and £900 a year." The Magistrate: "I think -people will get more sense as time goes on." Maori's Keady Wit. An Auckland motorist, who has just returned to town after an enjoyable holiday week-end in the country, tells of an amusing incident that occurred in the bar of a certain hotel. One the local Maoris, evidently a bit of a "character, was regaling all and sundry with the story of a big cock pheasant he had shot. "My word," he said, "te biggest pheasant you ever see. Him so long" (extending his arms), "from the beak to to end of te tail, and so long" (beyond the stretch of his arms) "from one wing to te other. Unbeknown to Hori, the local honorary ranger for the Acclimatisation Society was standing near. He had heard everything, and knew that Hori had no license, to say nothing of the fact that the shooting season closed months ago. "Do you know who I am V he asked the Maori, addin", "I'm the ranger." Hori was not in the least perturbed. "Oh," he replied, ''you know who 1 am? I'm te biggest liar in Waipipi." To borrow the Parliamentary phrase: "The incident then closed." It may perhaps be necessary to add that the township was not Waipipi. Memories of Napoleon. Mr. F. H. S. Ibbetaon, of Surrey Street, Dunedin, is the possessor of papers and painting that embody a veracious chapter of history relating to Napoleon's detention at St. Helena from October 15, 1815, until the day of his death, May 5, 1821. This collection came to Mr. Ibbetson ■by inheritance from his great-grandfather, General Denzil Ibbeteon, who was assistant-commis-sary at the island in the period stated. One of the documents, now very valuable, is the pencil sketch by General Tbbctson from which ho made two oil paintings as Napoleon lay in bed on the morning after his death. One of those paintings was secured by Sir Hudson Lowe, who gave it to George IV., the other was unearthed by Mr. Theodore Hook in later years. Accompanying the sketch is a lithograph copy of one of the pictures. Caricatures in pencil of Marshal Bartrand and others of Napoleon's staff are also in the collection, as well as a series coloured views of St. Helena, one of these showing Napoleon's tomb.

Old Tribal Garden. Relief workers engaged in the cultivation of Anzae Park, fringing the Waimata River near Score Point, Gisborne, are working a portion of the ground which for centuries was a main ccntre of cultivation of the Maori tribes which settled the Kaiti block after the great migration of the race from Hawaiki. This interesting fact was brought to light by Mr. Henare Rum, the well-known authority on tribal history in Poverty Bay. Mr. Ruru referred to the fact that surface moisture had held back the preparation of ground on the Poverty Bay flats for maize planting, and when informed that soil in the neighbourhood of Score Point ie in fine working condition at sent, the Maori authority expressed no surprise at the contrast thus presented. Mr. Ruru stated that the area enclosed by the sweep of the Waimata River, from Barker's bend round to a point below Score Point, and including the section now known ae Anzae Park, bears the name of Te Wliarau. It was cultivated for centuries by the descendants of the migrating tribes which settled 011 Kaiti. The fact that it was still used year after year up to the time of the Hauliau troubles in the early 'sixties indicates that the area is favourably situated for early cultivation in particular. White settlement of the district was well advanced before the tribal gardens were shifted elsewhere, said Mr. Ruru. A Point of Procedure. Some difference of opinion was expressed at the Whakatane Borough Council meeting regarding the proceeding which the clerk should ofoserve on the receipt of a notice of motion to rescind a former resolution. The clerk explained that Jt had always been his practice to arrest the execution of the council's resolution, pending consideration of the. rescinding motion. The case in point' was a notice of motion entered by Mr. Smith that a resolution of the council to have the district engineer and the county engineer report on tar-sealing be rescinded. Messrs. Burnett and McCulloch said they were opposed to the holding up of the execution of the council's resolutions. The opinion of one man should not carry weight against the decision of a of the council as expressed in a resolution. Mr. Murray felt that the decision in such cases should be left to the discretion of the chairman and clerk. Mr. Peebles said that if a motion were carried by the council, with one dissentient, he had the power, by forwarding notices of motion, to hold up progress indefinitely. Mr. McCracken said he felt the present practice the most satisfactory, for if, after a motion was carried, councillors felt that they had made a mistake, it was not too late to correct it. He felt that the chairman and clerk should be given discretionary power. It was resolved to communicate with the clerk of the House of Representatives to provide a definite ruling on the question.