NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 259, 2 November 1933, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Really an Honour. It was in the Magistrate's Court, a witness was getting bustled, and at last, in a burst of excitement, addressed the examining counsel as "his Worship." In a very injured tone the counsel said, "I'm not his Worship, causing the magistrate to remark, "There is no need for you to look insulted at that. Two Million Toilers. The folly of the Great War, or any war, was referred to by Sir Joseph Smith a luncheon yesterday. The £8.000.000,000 v» hicli the war had cost Britain demanded an annual interest of £200.000,000. "Even now there are two million worke-s in England who toil night and day to pay the interest, on the cost Great* War. Every farthing that they earn pours out of the country without the slightest benefit to England." A Severe Frost. Early potato crops throughout the Sputhland Province were badly nipped by a sharp frost one Sunday recently, when five degrees were registered. Except in isolated cases where effective coverings had been placed over the young plants, they were almost completely blackened. One amateur gardener in Invereargill who had "protected" his small crop with a carpet covering found, to his surprise, that the frost lad penetrated right ,througli. Broadcast Changes. ' An alteration in the wave-lengths of the great majority of the broadcasting stations operating throughout the Dominion will come into force on December 1. The new wavelengths allotted by the Post and Telegraph Department have been necessitated to some extent by the frequency with which New ■Zealand transmitters are heterodyned by those overseas. All of the YA stations will change their frequencies, as will most of the B class. The Auckland exceptions are IZR, IZS and IZM. Full details of the new wavelengths will be published in the radio column of Friday's "Star." City Pig Hunt. Nineteen young pigs were freed in Newton Road last evening when the lorry in which they were bein transported crashed into a telegraph pole, and an exciting hunt 1 ensued. The lorry, which was carrying ail assorted cargo, including corrugated iron, plate glass, several drums of benzine and 20 young pigs, smashed the telegraph pole I almost in two, but the overhead wires held the upper part from falling. The driver was not injured, but one pig was killed. The surviving porkers bolted, some up the hill towards Karangahape Road and the others into the rubbish tip at the foot of Newton Road, Men and small boys rallied to the hunt, and, after a lot of chasing, all the fugitives were rounded up and put aboard another lorry. The vehicle that had struck the pole was driven away under its own power.

Pink and White Trout. The occurrence of pink flesh in some trout, while others were white fleshed, was explained by Professor E. Percival at Christcliurch recently, states the "Press." Professor Percival said that the colour of the flesh was not a matter of the species of trout, but of the food they happened to have been taking, as the two sorts of llesli occurred in both brown and rainbow trout. In such a stream as the Cam north branch, for example, the fish fed on a sort of prawn, which had the effect of giving them I'link flesh. But a large variety of decapods which formed trout food, as well as crabs and fresh-water crustacea, produced pink flesh in salmonidae. Where fish of both sorts of flesh were token from the same stream, it would be found that those with pink flesh had been feeding on crustacea, while the others had taken other food. Root of World's Troubles. Greed and selfishness among nations and individuals were named as the root of all the troubles of the world at the present time bv Mr. Albert Spencer, president of the Auckland Provincial Employers' Association, at the annual meeting of the association yesterday afternoon. .As 1933 was drawing to a close it was universally recognised that it had been the most momentous and trying year the I present generation had known. Everyone would have to keep working and hoping, and continue doing everything possible to establish every suitable adjustment within their joint and several spheres of action. Mr. Spencer expressed the view that the Gover-nor-General, Lord Bledisloe, was deserving of the thanks of every New Zealander for his sound advice, and for the vital interest liis Excellency took in the promotion of the welfare of New Zealand and the Empire. Mr. Spencer also mentioned that it was a sign of the stress of the times that Archbishop Averill and others of the clergy were courageously calling attention to the pressing need of combating those things which at present afflicted civilisation. A Ride on the Buffers. A remarkable experience befell a young woman who resides at Mosgiel while she was on her way to work in Dunedin on Tuesday morning. The girl, who is about 20 years of age, leaves Mosgiel daily by the five minutes past seven train, and it has apparently been lier practice, in common with others, to take a short cut to the passenger platform by going across the railway yards. She found her way blocked by the south-ward-bound goods train, which was drawn up on the line between her and the train to Dunedin. The girl had just mounted the buffers between two sheep wagons to cross over when the train started, and she was apparently unable to alight. She was noticed in her parlous position by passengers on the train for Dunedin, and railway officials were at once informed but they could not communicate with the train till it reached the next station, Allanton, about 4£ miles distant. Immediately the train came to a standstill at Allanton the girl, who had fortunately decided not to try to jump off as it sped on,' scrambled down from her dangerous position, and made straight back to Mosgiel. The girl was so little distressed by her dangerous trip that she covered the mileage in sufficiently quick time to enable lier to catch "the quarter past eight train from ilosgiel to Dunedin.

I Charity Money From Flowers. The funds of the Community Sunshine Association have benefited to the extent of £32 13/9, a gift from Mr. and Mrs. E. O. Walljs, whose beautiful garden at 230, Campbell Road, One Tree Hill, is among the best known in Auckland. It was a happy thought that prompted Mr. and Mrs. Wallis to place a collection box in their garden, so that their many Visitors, most of them strangers, might contribute to a deserving charity if they so desired. The garden has been one of Auckland's beauty spots for several years, and as its fame has spread the number of visitors has increased almost daily. On any Saturday or Sunday afternoon a string of motor cars can be seen parked in Campbell Road while their owners wander among the splendid display of flowers, and wonder at the skill with which Mr. and Mrs. Wallis keep their display going through all the seasons. The fact that over" £32 has found its way into the collection box in a comparatively short time provides a good illustration of the old saying that if one looks after the pence the pounds will look after themselves, for mostly the contributions have been modest amounts. The ■gift of the money is gratefully acknowledged by the Sunshine Association workers, _who plan to use it in sending sick and delicate children to their health camp on Motuihi Island.

A Magistrate On Fanners. "I have known farmers all my life," stated Mr. S. L. Paterson, S.M., during a case heard in the Matamata Court. "They are as thick as thieves one minute, and they fall out the next." Week-end Anniversaries. A number of important anniversaries fell on Saturday and Sunday. On October 28. 1728, Captain Cook was born. One hundied and seven years later the Maori chiefs of New Zealand declared their independence. On October 2S, 1922, the Italian Fascists effected a coup and formed a Government with Mussolini as Prime Minister. Last Monday's anniversaries included the beheading of Sir Walter , Raleigh (161S), the birth of Keats (179.")), the : death of John Robert Godley (1861), and the' wreck of the Wairarapa, with the loss of 126 j lives (1894). | Crown and Rent. j A protest against the action of the Police Department in renting a house for one of its employees and applying to have the name of the Crown entered a«3 the occupier, thus freeing it from rates, was made at a meeting of the Gisborne Borough Council, it contended that the Crown was utilising provisions for the law in ail endeavour to obtain a reduction in rent at the expense of the borough. The council decided to place the facts before the member of Parliament for the district, with the object of bringing the matter before Parliament. Wireless for the Blind. The trustees of the New Zealand Institute for the Blind have received a generous gift from the firm of Messrs. Arthur H. Nathan, Ltd., of a radio receiving set of the latest type, to be installed in one of the women's and children's recreation rooms. The previous gift set had become faulty and obsolete, and its replacement will give incalculable pleasure. Wiieless is, of course, a tremendous boon t the blind, bringing much information and good music within their reach. Delay in Building School. Dissatisfaction at the delay in the completion of the Pongakawa Valley School was expressed at yesterday's meeting of the Auckland Education Board. It was mentioned that the money for the school had been supplied by the Unemployment Board, and that the building was being erected by the Public Works Department. A promise had been made that the school would be ready for occupation cn November 1, but the hoard had received no reply to a communication sent last week. All the furniture was ready, and a teacher was waiting to take up her post. The delay in the opening of the new school, it was stated, was in no way the fault of the board. Wild Horse Round-up. The old sport of rounding up wild horses, which was popular in the and King Country hinterland twenty to thirty years ago, was revived last month by a party of Ngaroma settlers in the Te Awamutu district. Their catch consisted of nine wild horses, which are to be broken for farm work. In late years the waste spaces over which wild horses used to roam have been restricted by settlement, and the annual "drives" of 20 years ago had reduced the bands of the outlaws very greatly, the numbers now running to hundreds where formerly there were thousands. The Ngaroma hunting party made their catch by setting snares along the tracks known to be followed by the horses on the way to water, and on trails of escape when startled.

In Honour of Lovelock. The last meeting of the council of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic and Cycling Association considered the question of providing a suitable recognition of the wonderful performance of J. E. Lovelock in registering a new world record for one mile, and the council decided to provide a challenge cup to be held by the winner of the one mile New Zealand championship. At the same time it was thought that centres or athletes in centre districts might dosire an opportunity of contributing towards the cost of the cup, and accordingly it was decided to give centres, athletes and friends of J. E. Lovelock an opportunity to make any contribution they thought fit. To Combat the Rabbit Pest. Farmers in the Putaruru district, where the rabbit is taking toll of pastures, will be interested to read particulars of the Unemployment Board's No. 11 scheme (says the "Star's" correspondent). The Unemployment Board will subsidise the employment of relief workers engaged in rabbiting, and the Unemployment Committee or Rabbit Board will be required to provide poison, fumigators, etc. Farmers are expected to provide accommodation and food, and where this is not obtainable the committees are to arrange either transport or tent accommodation. Rabbit "boards are empowered under No. 11 scheme to engage additional labour for this work where approval is given by the inspectors of the Department of Agriculture. In regard to .unoccupied Crown land, the stock inspector j may engage labour to clear rabbits. Rabbit destruction may also be carried out under No. 4a scheme, where approved by unemployment committees. Land Settlement Urged. Reference to land settlement was made by the president of the Auckland Provincial Employers' Association, Mr. Albert Spencer, in his review at the annual meeting of the association yesterday afternoon. It was noteworthy, he said, that the present general tendency was to promote land settlement on lines of small holdings. There was in New Zealand legislation which aimed at settling a number of unemployed on small areas of land, on which they would eventually be able to make a living for themselves. In the meantime, he thought, if those small settlers had to be partly supported from the unemployment funds, it would certainly be better than frittering those funds away, as was being done in many cases, on practically useless 0 work. Thousands of. applicants were waiting to take up those small holdings, and if the Government wished to retain the confidence of the people it would take steps to ensure that the small settlement scheme was pushed on without allowing anything to i stand in the way. In tliat direction the countrv had the assistance of the Imperial Government, as the Empire Settlement Act was designed to settle British people on the lands of the Empire.

Oil and Trout Mortality. In the opinion of Mr. T, Weir, of Toko.roa,. an honorary ranger of the Auckland Acclimatisation Societ-, the recent heavy loss in trout fry suffered at the Tokoroa hatcheries was due to oil. .This was conveyed in a very interesting report sent to the Putaruru branch secretary, Mr. G. "V. Pearce. . "On the evening of October 17," stated Mr. Weir, "Mr. E. Stopes and myself went down to the ponds to shift the fry from the top pond to the bottom one. I had not been to the pond for several days, and to my dismay we found that there was a scum of some oily substance floating on the surface of the top pond, and the majority of the fish were dead. How this oil got into the pond I do not know, but the probabilities are that someone further upstream had an accident with a drum of oil, a 6 there are several streams and waterwheels situated not far above the pond. lam firmly convinced that this oil was the cause of the trouble, and not fungus, as has been suggested. I' have had experience of what oil can do to fish, and I am satisfied that that is what has happened at Tokoroa. An occurrence of this kind ca.- be avoided in future by the introduction of scan Boards in the L fl. uming."