NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 289, 7 December 1933, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Restoration of Cut,

Provided the financial position of the borough if, satisfactory, the 10 per cent cut in wages of the staff of the Newmarket Borough Council will be restored from April 1, 1004. This decision'was reached at a meeting of the council last evening. A letter from the Auckland and Suburban Local Bodies' Association received at last meeting gave rise to the matter. The question was referred to the legal and financial committee, who recommended the restoration. The recommendation was adopted without discussion. The End of a Song. Incidents on board the sailing ship Duncdin, on which he came out to New Zealand in 18S2, were recalled by Mr. D. McLaren at a smoke conceit in Wellington. He told the gathering of a concert given by the crew, among whom was a big Scots sailor, very shy. After a good deal of pressure had been exerted, this sailor was induced to step forward and give a song. "Well, he got to *the fifty-fourth verse," said Mr. McLaren amidst laughter, ''and at this point an effort was made- to stop him. The boatswain, a big man called 'Jumbo,' finally proceeded to take action, and he had to Step into the ring and fell the big sailor before the, song ended." Gliding Feats In Germany. Important scientific experiments relating to air curernts over large cities were carried out over Berlin in October by Germany's best glider pilots. All starts were made from the Tcinpelhof Airport. Aeroplanes pulled the gliders to a height of from * 1500 ft to 1800 ft, where the 100 yd cables were released. Wolf Ilirth, who some years ago flew over New York in his glider until ordered down on account of the crowds who assembled to watch him, reached' a height of a mile and a quarter over the city. Hanna Beitsch, girl pupil of Ilirth, amazed onlookers by a series of loops in her Uncle Otto, performing stunts that would have been regarded as impossible for sailplanes a few years ago. Much scientific data was gathered, and no danger zones found. i

"Scotsman's Grandstand." What was referred to at a former council meeting as the "Scotsman's Grandstand," the hill above the Winter Show Grounds, came under discussibn again at a meeting of the Wellington City Council. It was pointed out that tho Show Association had spent considerable sums on its grounds, and was entitled to some protection against people getting free shows. The Mayor said that the motion before the council was to allow the public on that piece of reserve at any time except when there was a show in the grounds below. Several councillors spoke of the danger of violating the public rights on that portion of the Town Belt. Councillor C. H. Chapman, M.P., thought the Town Belt should be reserved for the general public, and not, in effect, handed over, even temporarily, to the gain of any enterprise. Councillor M. F. Luckie could see no objection whatever to the proposal to lease that portion of the Town Belt to the association for one year on the terms suggested. The motion was lost by eight votes to seven. A Problem For Motorists.

When a car headlamp develops a defect and refuses to function in the early hours of the morning, its driver can pursue two courses, both of which arc illegal, according to a statement made by iff. P. H. Putnam in the Wellington Magistrate's Court. He can either drive on and commit a breach of the lighting regulations, or be can leave his car until the morning, thereby inviting prosecution for parking for longer than 30 minutes between 3 a.m. and (i a.m. Mr. Putnam's client was charged with driving a car at about 2 a.m. with only one headlamp showing, and it was explained by her that the wiring had broken after she left home. Counsel submitted that the prosecution should not have been brought, and asked that it be dismissed as trivial. Mr. W. F. Stihvell, S.M., said that he appreciated the position, but motorists were responsible for the proper working of their equipment. In the circumstances he would enter a conviction and an order to pay 10/ costs.

Fate of Monica Park. A further endeavour is to be made by the Christchurch City Council to acquire Monica Park for the city. Reporting on Tuesday, the reserves committee stated that it inul been advised that there was reason to believe that if the council were able to provide the sum of £5000 towards the purchase of Monica Park, the balance of the amount required to secure the park for the city could be raised by an art union. The committee recommended that it be referred to the finance committee with a request that it endeavour to obtain the amount of £5000 referred to. Mr. W. Hayward, in supporting the committee's recommendation, said that Monica Park would be an ideal site for the exhibition which it was proposed to hold in Christchurch in 193037. He suggested that the finance committee might take that possibility into consideration. It w<us generally agreed that the price was reasonable—about a-third of its value, according to the reserves committee chairman—and that as a sporte ground the park would help to supply a growing need in the city. Silent Protest. The general standard of work by relief workers employed by the Christchurch City Council lias dropped considerably recently, and the slackening off is progressive, according to a report presented to the council meeting this week by the works committee. The opinion is advanced that it is attributable to the last 10 per cent cut in wages, and the recommendation was made that the council approach the Unemployment Board, urging upon it strongly the desirability of restoring the •"cut." The council decided to adopt the course suggested. The report stated that the remarks did not apply to all the gangs, as 6ome of the men did their work quietly and well, and it was the *risua] practice to keep those better men in separate gangs. The council's officers who had charge of relief workers stated that the' slackening off had been noticeable more particularly since the last 10 per cent cut in relief works, and in their opinion might be attributed to the fact that the men, having no other means Of demonstrating their disapproval of the reduced relief works, had become disgruntled and consequently showed less interest in their work.

"Blots on the Landscape." Concerned at the number of poles and overhead wires in the streets of the city, the Christehurch Beautifying Society is taking steps to have the project of underground power, light and telephone cables taken up by the local and Government authorities. "Great big gaunt, ugly things, a forest of them, not even put in straight." This was the verbal (picture-painted by Mr. I. Sladen, in describing the multitude of polos and wires "cluttering up" the streets of the city. He instanced the case of Napier, Where, he said, the reconstructed city provided a lesson for the rest of the Dominion. "One. of the hlots on the city's landscape," continued Mr, .Sladen. It would probably be an expensive undertaking' to put the wires underground, but if a beginning were made in a small way, something comprehensive might eventuate. The chairman, Mr. It. B. Owen, said the matter had been a sore point for twelve years. He had never, in any part of the world, seen pole*, quite so hideous as those used in various parts of New Zealand. Visitors frequently commented on it. As things stood, many of the poles were unnecessary. J

Sweet SmeU of Hay. They are making hay in the country at present, and the sweet smell of newly-cut grass is drifting on the wind across many a country road and by-way, Many a habitue of Queen Street and the inner suburbs would be surprised to know how close to the city hay is made. Extensive fields have been cut, or are at present being cut, just on the outskirts of Mount Albert, and the only feature which makes the, scene different from any country scene miles away-back is the presence of a tar-sealed road. Pohutukawas In Bloom. The man in the street knows that Christmas is coming by the calendar and by other tilings, but there is another way of telling. The first of the Christmas trees, the pohutukawa, has bloomed. Not many trees have come to the flowering stage as yet, though practically all arc in bud. The particular trees noticed were in widely separated parte of Auckland, in Northcote, along Takapuna Beach, and in Otahuhu. Probably others are in ilower in other suburbs, but it is a curious fact that the same trees caeli year seem to flower at the same time, either very early or very late. Natural Remedies. Nature's simple remedies, and how they should be used, were the subjects of an exceptionally interesting exhibition in the Old Graesi Museum at Leipzig, Germany, in October, arranged by the German Hygiene Museum of Dresden. .Such matters as herbal medicines, earth compacts and other homely cures v>i;rc on view. From this scientific exhibition, designed to be instructional, it was seen that old methods employed for hundreds of years and handed down from mother to daughter are still seriously considered and encouraged by responsible medical authorities. Hid Under Dais. At the unofficial reception at New Plymouth airport to Mr. Ulm and the passengers in the Faith in Australia, the speaker who was most popular was Mr. "Scotty" Allen, the broad-brogued navigator. When the official reception was in progress in the afternoon and Mr. A. F. Sandford looked around for "Scotty" to speak, lie could not be found, although he reappeared as soon as the speeches were over. It was suspected, by those "in the know" that while the reception was in progress upon the dais Scotty was in hiding —beneath it.

Expert's Redundancy. An expert witness in Christcliurch was giving evidence on the value of a section for .subdivision. The section has been used for quarrying, and witness said it was of no use; for subdivision. "The contour of the property and the configuration of the land lead me to believe that it would be unsuitable for subdivision," he said. "Contour of the property and configuration of the land are the same thing," observed his Honor Mr. Justice Ostler. "One reason for the opinion, sir," murmured counsel. "Witness said the property would be most suitable for tho. keeping of lions and tigers or polar bears. His Japanese Friend. A Papakura schoolboy is at present very much "cock of the walk" in the matter of matchbox top collecting in the school. When the Japanese training ship was in Auckland, this boy visited the ship and gave to one of the cadets some postcards of Auckland. Imagine his great delight yesterday when he received a letter from the cadet, enclosing over 200 different matchbox tops. They range from the beautiful to the severely practical. The cadet in his letter says, "I am remembering the delightful stay in Auckland. Auckland is the most charming place for us, the mild climate, beautiful bays and parks and lovely meadows, etc. That's the best scene in the world, I think."

Failure of the Church. The clergymen of the Anglican Church suffered a disastrous reverse yesterday at King's College, when their representative cricket team was defeated by an innings and 35 runs by the school eleven. With great consistency the clergy made 57 runs in each innings, Averill (30)" and Cartridge (12 and 39 not out) being the most impressive batsmen. Although they shaped creditably under fire, the clergy, in the language of the Australian Test match experts, were "not hostile in attack," which was to be expected from the nature of their calling. The boys made 149 runs for seven wickets (declared). Morris (40), Smith (33), McGruther (30) and Clarke (19) were eliminated by voluntary retirement, and the clergy's only true-blue wicket of the day was obtained by Vokes-Dudgeon. Antarctic Letters. A properly constituted post office is to be established in Little America by the Byrd Expedition, and a warrant has been issued to Mr. A. Phillips, who has been duly sworn iu as postmaster, the first of his kind in Antarctica. Specially overprinted stamps and a special cancellation die will be used to frank correspondence, which the Jacob Ruppert will bring back with her when she returns to New Zealand after the personnel and the stores of the expedition have been landed. Hundreds of people in New Zealand and elsewhere have already sent to the expedition letters addressed to themselves, with the request that these be posted in Little America. This request will be complied with willingly when the post office opens, provided that each letter is accompanied by, 50 cents or.its equivalent in New Zealand money. New Zealand money orders, payable to the Byrd Antarctic Expedition, will be accepted, and can be sent to the Jacob Ruppert in Wellington or Dunedin. Those who have already sent letters to be posted, but who have omitted to enclose the 50 cents, can rectify their error and ensure having the letters posted to them if they forward the money now. The terms of the postmaster's warrant prevent him selling any of the Antarctic stamps now or at any time before the post office at Little America is established. Requests have already been made for stamjis in the short time that the Jacob Ruppert has been in Wellington, but these jiave had to be declined.

Was it an Omen? Auckland lias a reputation for being a great sport-loving community, and one of the characteristics of the populace Is That it contains a very large percentage of folk who seem always able to spare a fe>v minutes from the job on hand to view the scene of an accident, follow the flight of a passing aeroplane, or observe the actions of a steeplejack at work. An instance of this Auckland interest in the unusual cropped up yesterday afternoon, when Khyber Pass Road, just at the railway bridge above Mountain Koad, was queued up on both sides by parked motor cars, and in the middle by go-slow tramcars for the best part of quarter of an hour. With recollections of a sensational motor «m.ash there three or four years- ago, when a car went over the side of the railway bridge, residents of the locality hastened to the bridge to add to and inquire the cause of the gathering crowd —only to discover that the gallery from the assembled thirty or mow: njotor cars, etc., was earnestly following the fortunes of a bout of fisticuffs, between two lads of about 14 years of age, staged on a vacant section by the railway line. Just before the depression struck New Zealand the area commandeered by the lads for theii fistic argument was heralded as the site foi a sports stadium, including a boxing arena a venture which later was dropped from the list of practical enterprises. Was yesterday's impromptu spectacle an omen of revival?