NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 149, 26 June 1934, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Good for Trade. A prominent Chriatcliurch importer of citrus fruit told a reporter of one of the local dailies last week that in the last two weeks, owing to the current epidemic of influenza, the consumption of lemons had increased to four times its usual level. Encouraging Tennis Players. Banking lists to be prepared for the annual report of the Wellington Lawn Tennis Association will bo extended to include as many of the eenior players as possible, with the idea of giving encouragement to those whose performances would not otherwise receive official recognition, the management committee decided last week. Truby King- Extension Work. In the course of hie address at the annual meeting of the Plunket Society in Wellington, Mr. Walter Xash, M.P., after emphasising the wonderful achievements of the society for the mother and the child, and why should the work stop at the weaning of the child—why not extend the work by carrying on the system right up to the school years?- Unlese this was ultimately undertaken, said Mr. Nash, the splendid work which had already been done might be rendered useless and ineffective. Power Board and Voting. The Auckland Electric Power Board yesterday decided to revert to that system of voting whereby electors place a cross beside the name of each candidate for whom they wish to vote, instead of following the system of striking out the names of those for whom they are not in favour. A letter was received from the city valour, Mr. P. F. Notley, drawing attention to the fact that the board could alter its voting system if it so desired. The chairman, Jlr. W. J. Holdsworth, said that the new- system would mean fewer informal votes. Fighting Fireblight. A move to have the fight against fireblight carried on over a more extensive area in the Uhrietcluirch district was made at a meeting of the Canterbury Fruitgrowers' Association last week, when it was decided to forward a remit to the Dominion conference to lie held in Wellington on September 12. The chairman, Mr. F. W. moved the remit as follows: "That steps be taken to have the Christchurch fireblight area extended." Mr. Sisson said that the present area was jnet around Chriatchurch, but in districts like Halswell and Tai Tapu places were reeking with the disease. If the remit could be put into effect, men would be employed to go out into •the extended area and deal with hawthorn. Other members agreed that there was etill much to be done in combating fircblight, and the remit was carried.

Where There Are Gold Sovereigns. One of the things which Mr. Q. F. Clapcott, of Napier, noticed while in Fiji recently was the fondness of the Indian women resident in the group for articles of jewellery. "I saw several women with necklaces of sovereigns, ami oiie had 27 sovereigns round her neck, in addition to largo gold earrings and many gold bangles," lio said, in conversation with a "Daily Telegraph" representative. "The Indian women aleo wear large silver anklet rings and a ring on each toe of one foot," ho added. "Though small, the women can carry very heavy loads on their heads. I saw two girls, each with a benzine tin of water on her head, full to the top and on the surface a sprinkling of leaves to prevent the water splashing over. These water carriers came up by a steep track from a creek in the adjacent gully. I doubt if a powerful man would care to undertake the contract. Indian men arc not partial to carrying loads." Canned Whitebait. After a lapse of 18 years, Mr. G. A. Wood, Opawa, is to reopen the whitebait canning trade on the West Coast, with the intention of exporting to Australia (says a correepondent of a Christchureh paper). For this purpose ho is refommissioning the small eteamer Orewa, which has been tied up at Lyttelton for the past two years, and with her as his fishing base, will 'establish life factory at Parinia, about 90 milee south of Hokitika. Mr. Wood considers that there is v. good opening for the sale of New Zealand canned whitebait in Australia. At present the market there is being supplied by a Japanese firm, and it has been a falling trade for sonic years. Ho considers that hie method of winning and preparing the fish is considerably better than that of the Asiatic firm, and that consequently he should be able to overcome the prejudice that at present exists against canned whitebait. The " Kuri " at Papakura. The number of unregistered dogs roaming around Papakura is a matter of concern to the dog registrar, who is especially concerned to find owners for them, and thus get the license foes. One member who lived in the Raglan County for some years related how the business was done there, with particular reference to Maori dogs. The registrar was having trouble to collect, and on going round the pa, he found the dogs there, but no one seemed to own them. To hie question, "That your dog?" "Xoes" were consistent. So next day the dog man again visited the pa, and on seeing a dog without a collar outside a whare he eaid to the Maori occupant: "That your dog, Hore?" Receiving the usual "So," the dog man whipped out a revolver and shot the dog. After that episode every dog had an owner. The members of the Papakura Town Board are not prepared to go to that length yet.

Fish and Chips and Sales Tax. Although it took five judges of the High Court of the Commonwealth of Australia to decide on Juno 7 that fieh and chips were not subject to eales tax, a similar position is not likely to arise in. New Zealand, states the Chrietchurch "Preee." The Collector of Custoriis, Mr. C. 0. Trownson, said that the point was not even debatable in New Zealand, as sales of fish and chips were definitely regarded as exempt from the tax. The list of exemptions included freeh, raw or smoked fish, and also meals served in restaurants, cafes and similar establishments. In Australia the case was brought before the judges when the Federal Commissioner of Taxation proceeded against the owners of a fish and oyster saloon, claiming £209 as sales tax on fish and chips. The judges decided that fieh, and chips were not "produced" or "manufactured" within the meaning of the sales tax Acts. Importation of Oranges. Importation of oranges from Australia was one of the subjects discussed at a meeting of the Canterbury Fruitgrowers' Association, and it was decided to telegraph to the Minister of Customs, with a letter to follow, objecting to the unrestricted entry of oranges from Australia, especially in view of the heavy duty on apples entering Australia from New Zealand. The chairman, Mr.. F.'W. Sis-1 son, said that with 10,000 cases of oranges. coming into New Zealand from Australia every week there would be shown the desirability of having a quota. It was all right the 'brokers getting up in arme and sayiilgj the people wanted fruit, but really it was a-j case of the brokers looking after themselves. It would be a good tiling to write to the Minister, for while they did not object to oranges coining into the country they did not want dumping. Other members agreed with this view, and the motion of protest was carried unanimously.

Don't be Parochial. "I am very pleased indeed." said Sir Hamilton Harty, the English conductor, referring to the enthusiastic reception by the Town Hall audience of Ilia Sydney concert. '•Was it better than Melbourne's?" lie was asked. Sir Hamilton looked at the interviewer with a reproving smile. "I want you boys to stop thinking- of Sydney and Melbourne, and j net.think of Australia," lie said. First Steamer to New Zealand. Mention made yesterday of the Atrato, a paddle wheeler, and the first steamer to make the trip from England to New Zealand, has brought to light the fact that one of the passengers was Mr. W. H. Hinkley, of 28, Kensington Avenue, Mount Eden. Mr. Hinkley was a child when he made the voyage, but two small things that remain in his memory arc the tiers of bunks, and that it was an exceptionally frosty morning when the Atrato arrived at Port Chalmers, where the passengers were put in quarantine for two weeks before being allowed ashore. Heavy Fog on Harbour. A heavy fog was experienced on the harbour and in some parts of the suburbs this morning. Conditions became thick an hour or so before sunrise, and the Harbour Board's fog-warning system was put into operation at 5 o'clock. The white blanket persisted for several hours, and it was 9 o'clock before the warning bells and sirens were cut off. As a result of the poor visibility, the arrival of the steamer Waipahi from Suva was slightly delayed. A heavy fog which lasted for some hoiirs was also experienced on the Manukau Harbour. Lured to Death by Music. The influence of music in *the life of the people has been studied from many angles, but a new angle is opened tip by an impromptu band that was organised, on a gunpowder foundation, in the streets of TumbulTum (northern New South Wales) on June 13. -V large black snake was seen to disappear under "the stone steps of a .Tumbulgum store. An improvised band was hurriedly formed: a woman played a mouth organ, a man rattled two bells, and another man played a phonograph, while Constable Fardy took up a position with a loaded gun. .An interested group awaited developments. A brown snake crawled out, and was promptly blown to fragments. When the tumult ceased the "band" struck Up again. This time the black snake emerged. The constable fired again unerringly. New Zealand's Socialism. Mr. Bernard Shaw said recently that New Zealandera did not realise that the Dominion was a Communistic country; many Americana use it as an example of Socialism, and not always favourably. A C'hristchurch man just returned from the United States remarked that when social troubles became prominent there a year or so ago American ideas about New Zealand were well illustrated. One of the newspapers published a cartoon showing two dilapidated sandwielimen going past an American householder. One •of them was labelled "Russia," and his poster proclaimed that ho had tried Communism, and still had social strife, hunger and unemployment. The other was labelled "Xew Zealand," and his poster announced that he hud tried Socialism, and still had riots, unemployment and— strange in this connection— earthquakes. Train Window Smashed. Commercial travellers starting on their week's work, who formed the majority of the passengers in the first class smoking carriage on the Wellington-New Plymouth express train on Monday, were startled when, witli a resounding crash, one of the windows of the carriage was broken. Such was the force of the missile with which' the, window was struck that it cut a hole over an inch long and over half an inch wide through the thick plateglass, which was aleo badly cracked; A shower of splintered glass, eomo of which landed on the opposite window Bill, must have missed by inches the face of a traveller, who was reclining in his seat dozing at the time. The incident happened at Wanganui East, and as one of the passengers in the car noticed two hoys in a ditch, they arc thought to have been responsible. The guard of the train, Mr. Francis, made all necessary inquiries and reported the matter on arrival at Wanganui.

Trampers and Other People. Reference was made by several speakers at the annual meeting of the Tararua Tramping Club (Wellington) to the question of care to avoid causing damage and annoyance- when passing through other people's properties. The chairman, Mr. H. E. Anderson, said that the relations between trampera and propertyowiierti were generally happy, but it was an unfortunate fact that tramping clubs were often apt to get tl\o blame for anything that was done by anyone with a pack on his back. Mr. P. W. Vosseler said that he believed that damage which was recently caused at Terawhiti and Tc Kaminara was not due to members of any organised tramping club, but resulted from the"boiling of a billy in the wrong place by someone- who did not know better. In addition to substantial material damage, one of the fires had for the time being destroyed a charming beauty spot. It was very necessary that all trampers, whether members of clubs or not, should exercise full care and respect fully the property of others, otherwise repetitions of the troubles at Terawhiti and elsewhere would simply mean prohibition.

Generosity Exploited. Despite the fact that most people are now decidedly chary about giving assistance to those who come begging at the door without a card carrying the authority of a recognised responsible' body, it appears that there are still some individuals who are prepared to try their luck, and are meeting with at least Borne success. On Wednesday night last week two young men called at the home of one resident in Dunedin (saye the "Times"), and said that they were in desperate plight. They liad had no food, and were without any place in which to sleep. They had called at the Salvation Army shelter, and had been informed that accommodation there was taxed to the limit. So convinced was the resident of the truth of their story that the two men were given 2/ with which to buy themselves some food, and they departed, loud in their gratitude, and promising to come back in the morning to chop some wood as a return for the kindness shown them. Nothing has been seen of them since, and inquiries at the Salvation Army headquarters reveal that the two men had never been near the shelter.

Crow's Nest Cabaret Case. "It seems to me to be impossible on the facts to hold that there is anything in the nature of a club connected with the concern, said Mr. E. Page, S.M., in giving a reserved decision in the Wellington Magistrate's Court on Tuesday in convicting Stanley Dowdall List, proprietor of the Crow's Nest Cabaret, Island Bay, on two charges of Sunday trading. The magistrate imposed fines of £2 and £3 respectively, and fixffd security for appeal at the amount of the fines, plus ,£7 7/. Mr. Pa?e said that the two defences set up in answer to the charges were that the cabaret a genuine club, and so was not subject to the statute, and that the operations of defendant did not amount to transacting business. The concern lacked all 'the indicia of a social club, he said. There *was no evidence of any entrance fee or of any subscription or of any real membership, or of any semblance of control by' or on behalf of those who defendant eaid were members. He thought that it was in reality just a cabaret open to suitable members of the public. The magistrate held that on the dates in question the defendant was transacting his business of running a cabaret, and entered convictions accordingly.