NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 150, 27 June 1934, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Removing the Tickle. "If those interested in wool," said Dr. H. G. Denham in an address to the Canterbury Advertising Club, "were prepared to spend a million pounds to remove the tickle from wool, as did the promoters of artificial indigo, I do not doubt that their market would be nearly doubled, and. this is only one of their' -problems." A Flaming Apparition. With its fur aflame, a rat rushed down the hallway of a New Plymouth hotel and caused much excitement, reports the "Taranaki News." Burned and confused, it soon fell a victim to a deftly wielded broom. When the bar door was opened, the rat had rushed from a corner, and in its excitement plunged into the open fire, where its coat was ignited. Alpine Club's Winter Sports. , A preliminary announcement regarding the winter tour at National Park of the Auckland Alpine Sports Club has been made by the secretary, Mr. W. Laird Thompson. The club party is to leave Auckland on Saturday, August 11, and return on the 20th. The total cost per person will be £7 18/6. The club will hold its championships during the trip. Education Boards Appreciated. "I sincerely hope the boards will never be abolished, and I can assure you that they never will be while I am Minister of Education," said the Hon. R. Masters at the diamond jubilee celebration of the Taranaki Education Board last week. They had been of material -assistance to him, he added, and if it had not been for their co-operation it would have been impossible to put into effect the economies necessary since he had been Minister. New Camp for Motorists. A new camping place has been made available along the East Coast. The resident patrol, Mr. A. A. Franklin, reported to the Gisborne advisory committee of the Automobile Association as follows: "Mr. F. J. Williams, of Amaru Bay, has kindly given permission for holiday-makers to use his property for camping. Signs have been erected indicating the area where fires are permissible, and the association would urge intending users to give Mr. Williams no cause for regretting his public spirit." It was decided to thank Mr. Williams for his action. Mr. H. H. de Costa remarked that this was a nice spot, and one that should become popular. Through Other Eyes. In spite of all the publicity given to New Zealand in the last few years, and larly since the so-called "free trade offer," examples of curious ignorance about the Dominion and its affairs regularly occur even in otherwise well-informed circles in England. The latest example appears . in a leading article in the London "Daily Telegraph" of May 1, which begins: "Mr. Lyons, Prime Minister of New Zealand . . ." The blunder is all the more curious because two paragraphs later the article discusses the difficulties of the Prime Minister of in dealing with the problems of marketing primary produce. Responsibility of Motorists. It niay not be generally known that motorists who become involved in collisions are liable to prosecution should they fail to clear the highway of broken glass. The customary litter of glass across the road constitutes a danger to the travelling public, as well as a source of annoyance and possible expense. Nor is the motorist concerned in the accident solely responsible. Should the accident call for the services of a break-down van, and the van driver fail to remove the glass from the road, he or his firm may be proceeded against. Mr. R. M. Chadwick, secretary of the Automobile Association (Hawke's Bay), told a. Napier journalist that apart from the legal aspect of this question, the common sense point of view demanded that motorists should honour the rules laid down. A Lost Chord. M. Leff. Pouishnoff was just about to play the opening chord of the first number of a bracket at the Wellington Town Hall on Saturday evening, when the persistent moan of the stationary 6iren outside the Central Fire Station emote his ear. With hands suspended above the keyboard he paused, listened with a puzzled air, and then smilingly dropped his hands, with a glance of amused comprehension toward the audience. Then, with the note dominant still pulsating through the air, came the shrieking crescendo of the fire engine sirens as they left the station. At this demonstration of modern industrial music the Russian pianist threw up his hands in mock despair and fled from the platform, to return only when the first movement of _ the fire-fighters' symphony had died away into inaudible nothingness. Citrus Fruit Held Up. Some of the cargo recently Drought to Auckland oy the Monterey consisted of fruit —oranges, lemons and grapefruit—from California, and a portion of it, consigned to Wellington and South Island centres, was sent from Auckland by rail. It seems that the Wellington brokers got their consignments ! by rail in due course (says the "Dominion"), but those in Christchurch and Duncdin are still waiting for their share —something between 300 and 400 cases. An attempt was made to ship the fruit south by the interisland boats, but on each occasion this action was frustrated by the local watersiders, who decline to handle cargo which has been declared "black." On one occasion last week the fruit was said to have been loaded on a south-bound steamer, when the order came to land it all again, otherwise graver trouble might have ensued. On Monday the fruit booked for the south was still in the hands of local carriers and shippers, who have been unable to get it away. The other side of the picture is the shortage of citrus fruit in the southern centres. This is the time of th<2 year when colds and influenza are extremely prevalent, and therefore the demand for the class of fruit is strong. Great South Road Improvements. The Opaheke detour road between Papakura and Drury will soon be a thing of the past. The new concrete strip on the Great South Road, to a point .three miles south of Papakura, has now been constructed to the point where it joins the concrete at Papakura. There is still an elaborate system of "curing" to be done yet. After the concrete has been poured in and levelled off, it is covered with a thick coating of clay, which is watered daily until the concrete has set consistently. Then there is the tar filling to be attended to. The tar is poured hot into the centre of the road, and forms a cushion to allow for climatic changes. The approach to Auckland from the south is generally improved by this addition to the cencrete road, which is now nearly 25 miles long, and it has been shorn of a number of bad corners that existed a few years ago.. There are still one or two bends left that need straightening, particularly at the Auckland boundary end of Papakura. The Main Highways Board is now trying to secure the land to eliminate Gerrard's Hill, as several accidents have occurred at this point. There is now between Auckland and Hamilton only that length of 12 miles from Ngaruawahia to the Waikato centre to be concreted, and this is now the subject of discussion between the Highways Board and the Waip* County Council.

Poundkeeper's Limitations. "The poundkeeper cannot impound stock after sundown and before sunrise," reported the resident patrol, Mr. A. A. Franklin, at a meeting of the -Gisborne advisory committee of the Automobile Association, it was agreed to write to headquarters, asking that an attempt should be made to have the statute on this aspect altered. 19,000 Matchbox Labels! In a letter to the "Star," Mr. J. Clarklge, Glen Eden, says: "Just received a London paper, in which is a paragraph to the effect that a firm in Southampton is exhibiting a collection of 19,000 matchbox tops, all different. What size of book would such a number make? Japan is the largest producer, obviously for sale to collectors. Unlike postage stamps, these labels can be manufactured ad lib, and while collectors buy them they will be made till Doomsday." Pound Note Recovered. An old member of the Wanganui Pirates Rugby Club, when the ranks of-the senior team became depleted on a recent Saturday, donned playing togs in readiness to be called upon as an emergency. He deposited a £1 note in a sock, and later, when he dressed, he forgot all about it. Back at home in Brunswick, he lamented his loss and wrote a note to the caretaker of Spriggens Park, Mr. 'George Morgan, on the off chance that the money would turn up. Mr. Morgan discovered the note in the sweepings from the dressing .room and returned it to its owner, who was delighted that his keenness to serve his old club's colours in a lean period had not cost him more than he had anticipated. Tuis in Thousands. A statement made by the president of the Wellington Horticultural Society," Mrs. Knox Gilmer, as to the great importance of preserving the native bush, was- heartily endorsed by Mr. Len. McKenzie when speaking at the annual meeting of the society on Monday. Mr. McKenzie mentioned that he had just returned from a visit to Havelock North. He assured his hearers that he saw not hundreds but thousands of tuis in that district. It was a crying shame, he thought, that there were not planted around Wellington numbers of gums—red, pink and white. Tuis would come iu large numbers to feed on the honey in the flowers. During his recent visit to Europe he had heard the nightingale, but he did not think that bird or any other possessed the beautiful rich note of our own native tui. Mr. McKenzie added that tuis were also plentiful ill the Porangahau district. Historic Flight. There is a man in Auckland who helped M. Blcriot to land on the first crossing of the Channel by air. Mr. A. S. Anstiss, of Bell Road, Remuera, was in the office of the Dover "Chronicle" with the editor, Mr. Frank Licence when a telephone message came through from a London newspaper, asking Mr. Licence to look out for M. Bleriot, as he was making an attempt that day to cross the Channel. Messrs. Licence and Anstiss immediately went to the Northfall Meadow, at the back of Dover Castle. They had only been there a few minutes when above was heard the whirr of engines, and shortly afterwards the 'plane came down. M. Bleriot threw out a rope to the two men to hold and help to steady the machine, and it was soon anchored. Mr. Licence conversed for some time in French with the conqueror of the Channel, until a company of soldiers came from the castle at a run and took charge of the machine. A few days previously Mr. Latham, in making an attempt to cross, fell into the sea about half a mile from the Shakespeare Cliff, Dover. Outspoken Farmer. In a frank mood Mr. W. J. Gimblett indulged in a little mild castigation at a meeting of the Manawatu executive of the Dairy Farmers' Union. The meeting was considering a proposal from a co-operative concern soliciting support in its collection of pigs for slaughtering operations. "We as dairy farmers have chiefly ourselves to blame for our present ills," declared Mr. Gimblett. "There is scarcely anyone else on whom we can lay the blame, at least for 75 per cent of our difficulties. We do not know the meaning of co-operation, whether it is in dairying, in pig marketing, or in the bobby calf industry. We can never stick to anything, and never resolve upon anything definite. Fifty per cent of the farmers prefer to forsake the co-opera-tive association for the proprietary concerns. We really can blame none but ourselves. We are not prepared to do the job ourselves and look to someone else to do it for us; How can we fairly go to the Government and ask for a subsidy while we are at loggerheads among ourselves. We are killing our own interests," declared Mr. Gimblett. Punter Who Wouldn't be " Put Off.", Behind the news that the New Zealand thre■.year-old Tavern Knight opened his winning account in Melbourne last week lies an interesting story, writes a correspondent. In the spring of last year Tavern Knight promised to be one of the most successful horses racing, but expectations were not fulfilled, and only once did he win. One of the many small punters who pinned their faith in the gelding was Mr. W. Morgan, and his losses on the chestnut became a standing joke among his work mates. "Must have nearly bought it by now," they used to say to him as Tavern Knight continued to chase the field home with dismaying regularity. But Mr. Morgan was convinced that the last had not been seen of •his fancy, and replied that if ever he were rich he would buy Tavern Knight, Four months ago Mr. Morgan won a handy prize in the Irish Sweep, and, true to his word, bought the horse—or, as one of his friends facetiously remarked, "paid off the balance." But he who laughs last laughs longest, and Mr. Morgan has now no cause to regret his purchase of what was probably the unluckiest three-year-old of the New Zealand season.

New Name for " Harbour Board." Consideration by the Auckland Harbour Board of a proposal by Mr. E. H. Davig that the board's name be changed to the "Auckland Port Authority," or some other designation, is to be deferred until such time as remits for the Harbours' Association are being considered. In a recent report on the proposal, the board's superintendent and secretary, Mr. H. B. Burnett, said that as far as New Zealand was concerned the Harbours Act referred only to harbour boards, and that therefore any change in name would require legislative sanction. Iu other countries there did not seem to be any general rule. For example, there was in Great Britain the Aberdeen Harbour Commission, the Dundee Harbour Trust, the Belfast Harbour Commissioners, the Port of London Authority, the Dover Harbour Board, the Trustees of the Clyde Navigation, the Tyne Improvement Commission, and other variants of the name. In Canada, said Mr. Burnett, the port authority was generally known as the Harbour Commissioners, while in the United States the title most favoured was the port or harbour commission or commissioners, although New York was called the Port of New York authority. In the other Dominions the port authority was variously called the harbour board, marine board, port commission or port commissioners, port conservancy board, port or harbour trust, harbour commissioners, or harbour trust commissioners. In Tasmania the.port authority was known as the marine board, and the members as wardens. There seemed to be no general rule, although it had been noticed that the boards formed within more recent years mostly called themselves either the port authority or the harbour commissioners. At yesterday's meeting Mr. Davis said publicity on the matter might assist the board in its decision when the question was referred to again.