NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Issue 154, 2 July 1934, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Sale of Goldie Paintings. Another of Mr. C. F. Goklie's three Academy pictures has been sold, states a London correspondent. The purchaser is a lady who lives in the South of England. She has chosen "Memories:" Te Arani, a chief tailless of the Arawa Maoris. Even before the Royal Academy opened to the public, Sir. Goldie's "An aristocrat" —Atama l'aparangi," a chieftain of the Kara was—bore the distinctive red seal which indicates "Sold."' /'Memories'' was priced on the official chart at £262 10/. Heavy English Mail. An unusually heavy consignment of English mail for New Zealand will arrive by the Xew Zealand Shipping Company's liner Rangitiki, which is due at Wellington on Wednesday. She has aboard 1000 bags of mail and 200 bags of parcels. The Auckland portion of the mail should arrive by train on Thursday morning. In view of the dilliculty of the ordinary dispatch at the time of sailing, the tanker Storanger, which is due at Wellington to-day, brings 471 bags of English and American mail from the Pacific Coast. Schoolboy Traffic Patrols. School children on the Great South Road have perils of which pupils of some other schools know nothing. The heavy motor trallic makes the crossing of the main road continually dangerous. The headmaster of the Pupakura School, Mr. J. E. Elliott, has for some months instituted a patrol system, which has been successful. The elder boys take turn in guarding the children as they cross the road, the patrols holding a large red flag to hold the traflic. The great majority of the motorists observe this control, and some oi" those who have not have had to appear before the Police Court. The trallic inspector of the Manukau County, Mr. F. Jones, taught the boys how to control the traflic. Xow that the Pukekahe bus service has been curtailed, about 30 children, who have been using the bus to go home, now have to cross the main road. Rain Affects Golf Courses. The continued rain has resulted in sodden conditions on most of the golf courses in Auckland, and members of several- clubs had to forgo their usual relaxation during the week-end. Akarana, Xorth Shore and Titirangi links were closed, and only part of the Mickllemore course was open. In' order to conserve the courses, teeing-up is sanctioned on at least two of the links, and this rule may be invoked by oilier clubs, should the conditions not improve. Apropos of teeing-up —lifting the ball after each shot and placing it—one player who found that his opponent was not at all troubled by the heavy state of the ground discovered, when he was walking along the last fairway of the round, that his opponent was observing the rule strictly to the letter by placing the ball on a tee after each shot. Curling Bonspiel at Naseby. Special interest will attach to this year's bonspiel, which will be held at Xaseby, Central Otago, in July, for a team.of four curlers from Victoria—three men and one woman — is expected to take part. The Victorian team will consist of Captain I. SI. Mofl'att Pender and Sirs. Moffatt Pender, Sir. Thomas Eaulds, and Sir. Douglas W. Hat trick. Sir. Elliott Roughton, another prominent curler, is endeavouring to make the trip, but may be prevented from doing so by business ties. It is of interest to learn that an effort was also made to secure the inclusion in the team of Sir. Norman Brookes, the former lawn tennis star; but he is unable to visit Xew Zealand, as he is about to undertake a trip to the East. Curling in Slelbourne, where there is a strong club under the presidency of Sir. Brookes, is carried out at a glaciarium, or artificial ice rink, and the visitors arc therefore looking forward with enthusiasm to the opportunity which they will shortly have of enjoying the pastime in the open air. This will be the first occasion on which a curling team from overseas has visited the Dominion.

South African " Souvenir." By a strange turn of Fortune's wheel, an Auckland resident has regained possession of a South African War "souvenir," which he lost long ago. This curious episode opens with the finding of the relic by a road sweeper. It was a dirty, discoloured coin, evidently of foreign origin. On one side was the head of a bearded old man, while the other side had been rubbed smooth, and engraved with the name, "J. McC—." It was a Kruger half-crown piece, and had evidently been made iiito an identity disc. The roadman handed over the relic to a member of the South African War Veterans' Association. A few days later the new owner of the coin was collecting rents from one of his tenants, whose name happened to be "McC—lt occurred to him to inquire if he had served in South Africa, and he had. "Diet you have one of those home-made identity dines?" he asked. "Yes," said the other, "it was a Kruger halfdollar, but I lost it years ago." Producing the coin, the landlord asked him if he could describe it. Ho did so accurately, and the battered "souvenir" at once went back to the possession* of its original owner.

A Back-to-Childhood Incident. For some minutes they bad been living in another world —the glamorous world suggested by the ,alluring photographs outside a city picture theatre at Hawera. Completely absorbed in the attractions promised by the entertainment within, they failed to notice that a woman with a perambulator had stopped immediately behind them and was equally engrossed in the pictures. Their inspection completed, "Come on," said one, and took a step backwards. But the way was not clear, and a moment later she was sitting in the perambulator at the feet of an astonished infant. The absurdity of the situation was too much, not only for the victim, but also for the onlookers, and after one or two attempts to leave her temporary perch she subsided in the perambulator, helpless to move until she had regained her composure. Among the spectators of the unrehearsed comedy was a Maori woman of ample proportions, who derived vast amusement from the situation, and the only person who did not appreciate the joke was the mother of the baby, who, not unnaturally, failed to detect any humour in the sudden and unwelcome intrusion into her affairs.

Significance of More Motor Cars. "I do not know whether (lie Wheat Purchase Board's final payment of fid a bushel on the 1933 crop has anything to do with it, but almost coincident with it there ha* appeared quite a swarm of new cars on the road," writes Mr; W. W. Mulholland in the "Wheatgrower." "However, I suspect most of them have other than farmer owners. They are a sign that money is beginning to move more freely, though one could wish that it were moving in channels that would stimulate local trade more and offer more local employment. However, they have got to be paid for, and although the direct employment given in assembling them in New Zealand is a very small return for the several hundreds pounds some of them cost, the production of the export goods with which the British or foreign manufacturer must be paid will give quite a lot of employment to our people. In paying for them a market is created for some of our produce, and we need markets badly enough. The upshot is that some New Zealanders have better cars and some British and American people have more butter on their bread, so everybody is better off. I am glad to see these new cars. I will be still better, pleased to see lots of other new things come along which will add to our prosperity."

A Lucky Lady. The following incident took place in Greymouth last week, states the "Grey Star." A small boy accompanied by a girl picked up a puree containing no less than £30, in one of the main streets. A lady came along as the children were examining their find, and claimed the money, having dropped the purse. As a reward to the youngsters the now very relieved lady took them into a shop, and presented them with 3d each. High Tide Helps. The adage about it being an ill wind that blows no one good applied to foragers for wood in the river at Wanganui 011 Friday. The flood which inconvenienced up-river settlers brought a considerable amount of driftwood down the river, while the wind, from a southerly direction, helped to make the water level still higher at high tide, with the result that industrious workers were able to moor their hard-won logs above the normal highwater mark. - » A Brazilian Hero. A granite monument in memory of Admiral John Taylor, an Englishman who adopted Brazilian nationality and rendered signal services in the struggle for Brazilian independence, was unveiled at Rio do Janeiro recently. The Slinister of the Xavy, in reference to Admiral Taylor's career, said that his father had been so incensed at his sou's action in abandoning his own country that in his will he left him 110 more than a rope with which to hang himself. First Prize in 22 Years. What must be a record in perseverance was mentioned at the prize-giving on Saturday of the Panmure Boating Club. When Sir. T. Kilgour's name was called by the secretary, he mentioned that Sir. Kilgour had been a member since the club was formed in 1912, and had raced continuously without having won a prize until this season. Sir. W. J. Jordan. SI.P., who was presenting the prizes, specially congratulated Sir. Kilgour 011 receiving his first in 22 yea its, and hoped that lie would not have to try so long before winning another.

More Destructive than Fire. In the course of an illustrated lecture at the Auckland War Memorial Museum yesterday afternoon, Miss L. M. Cranwell, M.A., botanist at the museum, showed a slide of Mitre Peak, in the Tararua Range, and an area that had been swept by fire. She said that lire was not as serious as browsing animals in high districts, as members of the daisy family flourished after fire. A specimen of the beautiful edelweiss was shown. That, said the lecturer, was some comfort for lovers of Nature. Miss Cranwell also referred to the spread of chamois and thar in the South Island, and said that one member of Parliament had urged culling. She said that on principle that was useless, and tV.e animals should bo wiped out as soon as possible, because if they were d'iven back into the ranges they would multiply at the expense of equally choice and beautiful native plants. Beating the Guard. Extreme precautions were taken by the Woolwich Arsenal authorities during the war to see that nothing belonging to the Arsenal was carried out of the works without authority. The 100,000 workers passed daily through a line of policemen just inside the gates. These guardians promiscuously touched departing workmen on the shoulder, and tin; one thus touched had to stand aside to be Searched. Xo umbrage was taken—workmen and high officials being treated alike., How the police were hoodwinked one day was related by Mr. H. CI. Somervell during the course of a talk to the Rotary Club at Wellington. One of the blacksmiths, he said, made a wager that he would carry an anvil through the police linns without detection, and he won. He staggered through supported arm-in-arm by two of his mates. But, with his hands thrust in his overcoat pockets, he supported the anvil on his back under the coat. "Your mate not too well?" queried a policeman, who, as intended, thought it was a case of a sick man being escorted to hospital. Xext day the blacksmith returned in triumph with the anvil on his shoulder, and the police learned of the trick that had been played upon them. Pitcairn Island Life. Owing to a heavy sea coming up while the lonic was off Pitcairn Island, on the journey across the Pacific which ended at Wellington on Friday, 300 cases of oranges for Xew Zealand consignees had to be left behind. Such is the lot of the Pitcairn Islanders. The ancestors of the existing 57 families on the island, who were the mutineers of the Bounty, had their choice of a thousand islands, but, being certain that the British Navy would institute a search, they deliberately chose Pitcairn Island as one without a beach, inaccessible to shipping, and, if necessary, capable of defence. Money, as wo know it, is not of much actual we on the island. When there is a balance to the islanders' credit on account of oranges forwarded to Wellington on commission, the greater part of it is expended on goods such as cbment, shooks of cases (for the fruit), flour and other groceries, calico, cotton, wool, seeds and blankets. When money is sent to the Islanders, it is forwarded usually in a tobacco tin to the chief consignor, who distributes it to the others concerned in the deal. Some of the money finds its way back to Xew Zealand in contributions to the Seventh Day Adventists' Church, to which the Islanders give allegiance. Sugar and salt are never among the goods required to be sent to the island from Xew Zealand. The Islanders grow their own cane, and from it they manufacture their own supplies' of sugar. They also manufacture their own salt by condensing sea water.

White Ant in New Zealand. The extent to which the white ant of the neighbouring Commonwealth is causing destruction to Auckland houses is not yet fully recognised, states a foreman carpenter of wide experience in many countries. He said that people, when they were told about the white ant, confused it with the ordinary house ant, which had during the past few years invaded nearly every house in Auckland, and was the bane of every housewife's existence. The black ants, however, were easily kept down with a mixture of borax and sugar, boiled only for three minutes in water, and then set near the places in tins or saucers where the ants frequented. In that way they could be killed in thousands. The white ant was a different insect entirely. The carpenter said he had taken them out of puriri piles and flooring boards on the North Shore, where they had eaten or burrowed through and through till the timber had only the. outside crust left. He had seen them burrow through zinc-lined timber in city houses, and, worse than that, he had seen solid concrete through which they had found their way. He felt sure that the pest had found its way to the Dominion through being brought in Australian timber, chiefly wooden cases and boxes, which were often stored away under houses. Far too many people kept boxes under their houses without ever shifting them, instead of breaking them up for firewood. These boxes often became riddled with borer, which in a way was our most destructive wood pest here, because of the manner in which it multiplied. Old timber was best burnt. He had seen white ant in silver poplar. This was a worthless tree, which everyone should do his best to root out, as it was a pest wherever it grew, and was hard to eradicate. His warning was, if house owners thought the foundations of their houses were sagging, they should let a reliable man find out if the white ant had got in, and if it had, tlipy should take out the timber and bum it.