NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 217, 13 September 1934, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Flooding Near Kaitaia. Support to a request by the Kaitaia Chamber of Commerce to the Xo. 1 Main| Highways Council to have at least one of the. highways leading south from Kaitaia raised above flood level is to be given by the Automobile Association. This decision was made at a meeting of the council of the A.A. Mat night. The Chamber of Commerce pointed out that the district had bpsn cut off from road; communication on several recent occasions through Hoods. The letter also mentioned there was a likelihood of improvements to the Waipapakauri-Xinety-Mile Beach Road being undertaken this summer.

Ferry Passenger's Bravery. The "recent rescue of a seven-year-old boy who fell from the Buyswater ferry steamer into the harbour by Mr. R. A. Lowe, of Sanders Avenue, Takapuna, is to be officially recognised by the Takapuna Borough Council. Bast night the Mayor, Mr. J. Guiniven, at the meeting of the council, remarked that Ml". Lowe's action in diving into the harbour while fully dressed to save the child was all the more meritorious as he was suffering from influenza at the time. "It is a miracle he did not die of pneumonia," said the Mayor, "and the lea-It we can do is to recognise his brave act officially." A suitable resolution was passed unanimously.

New Zealand White Pine. The importance of New Zealand white pine for export purposes was indicated by remarks made by Mr. K. E. Ball, a Melbourne timber importer, who arrived fom Sydney by the Makura last week. Mr. Ball said that all the white pine use' in Australia for the export of butter and eggs came from New Zealand. Sydney used about 10.000.000 superficial feet annually, and Melbourne about 7.000.000 or 8,000,000 feet. More white pine was being employed now than at any previous time, and the business was a. very valuable one to New Zealand. Export restrictions, however, were likely to reduce the volume of trade in the'timber.

Tree Planting by Farmers. A total of 22,000 trees lias boon distributed to fanners through the. agency of the Canterbury Progress League for planting this season, the varieties being Pinue ponderosa, Douglas fir and poplars. Reporting on the matter at the meeting of the executive of the league, the organiser, Mr. I'. K. Climie, said that last year" 100,000 trees had been distributed, but there was then a larger number of varieties available. Unfortunately, he had been-advised by the State Forest Service that the surplus stock of ponderosa trees was now exhausted, leavirg only Douglas lir and poplars available. The trees are supplied free, except for a charge for packing and the cost of the freight.

Sunken Barge. With a load of timber from the dismantled Onetangi wharf, the barge Waitemata. owned by Parry Brothers, sank while moored in Putiki Bay, Waiheke, on Tuesday evening. A large amount of the timber wiw washed up on the shore. An effort was to be made at low tides to refloat the barge by pumping her out. Having taken on a number of planks and logs from the Onetangi wharf, the barge loaded some more timber from the Ostend wharf, making her total load about 35,000 ft. When the barge was moored in the Putiki Bay, about 100 yds from the wharf, she sank on the rising tide, and a quantity of timber, not washed ashore was salved. The timber is 'bound for Paeroa, where it will probably be used for bridging.

Christchurch Show Place. Interest,.in the architectural beauties and the rare historical association* of the. old Provincial Council Buildings at Chrktchurch remains unabated, and in recent months the number of visitors to the building has been considerably above the average . (says the "Press"). 'During the holidays parties of school children are escorted through the quaint old rooms and arched corridors, and arc told something of the history of the building and of the details of its fine architecture. The beauty of the main hall attention. Throughout the year there are visits from tourists, and it appears that most of the people from overseas who visit Christchurch make a point of going through the old building.

Rugby Rep's. Belated Request. After a lapse of 20 years, a former All Black footballer, W. J. Reedy, of Wellington, has written to the Xew Zealand «Rugby Union asking to be supplied with a blazer, which he claimed to be due to him as the result of his having represented Xew Zealand against the Anglo-Welsh team which toured here in 190S, reports a Tress Association message. The union declined to accede to the request. Reedy said that, although he was measured for the hlazer, for some reason he failed to receive it. Although 26 years has elapsed, he hoped it would be possible to grant him the honour of wearing a New Zealand Rugby blazer. The chairman of the management committee, Mr. S. S. Dean, said that as far as he was aware the first time blazers were issued was in 1921. If he remembered correctly, caps only were given to representative players before that date.

Mayor Rejects Motion. A novel suggestion that the members of the Takapuna Council should go on strike and refuse to meet until the Mayor, Mr. J. Cuiniven, accepted a motion by Mr. W. H. Hall that .the council purchase property in Anzac Street for additional quarry areaa, was made by Mr. C. L. Clifton, at last night's meeting of the council. "I will refuse to take that motion," said the Mayor when Mr. Hall moved it. Mr. Guiniven would not disclose the grounds for his abjection to Mr. T. M. Rollo, but told him that he would accept all responsibility. A motion by Mr. Rollo that the town clerk write to the borough solicitors and secure a ruling on whether the Mayor's action was in order was carried. "I'll win," eaid Mr. Guiniven. The recommendation of the works committee that the property be purchased was struck out, at the Mayor's instigation, Mr. Guiniven telling councillors that it was ultra vires, in that no individual councillor was entitled to negotiate the purchase of land ou behalf of the council.

Roadside Plunder. "The late Viscount Grey of Fallodon, speaking once of the need to save the common country flowers/' says the "Morning Post," "declared that protection had been made vital not by, a -change in the disposition of people, but by the vehicles invented to carry them about. But there'is a change in disposition. When Englishmen .were countryiuen, the blossoms of the tree, the flower in the hedgerow, the pretty eggs cupped in the hedge, were not miracles to be seized, but to be contemplated. Yet now five-sixths of the nation are pent in towns, the seldom-viewed wonders of the countryside overpower admiration —the visitor must possess and bear them away. As the plundering 'oologis't' fills his cabinet, with hollow eggs that might' have been singing birds, so the greedy .motorists and cyclists tear up the bluebells "and pull primroses which, seeding themselves, might have delighted' the passer-by ■spring after spring. The motorists' organisations officially assist by giving routes to places where coveted flowers can be seen—and picked —and nightingales heard —and robbed. There are county orders against the taking of wild flowers, as there are against the taking of wild birds' egjrs; but tlie vandal carries on. How, then, can the Bank Holiday crowd and the week-end flyers be taught scemliness? The one hope seems to lie with the schools."

Aero Club Aviatrix. Miss Barbara Allen, of Paihia, Bay of Islands, yesterday made her first solo flight ill an Auckland Aero Club 'plane. Miss Allen is the third aviatrix to be trained at Mangere by Flight-Lieutenant B. M. Allan, chief instructor of the club. The other two women flyers are Miss G. M. Peacock and Miss Ina White, both of Auckland. Miss Allen intends to remain in Auckland until she qualifies- for her A license.

Mataura in Darkness. Most of the western side of the Mataura (Southland) residential and business area was without electric light on a recent evening until B.3o'when power was restored. The light failed at about 4.30 p.m., all over the borough, and the main street shops, which retain Saturday as late shopping night, suffered the* inconvenience- for about an hour and' a half, and hacl to resort to lamps and candles for that period. The fault was apparently a transformer outside the borough boundary.

Good Nature Imposed On. An audacious and impudent fraud during the past few clays has left a. Dunedin lady bemoaning the loss of half a crown and the deception that was so successfully practised on her. Some time ago a man sold her a cylindrical device for facilitating the moistening and application of either gum or paste. On Saturday he returned and asked for the loan of the article, adding that he had left his own samples at home and wished to demonstrate its labour-saving qualities to a nearby linn. The request was granted, and the artfu| deceiver made his final bow.

Rugby Notabilities. A number of men prominent in Rugby football circles gathered in Graborne on Thursday evening, the* group including Mr. S. S. Dean, chairman of the New Zealand Union's management committee; Mr. E. Parata, best known in connection with Maori football, and manager of the 192.') Maori All Blacks; Mr. Ceo. Nicholson, of Auckland, one of the 11)0.5 All Blacks and manager of the Auckland team on its present tour; Mr. F. J. Ohlson, a vicepresident of the Auckland Rugby Union; and Mr. Roy Dcitrich, of Wellington, formerly captain of the Victoria University College football team, and a well-known figure in administrative circles. The bust-mentioned was visiting Oisbornc in connection with the funeral of the late. Mr. Jack Kuril, who was Mr. Deitrich's •successor as captain of the Victoria College team.

Not So To-day. Illustrating the difficulty found by Uic older Maori in grasping the principles of the white man's trading system, Mr. J. B. I'o.vnter, addressing the Tairawhiti Maori Association'on "Sidelights-on the Maori," told a good anecdote. An aged Maori, having two bales of wool to dispose of, took them to an agency and agreed to have the wool sold on commission. When the accounts were made up, it proved that Hori owed the firm 1/0, slump prices for wool having failed to cover the charges. The agency menager agreed to let the Maori off paying the money, but suggested that Uori should make up the difference by the gift of a chicken, and the deal was forgotten. Next year Hori appeared once a win at the linn's office, and presented a chicken to the manager. "What's this for?" asked the recipient. "Oh, I got another two bales of wool outside!" replied the Maori.

The Red-haired Girl. Not so long'ago the red-haired girl was made to feel an object of derision. She was called ' "Carrots" or "Ginger," or something equally objectionable, and if she showed a little temper she was told that was only to be expected from a "hot head." But times are changed. The red-haired girl is now firmly established in favour. At least one widely-read novelist will have none for his heroine save a girl with coppery-red tresses. A report of the English Medical Research Council issued sonic time ago gave statistics which showed that there arc more red-haired boys than red-haired girls in the community. It is this rarity, perhaps, that confers distinction on the "red head" and makes her the centre of attraction at social gatherings. Blonde and brunette girls in the United States have found tho position so intolerable that they have formed a league which has for its object the counteracting of the influence of their red-haired sisters.

Councillors' Gift. Devon port's Mayor and most of the, councillors dipped in their pockets last night to make up sufficient to purchase a side of meat through the Labour Department for redistribution at cheap prices to unemployed workers in the borough. A representative of the women's branch of the Dovonport Unemployed Workers' Association waited on the council to explain the scheme. The side of beef would ■be one of about .'5201b, and would be cut and wrapped by a local butcher, the cost to be recovered on delivery. The spontaneous offer of the councillors last evening of almost sufficient money to buy the first week's supply was what was required to launch the scheme. It is intended that approximately the same amount of meat should be distributed in this way every week in future. Henceforth, however, the councillors will not have to pay, for the collection on -the delivery „of one week's supply will pay for that of the following week.

No Camp in Waipoua Forest. Although requests have been made for some time past, there is to be no cam]) for motorists in the Waipoua State Forest. A request by the Hobson County Council for the establishment of a camp site in the forest has been declined by the Commissioner, of State Forests, Mr. Ransom, .according to a letter received at last night's meeting of the Automobile Association. "Owing to the inflammable nature of the forest and the difficulty of safeguarding it against fire, it is not possible to grant the request," stated Mr. Ransom. The" president of the A.A. agreed "with the points raised in the letter. It was to avoid danger that a new site was now being suggested. The new area could be more easily observed by the caretaker than the existing site, and it also had the advantage of being almost surrounded by water., "While every encouragement is given to visitors to inspect Waipoua Forest, it should not be regarded as a camping or picnic ground," said Mr. Ransom in a' further, letter. ' r "lt is not desirable to encourage people to linger in the forest longer than is necessary to see the points-of interest." Meantime no further action- is to be taken by the A.A. ■; ■

" Under a Spreading Chestnut Tree." A novel suggestion was made at a meeting of the Great South Road Beautifying Council by Mr. F. H. Leonard that the council should endeavour to preserve a fast-disappear-ing industry, namely, the"oldTtime smithy." The old-time smithy, said Mr. Leonard, was an industry ifuHi of romance, and the next generation "would know nothing about it if steps were not taken to preserve it. Ho suggested the council should secure on the Great South Road a' suitable section and. erect an old-time smithy, with bellows and old forge. It would be a profitable source of interest to travellers along the main highway. A few jocular, comments were made by members, but the chairman, Mr. G. W; Hutchison, remarked that these were ideas worth following up, and a real help in carrying on the .practical work of the council. Further consideration-will be given to this suggestion after the. recess. A correspondent points out that there arc two of the old-time blacksmith forges at Papakura. One, standing on the ■ Great South Road, in the centre of the town, is on land that would be too valuable to hold for exhibition purposes, but the other is on trust property oIY the main road and on the edge of the new fire brigade reserve. This, it is suggested, would make an ideal spot. ,