NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 47, 25 February 1935, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

A Full Train. Last night's express south was a full train, every seat being occupied when the train left Auckland. The train included three carriages and a van for New Plymouth, via Marton, as the direct line is still blocked. A Clean Bill. In the matter of accidents the Auckland show on Friday and Saturday can show a clean bill. There were several, falls in the jumping events and steer-riding competitions, but in no case was any serious injury received by the riders. Members of the St. John Ambulance were continuously in attendance, and they attended to minor injuries on the ground. Visit to Rotorua. A party of tourists from the liner Franconia returned to Auckland last evening after a visit to Rotorua, where a number of them had an opportunity to fish for trout. The visitors expressed great appreciation of Rotorua's attractions, and were particularly impressed with the Maoris there. Taken on a round trip, they greatly admired the lakes and scenery. Seamen Ashore. Members of the visiting liner Franconia were entertained by the Flying Angel Missions to Seamen during the week-tnd. On Saturday and yesterday the crew were taken for motor tours round the city and suburbs, and they have been at the mission hall. Yesterday morning the Rev. H. K. Vickery, seamen's chaplain, conducted a service on board the Franconia for the crew. "The Morgue Here." The number of his favourite theatre had been dialled, and the Hamiltonian, anxious to secure seats for the evening's performance, eagerly awaited the answer. A lengthy and exasperating silence, with the regular and faithful click of the 'phone as his only consolation, was broken when a voice "halloed" at the other end. "Have you any accommodation for to-night?" he asked. "Yes, I think we can fix you up," came the reply. "It's the morgue here." Power Line Shot Down. A party of territorials of the D Company Machine Gunners were at Mount Vernon | last Tuesday and accidentally shot down one of the transmission lines connecting Waipukurau with Waipawa substations of the Central Hawke's Bay Electric Power Board, with the result that the supply of current was interrupted for a fairly lengthy period, reports the Napier "Telegraph." The falling line set fire to the grass, which was promptly extinguished by the troops. Lucky Escape.

A lucky escape from serious, injury was 1 experienced by two youths on Mount Egmont, ! reports the "Taranaki News." They were ( climbing via Humphries Castle along a nar- ( row track above a 500 ft drop into a valley. The foot of one boy slipped on the wet clay, 1 and he fell down the precipice, catching hold of his companion as he fell. Both had fallen about 50ft, and were gathering momentum when they were pulled up by a large shrub fortunately growing on the cliff. They slowly returned to safety, shaken but unhurt. Appeal by Minister. An appeal for support from the congregation was made by the Rev. P. Gladstone Hughes when he began his ministry yesterday at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. He said that the important question was not how the church could survive, but how it could serve the community. He expressed the hope that the church might be made a home of sacred memories, with the doors open from morning to night, and a beautiful breathing space for the spirit in the very heart of the city. Plant More Trees. It was his hope to see every piece of land in Xew Zealand which could not carry pasture put down in forests, said the Taranaki Education Board's architect, Mr. C. H. Moore, at the official opening of the new Inglewood school recently. If that had been done ten years ago, there would be no unemployment problem in the Dominion. To-day 100.000 would have been employed in afforestation work. He was pleased to see that the boundaries of the school grounds had been planted with trees. " Packing Up." Long before the crowd had left the showground at Epsom on Saturday exhibitors were busy "packing up." Cattle men lost no time in getting their stock out of the grounds and transhipped to their destination, but it was well on in the night before those who had not previously arranged for transport yesterday had departed. Again yesterday stock was being transhipped by lorry or sent to the stations to go by rail. Stallholders and .showmen lost no time in getting the tents and stalls packed, and by to-night there will be little evidence remaining of the summer show of the Auckland Agricultural and Pastoral Association. Yacht Racing Popular. More than the usual number of yachting contests, were decided this week-end. The Devonport Club heki nine on Saturday afternoon, Ariki winning the Duder Cup. The Takapuna Club held the Trevic Shield contest for the Z class, which was won by Delphine, representing the Victoria Club. The Home Bay juniors held two races, and the Power Boat Association three races off the King's wharf, Elvira winning the challenge shield, Aumoc the "My Girl" trophy,, and Surf the Kerinak Cup. Yesterday the Point Chevalier Club held a, regatta, eight events being decided; the Wakatere Club held four races, and on the Manukau on Saturday the Cruising Club held a regatta. Hawaii's Cannery Trade. Several residents of Palmerston North have visited the huge cannery at Honolulu belonging to the Hawaiian Pineapple Company, states the "Standard." The business continues to expand, necessitating still larger and more commodious premises for the operations of the company. According to information received by a Palmerston North resident, the pack now runs into 8,000,000 cans a year, requiring the employment of from 5000 to 8500 people. The company owns an island 60 miles from Honolulu, which is used exclusively for the production of pineapples.- A small town has been established there, and the fruit is taken in barges to the huge cannery at Honolulu. Kellerman Cup Race. A correspondent, Mr. G. Graham, of Devonport, protests against young, immature girls being allowed to take part in such strenuous contests as the three-mile harbour swim (Kellerman Cup race), which was decided in Auckland last Tuesday in connection with the New Zealand swimming championship. While the plucky swimming of Miss Grey and Miss Kathleen Bull compelled admiration, he writes, euch marathon swims must necessarily be injurious in the long .yun to such slenderly-built girls. He expresses surprise that the girls had been "passed" by a medical man for the event, and thinks the controlling swimming authority should debar girls from the race. The cup race, a handicap event, was instituted about 12 years ago by the famous Australian swimmer, Annette Kellerman, and has been won once by a girl! swimmer. * I

Traffic Mix-up. Four vehicles, three motor cars and a tram were involved in a collision in Mount Eden Road, near Bellevue Road corner, on Saturday evening. A taxi and a two-seater motor car which was following the taxi collided with the tram, and a sedan car parked at the side of the road was also struck. None of the occupants of any of the motor cars was injured, though the vehicles were slightly damaged. Clever Hunting Horses. With steady rain falling on Friday afternoon, people at the Auckland Show who wore not under cover in the cattle sheds, the dog show or in the home industries tent, derived full pleasure from the ring events. There were displays of splendid jumping in the hunter classes. Some of the horses slipped and slid dangerously, but, in most cases, a good recovery was made, and hearty applause from spectators indicated public ' appreciation of horses bred to their sport. Half a Vote of Thanks. "I suppose we should withdraw half our vote of thanks," declared Mr. M. E. Lyons, president of the Canterbury Centre of th 6 New Zealand Swimming "Association, at a meeting of the centre, when a letter was read from the Christchurch-United Club. The letter stated that the club had contributed £1 1/ towards the cost of sending a water polo team to the national championships at Auckland, and as no team had been sent the club felt that half the donation should be returned. The club's request was granted. Maori Startled in Court. There are occasions when, either through ignorance of official decorum or absentmindedness, men enter Court with their hats on. Such an occasion occurred at the Supreme Court at Hamilton last week, when a middleaged Maori walked into the public gallery and made no attempt to remove his headgear. "Take off your hat," rapped a Court official in a loud voice, which drew all eyes to the startled native, who leaped excitedly and hurriedly bared hi? head. For. the Court, by Lorry. Sending to Awakino for a black Hereford beast? which figured fn the case against a fanner on a charge of cattle stealing delayed the hearing for one and a quarter hours in the Supreme Court at New Plymouth on Thursday. The beast, which was being sent by lorry, was timed to arrive at 2.15, but did | not arrive till later. With the agreement of jurymen and counsel his Honor decided to fill in the interval of waiting by swearing the jury and taking the brown's address on the next case on the list. When the beast later arrived by lorry for inspection, the second case was adjourned and the Court again took up the thread of the proceedings in the previous case. Sidelights at the Show. "I'll guess your weight to within 41b; gentlemen by investigation, ladies by observation." This was the offer of one showman on Saturday afternoon at the A. and P. show. Men customers were "investigated," that is to say, their ribs were prodded and their biceps felt, exactly Hkc prize stock being judged. With the women a keen glance sufficed. In .10 estimates the showman was wrong only once. The scratch man in the woodchopping contest offered himself as a subject, and the guess was lost, Sib. The scales showed well over 16st. Then came a heavily-built man with a wooden leg. After a delayed scrutiny and some quick mental arithmetic —normal weight, so-and-so, less weight of one leg so-and-so, plus weight of a wooden leg, etc.— the showman declared for lost 31b. The scales showed lost 21b.

] Mortality in Plantations. i The extent to which the drought, has affected Canterbury plantations can be seen along the Main South Road between Rolleston and Rakaia, reports the "Press.'' There in the forests flanking the highway can be seen hundreds of dead gums, trees nearing maturity which have died in the recent weeks after withstanding the droughts of 20 years or more. This applies particularly to badlycultivated plantations where the dry, dead leaves of many trees of all sizes bear witness to this new manifestation of the law of the survival of the fittest. There are said to be some species of gums growing in these plantations which have experienced conditions far drier than those in their native forests in Australia. Along this road there is a plantation of very young pinus, where every third or fourth tree seems to be dead or dying. Air Gun Pellets Fly. To find air gun pellets passing dangerously close to her was the alarming experience of a young woman walking up the sloping path of Tiffen Park; Napier, a few evenings ago. Actually one pellet struck a book she. was reading as she walked home, while another hit her hat, and it was' therefore no wonder that she lmr-j ned over the rest, of the distance. The! father of the young woman immediately went j in search of two boys whom he had noticed! previously playing with air guns in the park. On finding them, lie admonished them, and took the weapons from them, and told them that if their parents wished them to have the guns they could collect them at his house. Both the boys, who are 14 years of age, admitted firing the guns. The pellet which struck the book penetrated four pages and scored two others beneath them, and then ricochetted into the bushes at the side of the path. Whole Town Up For Sale. One of the most remarkable sales of property in Scotland was completed at Thornlieba.nk by a London firm of auctioneers. The whole town was for sale, with the exception of church and railway, property. For two clays the auctioneers' representatives stood in the village hall—also for *ale—and received offers for tenements, streets, villas, cottages, shops, fields, building land, petrol stations, bowling greens and recreation grounds. Each offer was dealt with privately, but few of the 3000 inhabitants of the town seemed interested in the fact that their houses and shops were being sold. Several years ago Thornliebank was a thriving community, most of the available labour being absorbed by the calico printers' factory, now dismantled. '•Many people interested in property investment came to inquire about the sale," an official of the auctioneers' firm said, "and from this we may infer that the town may yet develop as a residential suburb or that some new industry may be introduced to the district." Difficulty of Chinese. The gift of acquiring fluency in languages is a rare one, and most people who speak one or two in addition to their native to«gue think well of themselves. Mr. C. C. Batciielder, lecturer on board the tourist liner Franconia, is one of these gifted people. The principal European languages apparently presented little difficulty to him, and as a young man he began to learn the lesser-known languages of the East. Gradually the number of languages in which lie could converse mounted to 10. They included dialects such as that of the head hunters of the Philippine Islands and' of various castes of India. But Mr. Batchelder met his Waterloo when he studied Chinese. "It was too much for me," he remarked laconically. "I have not the brains to master it. Russian I found the next most difficult language." There are a number of foreigners on board the Franconia who do not understand English sufficiently well to follow Mr. Batcheldcr's lectures in English, so most of his more important lee-1 tures lie repeats in French. I