NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 106, 7 May 1935, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Up-to-date Park. Residents of Mount Eden have good cause to be proud of Nicholson Park, according to a statement made by Mr, E. 11. Totter, a candidate for the mayoralty of that suburb, when speaking at an electors' meeting last evening. A town-planning architect, lie said, had been taken to see the park, and after Inspecting it had said that it wa« one of the best laid out recreation grounds he had over seen, and that ho could make 110 suggestions as to how it might be further Improved. St. George's Fair. Perhaps the King's jubilee will give an extra urge to make the carnival spirit stronger at the ancient fair hold in honour of St. George in the little Devon village of Mod bury, near Ivy bridge. It has been held every year since the days of King Edward llf. It used to last for nine days, ending on St. Cleorge'a Eve, which, before the calendar was altered, would bo May G. It Is now cmiftned to one day, May 7. The town crier opens the fair by hoisting the glove—a silver coloured emblem, garlanded with ilowcrs—to the top of the old town bell. Honour to Maori of High Rank. Among those to whom the King's Silver Jubilee medal Ims been awarded is Tarapipi Taiuelmna tc Waharoa, of Morrinsville, a notable Maori of high rank, who is a grandson of the great warrior chief To Waharoa. of Matamata, a noted figure in the Maori tribal warfare nearly 100 years ago. Tarapipi is an elderly man who has been confined to hie home at the Maori village near Morrinsville in recent years, owing to ill-health. Ho is a son of To Wahdroa's son, Tupu Taingakawa, and a nephew of the celebrated Maori leader, Wiremu Tamehana (William Thompson), who has been termed "the king-maker" because his influence resulted in the Waikato chief, To Wherowhero, being made the first Maori king in 1838. A " Clean Sweep " Needed. To the uninitiateif it may not be known that branch meetings of the Farmers' Union are usually held monthly. This fact and two others, that the Matamata branch owns its own hall and that the fireplace had not been used through the summer, put members in a hazy atmosphere on Friday night. Starlings had been cosy through the summer, but they rendered the May meeting of the- members of the Farmers' Union extremely uncomfortable. Coughs disturbed the meeting and eyes "ran," but stoically the business was completed. In tills case it was, in perfect truth, that liusbnnds were ablo to tell thoir wives that they had been to "an important meeting."

" Quarrelsome Mood." The disturbed state of the world was referred to at the Silver Jubilee dinner of the Auckland branch of the Overseas League last evening. Sir George Richardson, who gave an addrcea 011 "The Lives of King George and Queen Mary," referred to the war period and the part played by the King. Subsequently the Mayor, Mr. G, \V. Hutchison, in the course of a brief speech, said ho did not think that another war was imminent, despite all that one read in the newspapers. The same view was not 'held by Sir Frank Fox. the noted writer on Empire questions. When called upon to speak, lie said he could not agree with the Mayor. Personally ho _ was in possession of information which made him feel doubtful for peace. The world was in a most quarrelsome mood, which could easily end in another trial of strength. Tramping Club's Week-end. Members of the Auckland Tramping Club spent the King's jubilee week-end in the Orere Valley, which runs into the Moumoukai Range from beyond Clevedon, near Orere Point. Although the weather was at times inclement, trips were made each day. An ascent was made of the summit of Kohukohunui (2048 ft), the highest point on the range and the loftiest piece of ground for 50 miles around Auckland. Owing to the thick weather 110 view was obtained from the top. A tramp was made to the Firth of Thames yesterday. En route a fine view was obtained from a high hill. Westward the Manukau Heads were plainly seen, wlifi<. to the south-cast Thames township stood out clearly, _ The Coroinandel Range loomed up impressively across the water. Queen's Personal Favour. Three years from being a century old, there is in the treasured possession of Mr. E. H. Jamieson, Church Street, Palmcrston North, a beautiful hand-clmsed silved medal which was the personal gift of Queen Victoria to Mr. Jamieson's grandmother, then Miss Guthrie.. Two Inches in diameter, and a quarter of an inch thick, this medal has been handed on in turn to the eldest son of each generation of the family. It is kept in a silklined morocco case, which bore, when handed to the recipient, the letters "V.R." in gold. Fewer than 100 of these medals were struck by the special request of Queen Victoria 011 tiie occasion of her coronation 011 June 2.'1, IS3B. They were personal gifts from the Queen, in commemoration of the event, only to servants in the Royal household, and so far as can yet lie established, the medal in Palmerston North is claimed to bo the only one of its kind in Xcw Zealand and Australia.

" As a Protest." "When interviewed by the police the defendant said that motor cars had been travelling along the road at such a rate that he had not been able to make any .progress on his motor cycle. Therefore, as a protest, he threw a stone at complainant's car," said Sergeant G. Bonisch in the Napier Magistrate's Court, in outlining the facts in connection with a charge of throwing a stone to the danger of another person, preferred against Alexander Maxwell, of Kotemaori, motor driver. Mr. J. «. L. Hewitt, S.M.. "I can understand the feeling. Wo sometimes feel like throwing bomlw'at motor cyclists." Sergeant Bonisch said that Mr. L. F. Spoet'liley, a commercial traveller, had driven his car frorfi .Wairoa to Napier on March 24 last. When near Tutira he noticed two men standing on the road alongside a motor cycle. As he drew level with them, one of the men threw a stone at the car, fortunately missing the windscreen and hitting the door. Mr. Speechley ascertained the name of the man, who, when interviewed by the police, admitted the offence. The magistrate imposed a conviction and a fine of 10/, costs 10/. Origin of Brunswick. In hin address to the electors at Gonv'illc, Wanganui, Mr. Orren Hales, who is contesting a seat on the Wanganui City Council, told all interesting story which gave tlie reason why the settlement of Brunswick obtained its name. He said that there were a number of young men who were dissatisfied with tile position of things in St. John, New Brunswick (Canada). They pooled their resources and built a vessel, in which they sailed to Australia. Some deserted there to move to the goklllelds. Others came on to New Zealand, and some settled just out of Wanganui. That was why the name Brunswick had been applied. His father was among that number, and had fortned a partnership with Mr. Mailman as contractors and bridge builders. It was they who constructed tho main road to Waitotara and it was their camp at Kai Iwi which had been fired on and led to the action Which took place at Ntikumaru just afterwards. Mr. Hales' father had been let the contract for the erection of a wooden bridge over the river at Wanganui. When tho present steel structure had been diverted from

India that contract lapsed, but Mr. Hales had been appointed one of tile engineers to supervise the erection of the prcaeiit bridge, which lind stood for (ill years and bad lived throughout that period • practically licglectcd.

Birkenhead Scouts' Fire. The Birkenhead boy scouts chose as the site for their Bcout bonfire last evening a spot adjacent to the trig station on the Glenfield Road, aild when It was lit the blaze could be seen over a very wide area. Viewed from the distance, it was one of the brightest of tile Urea that burned during the evening. A Challenge. An offer to give £50 to the Sunshine Association Wa« made by Mr. A. J. Stallworthy at his mooting last night at St. Matthew's Hall if a committee of four appointed by the meeting, after full investigation of "Hansards," did not find that he had voted consistently against reductions in pensions. Mr. Stallwortliy showed that in 1031 and 1932 ho had stood by tlio pensioners. The questioner went up to the platform and admitted that ho had been fully answered. Inglewood Rate Collection. "As far as this council is concerned, it has not felt in the least decree the depression that has affected most local bodies, 1 ' wrote the clerk of the Inglewood Borough Council in his annual financial report to the council. He said that 00.5 per cent of the rates struck had been collected, and ho considered the ratepayers were entitled to the highest praise for the way they had met their obligations. Footballers " Ducked." Some of the members of a party of Otaliuhu footballers, who travelled to Wailii by motor car yesterday, ha'd an unenviable experience on the return journey. About ten o'clock, when the night was at its coldest, the temperature being about freezing point, one of the cars was capsized at a culvert on this side of the Hauraki Plains near Pokeno. The occupants of the car suffered no injury, but they were thrown out into a small creek, and despite changing into football "togs" and other wraps, they had a very cold journey for the rest of tho way home. The party comprised tile Otaliuhu Kirrby seniors, who defeated Wailii by 20 points to 3 in a game at the mining centre. Springing From Nowhere. An interesting contrast was noted in Queen Street in connection with tho method in which the public takes its jubilee entertainment. Going up tho street at 4.30, one could have counted tho'number of persons on both footpaths and in tho streets in double figures—probably not more than 70 or 80. Coining down a quarter of an hour later, when the theatres had disgorged their audiences, tho number of people packing Queen Street to capacity was probably well over 4000. The queues forming for the extra teatime sessions put on at most of the theatres did not form until close on to the end of the matinee session, probably oil account of the cold. These queues, however, rapidly assumed the proportions of the Easter and Christmas seasonal rushes, adding in no sniivll measure to tlio congestion of the streets.

A Hidden Home. Tucked away in tlio most unsuspected place and close to a busy street in Wnnganui (says the "Chronicle''), a little "white eye'" built its nest. Sometimes passers-by must have almost touched the concealed home, while at others it must have come so near destruction that Its fate hung in the balance. The little bird knew its craft thoroughly, and so skilfully was the nest constructed that it was only by accident that it was one day discovered. The nest was built beneath the surface of a hydrangea bloom which was produced last week at the Wanganui Acclimatisation Society's meeting, when it was an object of curiosity and admiration. Tiny, compact, a perfect work of art, the nest was so snuggled under the flowers of the bloom that only a very close inspection revealed its presence, and the hydrangea, strangely enough, had been growing at the front gate of a suburban home only a short distance from Victoria Avenue. Methodist and Presbyterian. "Just now I was struck by the similarity between the Presbyterians and the Methodists,'' said the Rev. F. H. Wilkinson, Moderator of the Wellington Presbytery, at a welcome to the three Methodist ministers to Wellington. "A man whoso name was John was sent to both sects. Although John Knox was two centuries before John Wesley, the conditions they met were similar. Both brought hope to people who had lost it, threw open the gates of heaven to many, and performed wonders by courage, work and tenderness. They were twin souls, even somewhat alike in their lack of understanding of the fair se.v. Knox wrote 'The Monstrous Regiment of Women,' and Wesley suffered under iti" Roth churches had suffered much from a tendency towards individuality, but latterly they had drawn together again. "The Presbyterian Church needs a little of the humanising touch of the Arminianism of Methodism,'' concluded Mr. Wilkinson, "and I venture to suggest that the robustness of the Calvin spirit of Presbyterianism is needed by Methodism." Bridegroom Who Balked.

There was a distressing scene at the West Hendon Baptist Church, London, on March 10, when in the middle of a wedding ceremony the bridegroom refused to marry the bride. The couple were Leslie Francis Kitching, of Hendon, and Miss Eva Mary Horton, of Mansfield, Notts. The bride is 22. The service win? proceeding, but when the minister, the Rev. 11. S. Kudie, asked the bridegroom whether he would take the woman for hie lawful wedded wife, the young man shook his head and replied, "I cannot say that." Unable to proceed, the minister asked the bride and her attendants to sit down, and took the young man into the vestry. He was, however, unable to bring about an agreement, and the couple left the church unmarried. Miss Horton, who returned home to Mansfield, said she saw Kitching before returning home, and asked for an explanation. He said very little beyond assuring her that there was 110 other girl. This was > the third time Kitching had postponed the wedding. The first time was in September, and again in December. "He had bought a wedding ring and a cake, and I have sj>erit a considerable sum of monej 011 tilings for the flat in which we were to live," she added. Sportsman and the Cat. First experiences in sport in a new country are always interesting, and those of Captain Heber-Ferey, A.D.C. to Lord Galway, and one of an angling party which investigated the swirling rocky pools of the upper Ngatiawa Stream, Wellington, recently, were 110 exception. Ho is a keen sportsman, particularly with rod or gun, and early in the day ho landed two nice fish. Leaving these in the car, he set off to explore the Reikorangi, which, like many of the forest streams around Wellington, necessitates some climbing, occasionally, to make detours round small gorges too deep to wade. To his delight ho landed a fine-conditioned trout well over the average eize to be obtained in England, and, placing it in his net, commenced the strenuous return journey. Anyone who knows this locality will realise that one's attention must bo centralised 011 stooping to avoid thick brush, crawling through supplejacks, and generally learning a little about progression through the bush. To his disgust, when lie emerged into the sunlight again, lie found that the fish had dropped out of the net. Search 011 the back trail proving fruitless, the angler went back to (lie ear. The windows of the car had unfortunately not been closed, and when a big glossy bush cat leaped out 011 his approach he feared the worst. It proved true. He could not take the fish home, as all the edible portions had been taken by the cat, in desperation he bought 81b of mushrooms a small boy, and did not go liomo empty-handed,