NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 130, 4 June 1935, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Backers Pay,

The amount invested on the totalisator as Ellerslic yesterday on the seven races was £48,253. As approximately 3/0 in the £ is deducted from each £1 invested, the betting public paid about £S4.jO for the privilege of supporting the horses they fancied. Taxes and Penalties. Penalties arc now payable by those who have not paid their unemployment levies and tax on unearned income for the year. The oflice in the central poet office, which, for the past week, has been crammed with people waiting to pay their taxes, is now almost deserted, an occasional latecomer being all there is to occupy the few officiate handling the business. New Dam to be Built. Mr. T. M. Ball, Public Wprke engineer, Dunedhl, has been instructed to proceed with the construction of a dam in the Kraser River, South Canterbury. The dam will store enough water from the river when it is running full to ensure n continuous supply for 320 acres, in addition to 2050 acres at present served. Moreover, the reinforced service' will enable more water to be used for mining purposes. The cost of the work w £45,000. of which sum a large share is to be provided by the Unemployment Board.

Hats Off to the Colours. It was noticed at yesterday's ceremonial parade lit the Domain in honour of the Kinjr'e birthday that the general public, particularly that portion which watched the pageant from the grandstand and enclosure', showed full knowledge of the respect duo to the colours carried by various units. Invariably hats would be" removed when a colour party approached the saluting base, and heads would remain bare until it had passed. The King's Colour is, of course, entitled to respect as representing His Majesty, while a regimental colour, carrying the battle honours of the unit concerned, i.s generally regarded as the soul of the regiment.

Shackleton's Grave. The Very Rev. H. E. Luinsdalc, Dean of Stanley, Falkland Islands, with a parish that includes the South Pole, recently described how he held a service nt the Sir Ernest Shaekleton, on the hill overlooking the whalers' harbour of South Georgia. The Dean stated that his mission to the graveside of tho famous explorer occupied a fortnight, and he had to make the journey in a 250-ton steamer, which threaded its way through c i sea studded with icebergs of all colours and sizes. It was a very simple service, with a small gathering of rugged fleherinen and their womenfolk standing at the graveeido of Shackleton, who died while flailing the Antarctic seas 13 years ago.

Blowing the Nose. Few civilised people know how to blow their noses properly. Dr. G. Home, lecturing at Xew Plymouth, said the proper method wus to stop each nostril singly and in turn to blow through each separately until it was freely open. He recalled that years ago lie was called to a private school to see a child that suffered frequently from colds. The teacher was jnelined to smile when the correct method of blowing the nose was demonstrated to the pupil, but some time later she admitted that colds in the school had been reduced by two-thirds after she' had taught the children the doctor's method. Emphasising the 'importance of a clean mouth and nose, Dr. Home said they were the portals of entry for practically all* the infectious disorders of the temperate regions. If they were kept healthy, many varieties of infection would be prevented from developing. He advised breathing deeply in and out through each nostril alternatively every day.

Flurry of Fighting.' Ten fights in as many minutes were dpckled at the holiday boxing carnival at the Town Hall lost evening, when a special item on the programme was a teams match between .the flagship Dunedin and tlie emirfcDioincde. The teams formed tip for the contest as they would have done for a relay foot race, and once a start was made there was no let-up until the tenth and the final winner had been found. To the spectators it seemed that the main object of the competition was to get the tights finished in a minimum of time, and bout followed bout with only enough time between each to allow one pair of contestants to get out of the ring and the next pair to get into it. On one oecaeion, when a knock-out was scored within a few seconds, the following bout was got going before, the victim of the k.0./had been helped to the dressing room. With each fight limited to UO seconds, the contestants invariably fought "all out" from gong to gcvig, with little time for science, and the spectators, among whom were maiiv men from the naval bnae. poiitinually yelled their approval. A. rousing contest ended in favour of the Diomede by a margin of a. single point.

Working Bee. On King's Birthday' over SO men and _20 women took part in an organised working bee on the 7i-acre site of the Methodist Social Service Mission mother?' and children's health camp at Campbell's Bay. A band of carpenters under Mr. M. R. Soxwter begun work, jurst on 7 a.m., and by dark had raised a well-finished outbuilding of 2lft by lOft. This will serve as a store room and camp centre for workmen as the larger camp buildin" proceeds. During the day 500 trees were planted as a shelter belt, under the guidance of Mr. G. A. Green, and large areas of ecrub were cut and burned. For some weeks voluntary workers have been busy on the fencing and clearing. The' work of boring for water, and ploughing .and grassing to improve the property and' provide playing grounds, will proceed* immediately. The scheme is one that has appealed to business men, and all the building materials used so. far have been donated. The eite is splendidly suited for the purpose of the scheme, between seven and eight minutes from the beach, on a gentle slope, and commanding a glorious view of the Rangitoto Channel. An appeal is being made for £3000, with which to complete the scheme for the benefit of the mothers and children.

Post Office Linguists. The moat international business in' New Zealand is the Post Oflice, and the staff of the G.P.O. Ie consequently equipped to deal with language complications which may arise in connection with world-wide activities. Its correspondence displays great variety in this respect. New Zealand is a member of the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union, and the Post Office uses French exclusively in communications with that organisation. "L'Union Poetale," the Poetal Union's monthly journal, demonstrates the international character of its scope by publishing all the articles in French, English, Spanisii and German. Thero arc lingual experts in the Post Office capable. of translating most modern languages, and the Post Office translates correspondence for many other Government Departments in languages which they may not be able to translate for themselves. An interesting feature of the work of the translating staff is concerned with postal packages which have been sent abroad and not delivered, the superscription often giving the reason for returning them .to _the Sender, and on : one recent occasion this information was written in Polish. But the resources of the office failed to deal with one emergency; because this involved the translation of Hebrew. The difficulty was overcome by temporarily co-opting a friendly expert from outside.

Visitors at Museum. Many people visited the Auckland War Memorial Museum yesterday, family groups being predominant. In addition to the usual exhibits, a demonstration of native weaving, liven by Maori women, proved most popular. The total number of people who visited the museum during the day was 2250, the highest daily attendance for somo considerable time.

Ten Horses Fall. There were several falls yesterday at the Great Northern race meeting at JiUlerslie, which is essentially a meeting for jumpers. Four jumping events were decided, and ten horses fell during the afternoon. J. Day, who was thrown from Valpai in the Great Northern Hurcllee, \yaa taken to the Auckland ':. Hospital suffering from concussion and injuries to the right shoulder, but his condition is not serious. The nine other riders whose mounts fell escaped injury.

Trap for Archaeologists. The possibility that a trap may have been sot for future archaeologists in Now Zealand was mentioned by Captain ( <- Hiiin-phi'Jes-Daviee, a collector of Oriental art, when in Christchurch. Ho said that some of his Chinese and Japanese pottery had been Smashed when it was being brought to Now Zealand, and ho had buried it on his property in fhe North Island. If this country should over bo nettled by the Japanese or Chinese, they might Mm , , "evidence in this that their ancestors had once inhabited Xew Zealand.

Wairarapa's First Pig. It has been stated that tho first pig to reach the Wairarapa arrived to the order of Mr. J. McMasters, in tho "'seventies. Mr. Me-Mastei-M offered to pay two Maoris 10/ to bring the pig from Wellington to his farm. A week passed, but as nothing was heard from tho Maoris it seemed that the mission had failed. Then, across the winding trails and through the tangled bush, the determined natives suddenly appeared with their squealing burden, which they had driven, chased and limited for two weeks, And thus pork came to the Wairarapa.

The Aldershot Tattoo. One of the moat spectacular episodes of the Aldershot Tattoo (June 13-lo and 18-22) will be "'The British Grenadiers," in which 500 soldiers will figure in eighteenth century uniform; This uniform was probably the most elaborate and picturesque ever worn by men in the ranks. As if the scarlet kits, with their various coloured facings, wore not sufficiently handsome In themselves, impressive niitre-shaped caps added another foot to the stature of already tall men. The men will go through the drill movements of the period, and the massed drums and fifes of an infantry brigade will accompany them.

A Takapuna Reunion. Taking the form of n sports day, 'tlic Takapuua Grammar School Ex-pupile , Association celebrated its reunion of old pupils yesterday. A football match, past v. present, was hold at the North Shore football grounds in the afternoon, and resulted in a win for old b6ye by 21 points to 14. Ex-pupils and pupils went back to the school, whore a girls' hockey match, played on the new Held, went in favour of the present ten in by 1 goal to 0. A girls , basketball match wan won by the ■school by 11 points to 0. Afternoon tea was served in the school basement, and in the evening the annual ball was hckl at the Pirate Shippe, Milford.

Search for War Photographs. Ex-servicemen whose war mementoes include photographs taken from the air, or on land or sea. in any of the many areas of action during tho world war, should note that the "Star" is offering prizes aggregating £10 for the threi! best photographs of war incidents, and the prices for any othere published. All photographs will be returned, provided tho stamps for return by post are enclosed. Entries clo.se on .Tuly 31, and must be addressed, "Pictorial Editor, 'Auckland Star,'" with written details given, by post, or delivered at the counter of the Shortland Street office. No personal interviews will be granted. A " Royal " Joke. At one time professors had -rather a reputation for being absent-minded, and it may be that the personal characteristics on which the reputation was founded have not quite died out. At the annual meeting of the council of the Otago Royal Society, a short discussion was taking place on the steps taken by the Otago Institute and tho Hawke's Bay Philosophical Society to. have their nanipe changed to Royal Society when one member, in rising to express the opinion that in New Zealand tho use of the word "Royal" was being overdone, «et out to enumerate the many instances in which the word wan used, and eventually came to the "Royal Society for the Suppression of Women and Children." His colleagues, amid laughter, were quick to pull him up.

Another Golf Story. "Beat Thie One" writes: —Golf etoriets ar? like fish stories. They live to a ripe old age. There wus an account of an amazing feat in the "Star"' yesterday. This is the story of another extraordinary incident, remembrance of which has lived to a ripe old acre. It happened ten years ago, at the old thirteenth at Titirangi. In those days a barbed wire fence used to cross the hole, and it was necessary to drive over it or through it. Thie particular ball was driven from some distance behind the fence, and the player, following the course of his ball to play his next shot, found it in an unheard of position. The ball in its flight had struck the wires—and stayed there. It had struck one of the barbs fair and square, the barb had penetrated into the ball to its full length, and there the ball hung. What a pity one cannot add that the , player, balancing precariously.'..with one foot on a fenco post and the other on a companion's shoulder, drove the ball from its barb and holed in two. But preserving the best traditions of the game of ffolf, one must adhere strictly to the truth, and merely state that after struggling with the ball for some minutes, the player managed to pull it off the barb, and so great was hie companion's amazement that he did not take a penalty. Gathering of the Starlings. "Naturalist" writes:—Thie is the eeaeon of the year when, in city parks, as well a3 in quiet country woodlands, great flocks of starlings assemble, and make the hour of twilight resonant with tneir chattering. The noise they utter when flocking is entirely different from their customary throaty chirp, and is only hoard in the late autumn. Big flocke of starlings have been seen in the country near Auckland recently, and on several evenings during the past fortnight groat assemblies have been noticed in the Domain, all uttering the distinctive "chatter." The habits of starlings have not been so closely studied as those of more picturesque eongstere and sea birds, but they are believed to be migratory, not flying great distances over the ocean, but changing their quarters on the approach of winter. In Europe a, definite migratory plan was traced some years ago, and it was found that the starling flocks of Great Britain certainly flew as far ae the Continent of Europe when the English autumn had ended. Starlings share with sparrows and pigeons the hospitality which London affords, rind in the autumn .evenings they gather in great numbers on the roof and ledges of the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, and on other large buildings in the neighbourhood. They arc not so indifferent to the presence of man as the übiquitous sparrow, but they seem to thrive in cities, and in Auckland there is no doubt that their numbers are increasing.