NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 213, 9 September 1935, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Policemen on Tramcars. "Their uniform is their pass," remarked a member of the Auckland Transport Board at this morning's meeting when the question' of police constables riding on tram cars was raised by Mr. E. J. Plielan. As the result of a request made by Mr. Phelan, the manager was requested to draw up a report on the systems of issuing tramway passes to policemen in various parts of New Zealand. From the Napier Pattern. The activity of the Napier Thirty Thousand Club in years gone by prompted citizens of Palmerston North to write to' the secretary some months ago for a copy of the club's rules and constitution. The result is that Palmerston North recently formed what is known as the Palmerston North Fiftyj Thousand Chib, which will function in a manner similar to the well-known body in Napier. Prince of Wales' Aeroplane. Before the next tourist season is in full swing Air Travel /X.Z.), Ltd., will have a second aeroplane ready to handle Hie increased traffic which is expected in South Westland. The machine, a Fox Moth similar to the one now operated by the company, was formerly owned by the Prince of Wales, and lias been shipped by the Zealandie, which will arrive towards the end of September. This announcement was made by the managing director, Mr. .7. C. Mercer, at the first annual meeting of shareholders in the company. Shortage of Hay. ■ As a result of the exceptionally dry summer experienced this year there is"a shortage of hay. A Jlangitikei dairy farmer remarked recently that the grass came* away very quickly earlier in the season, consequent upon which there has been .a shortage of feed during the winter. The farmer in question was forced _to, buy hay, which he had some -difficulty in obtaining. When he did manage to purchase a quantity it cost £4 per ton. Now that spring, is. here, however, the grass is beginning to grow again, and in a few weeks the shortage of food should be overcome. Recognised at Home. The Wellington Public Hospital is nowrecognised by the Royal College of Surgeons, England, as an. approved hospital to enable candidates to undertake their preliminary training for the degree of Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, England, according to a report to the board by the house committee. The chairman, Mr. F. Castle, commenting on the distinction which had been accorded the board, said that hitherto it had been necessary for those wishing to obtain these degrees to go to England. Now they could take some of their training at Wellington. Hockey Players in Suva. According to the "Star's" Suva correspondent the New Zealand hockey team had considerable entertainment during their visit to Fiji. The hockey players twice saw the famous fire-walking exhibition, the second time when it was put on for the company of the ourist ship Strathaird. Otjier entertainments included visits to the CoJonial Sugar Company's mill at Nausori, and to the old capital of Bau, where the vanivalu (Cakobau's grandson) entertained them so royally that they arrived back in Suva too late for one of their matches. Later they were guests at dances and picture shows, and on September 2 they defeated Suva 3—l in the third Test match." Work at Stone Jug. A statement that the work of converting the old Stone Jug property at Western Springs into a municipal -golf course will continue for another 12 or 18 months was made by Mr. F. E. Lark* at this morning's meeting of the Auckland Transport Board. Mr. Lark suggested that a temporary tram stop should be established opposite the property, as at the present time the men on the golf course job were working some distance from the regular stopping place. If the trams made unofficial stops in order to allow the workers to alight, the board, he understood, would be liable in the event of an accident. The manager was requested to report on the matter.

"Too Much Talk of Vitamins." That Xew Zealanders heard too much of vitamins, considering there was no lack of them in their food, was an opinion expressed by Dr. Stanley Foster, who ga>fc an address on "The Duty of Keeping Fit" to visiting country girls at Canterbury University Collage. When that was realised, he said, there might be less faddiness about food. He advised them, especially as they were from the country, to forget what they'had heard about vitamins, although they were certainly needed.! The best food obtainable was milk, and if; more of it were used the too-prevalent dental I troubles in 2s T ew Zealand would greatly decrease. Local Talent Good. An appeal for greater encouragement of Xew Zealand talent by Xcw Zcalanders was made by Mr. Stanley Oliver, music judge at the Hawera competitions, at a Hawera Rotary luncheon. "You have plenty of talent in this country—some beautiful voices—and there is no need to go overseas to secure your radio artists," he said. Mr. Oliver- added that a Wellington woman, who could not get a radio engagement in New Zealand, had gone to England about a | year ago, and, after singing for the Bi'itisii Broadcasting Corporation, had been ' invited to accept the post of radio instructress in cither singing or speech culture. Gifts to Museum. Recent gifts to the Auckland War Memorial Museum include a collection of Australian ethnographical articles presented by Mr. A. Rawson, of Mount Kden. They* comprise aboriginal weapons, boomerangs, shields, spears and n spear thrower. Mr. Rawson lias also given a quiver full of poisoned blowpipe darts from the Malay States. Mr. W. Thorpe has given a wooden , spear with carved decorations from the Solomon Islands and an iron spear with a wooden shaft from Africa. The I Rev. H. D. Brown has presented six arrows from Bourgainville, Solomon Islands. Of interest to numismatists is a large French coin of the Louis XVI. period. It is about the | size of an English crown piece, and is dated 1781. The coin was given by Mr. R.S. Newcomb, of Epsom. j About the Birth Rate. The decline of the birth rate tind the stationary condition of our population was the subject of rather a keen discussion on a < ferry boat yesterday. One of those who took part was a well-known resident of the North | Shore, who is taking an active interest in i the coming Parliamentary election. He was ! telling of the days in Xew Zealand when i families of ten and twelve were common, and how the natural increase of births materially i helped to increase the population; Presently two women who wore sitting near and over- i heard the conversation asked if they,could ] give their opinions. They remarked that one \ of them had had triplets and twins as well, i and that the other had twins twice; one had I i twelve and the other ten children. So. they' \ said, the goodly-sized families which the men i had been talking about had not quite died out t yet. Their children, they added, had been a i comfort to them, and they always felt sorry i when they saw the one and only child hanging 1 on to his mother's apron strings as though he ' could not be left alone for a minute, even i although he may have passed seven or eight'i years of age. The men complimented tliej > women on their appearance, and their reply 8 was that their families kept them young, andj'c when they went out their daughters vied y with one another ill offering advice as to the t right angle mother should wear her hat. i

Royal Navy Officers. "The Royal Navy at the present time, I consider, offers most excellent; prospects for anyone who goes into it, for I am convinced that the Navy must expand again," declared Commodore the Hon. E. R. Drummond when speaking at the annual dinner of the English Public Schools' Club at Auckland. The chances of promotion for young officers, he added, were extremely good. Bride's Bruised Eye. The young honeymoon couple, Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Linney-Barber, who were involved in a motor cur smash at Nelson immediately after their marriage recently, were passengers in the Wanganella from Wellington for Mel bourne later. Although their car was almost wrecked in striking a telegraph pole v/hei Mr. Liniiey-Barbor was endeavouring to avoid a cyclist, neither he nor his wife was seriously injured. The rride stood at the rail of the vessel smilingly waving good-bye to relatives, and the only evidence she bore of the accident was a bruised right eye. Clocks. When the Queen Mary comes into service she will have on board 59G' clocks, the largest marine clock installation in the world, says the July issue of the "Horological Journal." The whole system will be controlled from the chart house and will consist of 3!) specially'designed clocks for public rooms, 31 speciallydesigned clocks for entrances from decks, 54 specially-designed clocks for first-class cabins, and 102 clocks for galleys, promenade decks, crew and officers' quarters. Captains Five. When the intercolonial liner Maunganui arrived in Wellington recently from Sydney she had on board as passengers no fewer than three captains who had commanded her at various times. These were Captains W. Martin, G. B. Morgan and L. Worrall. In addition, Captain J. Bruce, late of the Kiwitea, and at present on holiday, whs also on the ship. With five captains aboard (including her master, Captain A. T. Toten), the Maunganui surely had claim to the title of the best-commanded ship in the trans-Tasman run. A Better Tone. "There is no doubt whatever that a business recovery is being effected in Gisborne, and that factories have been busier than of recent years," commented Mr. V. 10. Sanders, manager to the Poverty Bay Power Board, at the last meeting of the board (says the "Poverty Bay Herald"). He pointed out that the consumption of electric power for commercial purposes had increased by .t;400, and stated that while the recovery had started from a low point, it was beyond doubt that industrial use of electricity was increasing in proportion to the number of power installations. Heavy Railway Traffic. Railway traffic was particularly heavy during the week-end, partly due to the fact that a number of country school children were returning to their homes after the second term holidays, which ended to-day. The afternoon express for Wellington on Saturday was well patronised, three extra second-class carriages being attached to the train, while the morning express to Opua took four additional cars. Other trains, including the Rotorua and Tauranga expresses, were also well filled. Bookings for the Limited express last evening were so heavy that the usual New Plymouth section of the train was run as a separate unit, leaving Auckland 18 minutes after the Wellington express. In the morning a special train was dispatched for Hamilton, and all fourteen second-class carriages were fully occupied.

I Auckland's Fauna. 1 The adyancing tide of housing and commercial building in Auckland during recent ' years has yet left mud of our wild animal i and bird life remarkably undisturbed. Still 1 occasionally someone hears the notes of the 1 tui in Myers , Park, or the riroriro (bellbird) in the bush in the Domain. Still, anyone who will keep a bird bath replenished and scatter crumbs thrice daily will, even in the heart of the city, be rewarded by regular bird visitors —starlings, thrushes, blackbirds, sparrows, parakeets, fantafls and the tiny wrens. Quail can often be seen walking quite unconcernedly on the site of the old Parnell School, only a few yards from the tram lines, having probably come there from the Domain—that wonderful sanctuary —via the Graftou Valley. They have often, too, been seen in Victoria i Park. Pheasants liave been observed in Eden ' Park, Heine Bay, Ayr Street, in the Domain, of course, and on Constitution Hill. Opossums have been seen in Devonport and many other North Shore localities. Most frequenters of the Domain know the large brown rat which acts as parlour-maid to the black swans in the lake by the kiosk, gliding iinobUiisiveJy from its lair in r. flax dump at the water's edge to clear up or carry away any scraps which the swans have overlooked. On Saturday last a Parnell resident met a fine hedgehog on the footpath, strolling down St. George's Bay hill. Weather in August. August was subject to the effects of several interne storm areas, and unsettled, squally Conditions were frequently experienced, but there were various individual days as well as three more prolonged intervals when fine and mild weather prevailed, reports the Dominion Meteorologist. The generally fine spells covered the periods from the Ist to the 4th, Kth to the 13th, and the 22ud to the 28th, although in the latter period western areas had occasional showers. The month was remarkable for the early advent of strong westerly winds, and on this account the finest and mildest weather was experienced in districts east of the main ranges. There was little growth of pasture in parts of the east coast districts on account of the unusual dryness, but over most of the Dominion feed is plentiful and stocks have generally fared very well through the winter. On the'other hand, the constant wet weather during the middle of the month in the Waiiarapa and other parts of the North Tsland was detrimental to lambing. Fortunately, however, there were no unduly protracted or severe cold spells and no serious losses are reported. The month opened with line weather, which continued until the 4th under the influence of a slight anti-cyclone. A Month of Storms. Northerly winds were particularly severe early last . month in the Taranaki district, where some minor damage to sheds, gardens and fences occurred-. The rear of this storm crossed the Dominion during the night of the Oth, when a. general change to cold, southerly winds took place, tml heavy snow fell in the National Park urea. The next important disturbance was agar one of the westerly type, and was even more intense than the previous one, besides being more prolonged. It first appeared on 1 he'■ 13th, ■ and until the 21st a series of intense waves connected with it continued to cross the Dominion. During this period strong and squally winds from a westerly quarter prevailed", accompanied by heavy ruin at times in districts with a westerly aspect. Thunderstorms, accompanied by hail, occurred at many places in the Nort"> Islnd and northern portion of the South Isla.id on the night of the 16th. There were considerable snowfalls on the ranges while the storm lasted, and during the night of the 20th and the orning of the 21st, while a eouth-westeriy wind blew, snow showers fell at a few low level places on the east coast areas of the South Island. "A blizzard, witli heavy snow, was experienced at this time in the National Park, snow also fullling in parts of Taranaki.