NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 28, 3 February 1936, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Uncanny Experience.

Two Birkenhead residents had an uncanny experience about 4.30 o'clock on Sunday morning. They had parked their car under the Birkenhead cliff overlooking the wharf. Just as they got the car out, a flash of lightning struck the cliff above them, and put out ail the street lights. There followed the sound of earth falling down the face of the — oliff. The slip brought down blocked both ends of another car parked under the cliff, and attempts to remove it were fruitless. - Calf Born Without Eyes. The birth of a freak calf, which is still living, occurred on a small farm in Park Ro-kI, Hastings, recently, the event creating n quite a lot of interest among the fanning community in the neighbourhood. The calf y was born without a tail and without any h eves. In the place where the eyes should bo n art two tiny slits, but there is no sign of any j. pupils, and the animal is quite blind. To , make up for this handicap, the calf appears to have been born with another sense, for it g linds its way about without any trouble. j New Zealand Flax. "Naturalist" in Saturday's issue refers 3 ' to the fact that New Zealand flax has been e successfully grown at St. Ives, Cornwall, and e adds: "Some of the original seed comes from y New Zealand and some from the island of i St. Helena, where it is also an indigenous and not an imported plant," writes a correspond dent. As a matter of fact, It was the late y lU. Hon. R. J. Seddon who presented a lot of e Fhormium tenax seed to St. Helena, and also scrit Ikver an official of the New Zealand Gov- ~ eminent for a few months to give instruction £> on how to treat the plants. ' King's Birthday. j One of the automatic alterations in the scheme of things, caused by the accession of s King Edwarli VIII., will be the change-over y of thi»->public holiday on June 3, the birthday f of the late King, to June 23, the date on which King Edward VIII. was born. Business places will observe a closed day on June 23. e and it is fortunate that most of the annual y attractions which are held on the King's birthday have not yet been arranged for this j year. e Loss of Gold Watch. I . To lose a valuable keepsake while pery forming a good deed was the misfortune of a visitor to Northcote last evening. While proceeding along the wharf to catch the 0.30 B o'clock ferry, the visitor made a valiant effort S to retrieve the hat of another man as it was, j borne along by the wind. He failed, but later secured the headgear from between the western railing of the jetty and the vehicular r landing. His exertions, however, caused the 3 wrist band of his gold watch to snap, and the j. timepiece was lost in the sea. 1 Ferry Boat Strikes Log. 1 Passengers by the 8 p.m. ferry on Saturj da v received a shock when a huge log was struck by the vessel, the Albatross, when i iitlbut 700 vards from the Northcote jetty. ! The impact* shook the ferry from stem to ' stern, and some people hastened from their r cabins in time to sec the log swirl alongside. , The Albatross was taken off the run, owing to a reported defect in steering as a result 1 cf the accident. The trans-harbour service to 1 Northcote, Birkenhead and Chelsea was cur--1 tailed for several hours, but the later ferries , ran as usual. 1 "Penny Black'* to be Sold. : """* The proof of the world's first postage ' stamp, the "Penny Black," is to be sold in • London. For years it has been in the country i home of Captain Corbould of Andover, Hampshire, whose ancestor, Henry Corbould, de- ' signed it. Nearly a hundred years ago the i Treasury invited "artists, men of science and the, public in general" to submit proposals foi stamps in competition for prizes. The "penny black" won the competition, and thus became t 1 e mother of postage stamps. Corbould received a fee of twelve guineas, and tlic cngriver, Heath, fifty guineas. On May 1, 1840, Rowland Hill reported: "Great bustle at the stamp office. Two thousand five hundred pounds' worth were sold on the first day. Hoardings Damaged by Storm. During the height of the gale yesterday the hoarding on the Tamaki Drive near the l'arnell overhead bridge was damaged, and thus has been removed, temporarily at least, the subject of much recent discussion. The hoarding was erected some weeks ago on railway property, and roused a storm of protest from such bodies as the Automobile Association and the Chamber of Commerce, which considered that it impaired the appearance of the approach to the drive alon ? the waterfront to St. Helier's Bay. The eastern portion of the structure was completely wrecked, and that facing the city was splintered at the bottom and left leaning at an anHe. This was not the only hoarding in the city and suburbs that suffered in the _ gale, and many others presented a sorry picture when this morning broke fine and calm. At Royal Oak, just past the One Tree Hill Dr main, several structures that extended the whole length of a vacant section were levelled or left standing at a rakish angle. Museum Gifts. Several interesting exhibits have been presented to the Auckland War Memorial Museum during the last week or two. Mr. - . G. Lunn has given a set of the new issue of the New Zealand silver coinage in mint condition, and another set has also been given by the Treasury. Sir Carrick Robertson has presented moa bones found at Kopaki, Te Kuiti. The Colonial Sugar Refining Company has . given a set of examples of sugar cane and a collection of sugar products and materials ( used in the manufacture of sugar. Mn L. , Peacocke has presented two wild boar jaws in which the main teeth have been malformed, j In one case the two tusks have grown right round and passed right through the back of j the jaw. Dr. A. E. Blackburn, of Bcckenham, , in Kent, has presented a very fine artist proof . etching from Collier's portrait of Charles Darwin. Mrs. F. Cook, of Churchill, has pre- < sented a collection of English pottery and china, some Malayan weapons and Maori j articles. Mr. L. A. Meldrum has given stone j adzes from Te Puke, and Mr. S. D. Potter has ( given a mounted collection of New Zealand j moths and butterflies. s Erection of Chest Hospital. * Difficulty in determining the site and the ] style of structure that should be erected seem c to be factors which are delaying the reaching c of finality in the matter of erecting a chest I hospital in Auckland for the purpose of fight- \ ing tuberculosis. The type of building ulti- r mately decided on will no doubt be modelled c on institutions in other parts of the world, t and in this connection it is interesting to note \ that information has just come to hand that c the problem of special T.B. treatment will s soon be solved in Vancouver by the erection li of a concrete building of three storeys and a -v sub-basement. The two top floors are to be o devoted to wards for tuberculosis patients, " and the roof will he eo constructed that v in suitable weather it can be used for y special treatment. On the ground floor, in h addition to the central offices of the tuber- a culosis division of the Provincial Board of t Health, will be the office of the district nurse, r laboratories and quarters for social workers, a Fittings and equipment will be thoroughly v modern, and a good deal of research work S will be done in the building. The wards will v be the most modern in the world, and there \t will be room for 72 beds. Although the struc- ( e: ture will be built in permanent material, it v. will cost £35,000 only, or £500 per bed. G Specially-equipped hospitals in New Zealand fi erst anything up to £JOOO per bed. let

Sheepowners and Government. Assistance to the Government in any thing likely to help the best interests of tin Dominion, and particularly those of the slice] farming industry, has been offered by th< y executive of the Canterbury Sheepowners yj Union. A letter from the Prime Minister, ii r which acknowledgment was made of the offer was received by the executive at its latesi . meeting last week. e Mortality Among Birds. e Mortality amongst birds was heavy ii h yesterday's storm. In the broken branches > that strewed the parks there were manj pathetic little bodies, mostly sparrows, witl here and there a blackbird or a thrush. Man) of the pigeons that nest on the Ferry Build--1 iiips and other blocks near the waterfront were swept from the perches and killed, some rr falling into the harboui, wnere tlieir bodies rr floated yesterday morning amongst the other f d"bris of the storm. V (. Damage by Salt Spray. Many delicate plants bore a frostbitten 0 appearance this morning as a result of the 3 cyclonic storm over the week-end. In sub- ' urbs well removed from the sea the damage was confined to the battering down of shrubs and plants, but in parts not any great distance from it leaves on runner beans, pump--5 kins, dahlias and other flowering plants of the ! delicate varieties were severely blackened. ] The cause of this was salt spray, which was carried inland by the wind. Another noticef able feature of the visitation was that the 1 windows on homes with a southerly aspect were "frosted," this also being caused by salt ? spray. 5 Kingsford Smith Relic. An interesting relic of one of the pioneer l (lights of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith has come into the possession of the Otago Early Settlers' Association. It is a silk Australian ensign, one of four which were brought over , to New Zealand on the first crossing of the f Tasman Sea by the Southern Cross in 1928, . and bears the autographs of "C. Kingsford T Smith, Squad. Leader, and C. T. P. Ulm, , Flight Lieut."—the co-commanders of the , flight. The flags were later raffled for a charitable purpose, and one of tliem was won by i Mr O. G. Miller, of Dunedin, who has now . presented the trophy to the Early Settlers' . Museum. Supplies of Firewood. If the week-end storm did nothing else, it furnished Aucklanders with the opportunity of replenishing their stocks of firewood. [ Iu thousands of gardens and in parks and | reserves the limbs of stout trees were snapped off by the wind, and in some cases huge trees ' were torn out at the roots. Armed with ' boxes and bags, many people were seeu yesterday busily gathering brandies and twigs, while some motorists piled wood into the back seats of their cars. The beaches and : rocks were also happy hunting grounds for the wood gatherers, as the waves were constantly washing up piles of driftwood and the splintered wreckage of pleasure craft. Accommodation for Ministers. Extra accommodation has had to be provided for Cabinet Ministers, who will be busily engaged in Auckland this week. The Minister of Internal Affairs and Pensions, the Hon. W. E. Parry, is installed in the suite on the first floor of the Chief Post Office, while the Minister of Labour and Employment, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, who arrived in Auckland , to-day, has his headquarters in the board room on the ground floor of the Custom House Building. An additional suite of two rooms has been provided on the second floor of the Chief Post Ofliec, and will probably be used by the Minister of Lands, the Hon. F. Langstone, who is due in Auckland to-mor-iow. The suite 011 the second floor of the Custom House Building is also to be again rceonimissioned. Many years ago it was occupied by Ministers, but in more recent times it has served as offices for the Lands Department. New Zealand-made Shoes. According to the latest statistics, there were 2,531,749 pairs of boots and shoes, including slippers, made in New Zealand last year, said Mr. A. E. Marider, secretary of the New Zealand Manufacturers' Federation, today. Of this total, over 1,500,000 pairs consisted of leather boots and shoes for adults, ana it was 'interesting to compare that figure with the number of persons over 10 years of age in the Dominion—9lß,ooo. It seemed hard to realise that, 011 the average, every person in New Zealand bought a new pair of New Zealand shoes every seven or e>iglit months. That, of course, was the average for men and women together. Taking the sexes separately, it would probably be found that men, oil the average, bought one pair a year, and women a now pair every four months or so. The tanneries and shoes factories of the Dominion now employed over 3000 workers, added Mr. Mander; and this was one of the industries which gave employment to a high proportion of male labour, more than twothirds of the total being males. More than 75 per cent of all the shoes purchased in New Zealand were now being made ill the Dominion. Supreme Court in Mourning. As the King's judges and King's Counsel are, by virtue of their patents of appointment, attached to the Royal Court, they assume distinctive mourning whenever Court morning is prescribed. When counsel assembled at the Supreme Court, Wellington, last week, for the "calling" of Mr. P. 13. Cooke, K.C., it was observed that the judges 011 the Bench, tie Rt. Hon. the Chief Justice (Sir Michael Myers) and the Hon. Mr. Justice Reed, wore wide cuffs of white linen over the sleeves of their Court coats, as did the several King's Counsel who attended the ceremony (states the "Dominion"). These are technically known as "weepers." In past days the wearing of weepers was a general practice 011 the occasion of family mourning. In addition, members of the Court and leading counsel , wear "mourners," which are a variation of the white linen "bands" usually worn as part of .the forensic apparel below the collar where a tic is usually placed. In time of Court mourning, differently-shaped bands of the finest ( white lawn, with parallel vertical white tucks, are worn. . Colonial Administration. , Commenting 011 reports he had heard of < the difficulties the New Zealand Government m had experienced in Samoa, Dr. E. Hopkinson,h C.M.G., D.5.0., who arrived by the Mataroai, from London this morning, said that, after < spending 17 years as a medical officer and a ( further 11 years as a commissioner in Gambia, { West Africa, he was convinced that the B'itisli system of administration was un- j doubtedly the best that had been evolved for j countries populated by coloured peoples. f Under the British system, he said, the chiefs j were left in authority so long as they were f not too barbarous or turbulent, while the commissioner "kept an eye on them" to see that they behaved. The commissioners forwarded their reports to the administrative J centre. They had 110 staffs themselves, which saved the necessity of taxing the natives heavily to pay for the administration. From c what he had heard, such taxes seemed* to be one of the main grievances of the Samoans. p "This system, I must admit, does not always work so well. where there is a considerable J white population,- as a commissioner who can handle the natives admirably may not be r tible to get on so well with the white" popula- a tic.n, especially when the interests of the two f races conflict and the commissioner is the i adjudicator between them. When there is a C white population, labour troubles crop up. Some would, if they could, enslave the natives, C vvjijle others over-pay them. That is the t worst fault of the British. From my African s sxperience 1 consider that the only colonisers c tvhc can compare with the British are the 11 jermans, who are wonderfully efficient, and w ; a>- from brutal to the natives, as many people n icem to think." J a