NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 83, 7 April 1936, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Wool for Export. Large staffs are busy at tlie various wool stores in Auckland baling the wool sold for export at tlie third Auckland sale. Every bale, after being specially branded with the mark of the consignee and the port of destination, care being taken to see that it is up to weight and packed properly, is transferred to tlie shipping companies' stores. Here the wool is held in bond until cleared for shipment. Five Expresses South. A total of five expresses will leave Auckland for Wellington on Thursday—the result of heavy Easter bookings. The expresses will leave Auckland at 8 a.m., 3. p.m., 7 p.m., 7.40 p.m., and 10.30 p.m. Seats are still available oil the various provincial expresses, but the demand for accommodation is heavy, especially on the trains, for Eotorua and Xew Plymouth. Trains leaving to-day were well booked, and the Limited express to-morrow evening is fully booked. Hard on Footwear. N The statement that the average life of the soles of his boots was three weeks was made by a milk roundsman when giving evidence at the Arbitration Court yesterday afternoon. The witness said that the roundsmen worked at practically a continuous trot, and their footwear had frequently to be repaired. The Court wanted to know what kind of footpaths there were in the district, a query which brought the answer that they were just the usual hard ones. The witness concluded by stating that he repaired his own boots. A Heme Bay Eyesore. The site of the old Ponsonby tramcar. depot at the corner of Wallace Street and Jervois Road, which was demolished some years ago, still remains an eyesore to residents of Ponsonby and Heme Bay. The Auckland Transport Board has subdivided the property into twelve sections, two of which may be used for commercial building, and the remainder are residential sites. No buyers, however, have come forward, and the land continues to lie idle. A resident in the district mentioned to a "Star" reporter this morning that the property would make an ideal park or reserve, as it was situated about midway between Point Erin Park and Bayfield Park. The suggestion, he said, was not entirely new, but it had not been seriously entertained.

Ants' Dislike for Tar. The well-known dislike oT rats and mice to the smell of tar is also borne by the flying ants which have been so prevalent in and around Auckland during the past week. Street tar spraying was going on in the western part of Devonport during the week-end, when myriads of flying ants made it very unpleasant for those in the open. They even invaded some of the houses. The tar sprayer got to work on Saturday morning, and the engine made much noise as it operated. It was soon evident that the workmen would not be worried with the pests, and as the smell of the tar floated over a widely scattered area the ants flew away. The noise may have scared the pests, for ants are sensitive to any kind of noise, but it is thought that it was the smell of the tar which sent them away to worry folk where no tar spraying was being carried on. League Honours Board. A special honours board, containing the names of all living officials who have a record of 25 years and over in the service of the code in Auckland, is to be compiled and hung in the head office of the Auckland Rugby League. A decision' to this effect was reached at the annual meeting of the League last evening. The matter arose out of congratulations being extended to Mr. W. Mineham on reaching his twenty-fifth year in the game. Others who will qualify with Mr. Mineham to have their names inscribed on the roll of honour, and were actually present at the meeting, were: —Messrs. E. K. Aslier (City Rovers) and A. Ferguson (Devonport), 27 years; J. Rukutai (Control Board) and W. J. Liversidge (New Zealand Council), 20 years; Ivan Gulpan (A.R.L. secretary) and Pro. Henry (Newton Rangers), 25 years. Power Supply Change-over.

An indication that the board proposed to continue in the meantime with dual mains for the purpose of supplying both alternating current and direct current in certain areas, and that that policy would be adhered to until such time as a complete change-over was made, was given by the chairman of the Auckland Electric Power Board, Mr. W. J. Holdsworth, at a meeting of the board yesterday. Mr. Holdsworth explained that a comprehensive report on the question of the change-over to alternating current had been the subject of two meetings of the board, and the whole matter would be reported 011 in a fortnight's time. A further report would be presented to the board, and the whole matter would then be made public, and the consumers would be able to grip the policy of the board. The matter was something of a very big nature, and could not be hurried. It was a problem that would' have to be handled with every due care.

Electricity Account. A sequel to the abrupt termination of the season of the Nellie Bramley Revue Company was heard at a meeting of the Auckland Electric Power Board yesterday, when an account for electricity supplied to the company at His Majesty's Theatre amounting to £51 10/4 was referred to. The general manager, Mr. R. H. Bartley, stated that payment of the account had been deferred by the board at the request of Messrs. J. C. Williamson, Ltd., owing to the fact that the company responsible was. unable to pay the account, and the matter had been held over to give Messrs. Williamson, Ltd., the opportunity of endeavouring to recover the amount from the company. The board finally decicjed that as all accounts for His Majesty's Theatre were rendered in the name of Messrs. J. C. Williamson, Ltd., the board must look to them for payment of the account, and no allowance could be made. The board, however, was prepared to allow discount on the account if paid promptly. The company in question , was headed by Miss Nellie Bramley, but she had no part in its management or the payment or otherwise of its accounts. National Park for Scotland. Just at a time when Auckland is considering a suggestion to form a great national park in the Waitakere Ranges to commemorate Auckland's part in the New Zealand centenary celebrations, papers to band from Great Britain tell of a scheme in Scotland which aims at the establishment of the first national park in that" country. The proposals generally seem to have been favourably received bv the newspapers of Scotland. Sir John Stirling Maxwell, chairman of the committee of influential .men dealing with the matter, said he would like to stress the point' that in launching an experiment of this kind they had to go carefully. It was suggested the' place should be secured for those who were keen to get to the wide open spaces and let it be open to the general public. A London nobleman congratulated Scotland on being the first in securing through the Forestry Commissioners the opportunity of making an experiment, which, if successful, would be tried subsequently in England and Wales in connection with the great estates of the Forestry Commission. When New Zealanders consider how an old country like Scotland is trying to rectify an error of the past, they can recognise how fortunate they are in this new country, where there are natural parks unsurpassed in any part of the world because of the foresight of Maori and pakeha alike.

Influx of "Swaggers." A sudden influx of "swaggers" in the Opotiki district, making their way through to Gisborne, is attributed to tlie prospected completion of the East Coast railway from Napier to Gisborne (reports the "Star's" Opotiki correspondent). The men on th<3 road are much above the usual type of swagger, and apparently are anxious to secure work when the railway construction recommences. The Text for Him. It had been a heavy night for the young man, whose birthday had preceded Palm Sunday, and Palm Sunday services are not kind to those whose eyes and head are heavy. Time drew on, and the service proceeded slowly. The "grade" became more difficult, and he concentrated on the Gospel for the day. Then his companion felt the nudge of an elbow, and followed an indicating finger: "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Politics and Racehorses. Political colour —though, perhaps, faint— was lent to the maiden race at the Pahiatua Racing Club's meeting recently when Forum, one of tlie contestants, was listed with the Minister of Mines, the Hon. P. C. Webb, as part owner with the Hon. G. R. Hunter, a newly-appointed Labour member of the Legislative Council. To complete the picture the jockey's name was Savage. Evidently the unusual combination did not catch the public fancy, for the horse went to the post as seventh favourite. Forum, however, disregarded this unsympathetic indication of public feeling, and went on to finish second, after being well back early in the race. JUnusual . Earthquake.

An earthquake, the centre of which was estimated to be 3000 miles in a north-easterly direction from Christchurch and at a depth of 500 kilometres, has been recorded by the seismograph at the Christchurch Magnetic Observatory. This is a disturbance of an unusually deep origin, said Mr. H. F. Baird in pointing out that most earthquakes had their origin at a depth of about 15 kilometres. It was only in recent years that it had been shown that earthquakes could develop at such great depths, and there were many problems for seismologists and geologists to solve before the mechanism of sucli deep-seated locations could be understood. Land Value and Climate. In the opinion of Mr. J. E. Benson, of Ormond, near Gisborne, who lias recently been on a six weeks' tour, there is cheap land in the South Island offering great opportunities for the young farmer. "If I were a young man," he said on his return home, "I should certainly go south. The land is cheap, and the rates are low. Up here we pay for the climate." Mr. Benson said that farmers in the south seemed to have weathered the slump much better than those in the north, where values jumped to abnormal levels. Those in the south were more content to farm their land during the boom period than to sell it, with the result that values did not rise to such an alarming extent as in the North Island. Cold Winter in America.

Though he did not see anything of the recent floods in the United States, Mr. Walter Miller, who has just returned to Wellington from a business visit to U.S.A., saw enough bad weather to convince him that the winter was the worst he liad ever seen in the States. It was said in America that the weather was the coldest it had been for 40 years. Some said it was the coldest winter on record. Mr. Miller spent some time in California, where the weather was warm and pleasant. But in Colorado and Kansas he had seen sandstorms so big that he could not see the sun. It was like a typical foggy day in London. The sand was carried into the air in great masses, and seemed to stay there for days, though actually it was constantly shifting. But it was quite impossible to see the sky. The Superstitious Sex. Women are generally credited with being more superstitious than men, but an incident witnessed in a local picture theatre the other night indicates that there are exceptions states the "Otago Daily Times." A man and a woman had been comfortably seated during the first half of the programme, but the man left his seat at the interval, and it was only when he returned that he noticed the seat he had occupied was numbered 13. A look almost akin to dismay spread over his face as he drew his companion's attention to the unlucky number, and after some slight reluctance he sat down again. His discomfort, however, was apparent, and before long the two were observed to change seats, the man with some diffidence and some relief, and the woman with manifest tolerance and unconcern. Good "Sports" at Matamata.

A very fine sporting attitude was displayed at llatamata when accounts in connection with the recent M.C.C. match were under consideration (writes the "Star's" local correspondent)'. After it had been announced that the guarantors of the cost of the match would not be called upon, Mr. J. Polilen, who rifces the horses Valspear and Poi Dance, said as one of the guarantors he had had no misgivings as to the financial result of the match at Matamata, providing the weather was fine. It had turned out wet, but the gates had been wonderful, yet not, of course, sufficient. However, he said, men went to races and thought nothing of losing "a fiver." Cricket was a great game, and he was prepared to hand over his "fiver" for the purchase of machinery for the Matamata ground. This spontaneous offer was followed by others until the amount offered totalled £25.

The Rabbit Pest. Despite concentrated efforts for many years to keep them out, rabbits are reported to be spreading though South Taranaki. Odd burrows have been found at intervals during recent years, but recently flourishing colonies of young rabbits were discovered in the Hawera, Patea, Opunake and Kaponga districts, and farming interests are becoming alarmed at the spread. The effect on the South Taranaki farmer from a financial viewpoint was stressed by a busiuess man, who referred to a letter from an Otago friend. The latter said he had inspected a farm property on which financial help was desired. The land was absolutely riddled with warrens, and was not worth 10/ an acre. At a meeting of the provincial executive of the Farmers' Union last week (reports the "Star's" Hawera correspondent) it was decided to bring the matter to the notice of county councils within the area of No. 7 highways district, and to send a deputation to the next meeting of the Taranaki Local Bodies' Association.

Meadow on a Hill. A man in search of "a meadow on a bill and the bush" where he can live in peace for the remainder of his days is Dr. C. A. Eiedel. who arrived at Wellington recently on the Tainui. He wants a humble resting place for his declining years, and, in his own words, "when I'm called to suffer like a well-bred animal, I will have suffering in silence in the bush." He admitted it was a humble thought, but it was his ideal. Dr. Riedel is a retired medical practitioner. Dr. Riedel said he was born in Germany, but stated he possessed a British heart —through his mother. His one wish was to live and die a British subject. In his leisure time he has travelled through many countries, and has made a host of friends, some of whom are prominent. His greatest friend is Colonel Gordon Casserlv. a novelist, who for 20 years has been a British officer in India. The late Rudvard Kipling was the friend and protector of C'asserly. Dr. Riedel was introduced to Mr. Kipling in Bombay. Another close friend of Dr. Riedel is Munthe, of "San Miehele" fame. Munthe was also a doctor practising in Rome and Paris while Dr. Riedel was in practice in Germany.