NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 141, 16 June 1936, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

"Old Man of the Sea." '"The 'Old I'm of the Sea' is still alive, and is hanging round our shoulders," said Mr. W. IT. Xagle at yesterday's meeting of the Auckland Transport Board. He was referring to the board's burden of high overseas interest charges, plus exchange, on its loan and sinking fund accounts. He expressed concern that the board had still to carry such an excessive burden. Helensville Detour. A portion of the main highway to Helensville will be closed, as from to-day, for a few weeks on account of reconstruction work. Trallic will lie required to make a detour between Huapai and AVainiauku by way of the Muriwai Road. The highway is being strengthened and the visibility improved. A bridge at Reweti, between Waiiyauku and Helensville, is also being replaced, and, on account of the sharp angle, motorists arc advised to approach cautiously the temporary structure. Cause of Laughter. There was laughter at a cause of laughter during the Mareo retrial at the Supreme Court yesterday afternoon, when the Crown Prosecutor, Mr. Meredith, assumed from the fact that a patient laughed at jokes told to her that slio now appreciated humour. "Is that a safe assumption?" asked Mr. Justice Callan. "Have you never had a case of a person joining in laughter without knowing what the joke is about?" Mr. O'Leary: "That is very common in Court, sir." His Honor: "Yes, but then it depends on who tells the story." Heavy Mail Cargo. Carrying an exceptionally "heavy quantity of mail from Australia, the Wanganella, which is due to arrive at Auckland, has also a considerable amount of air mail. No mail vessel has left Australia since June 5 for New Zealand. and in the nfeantime there has been a considerable accumulation. The consignment is mainly Australian, but it includes four air mails which were dispatched from London on May 20, May 24. May 27 and May 31 respectively. Tlie vessel has GST bags of ordinary mail and 90 bags of parcels for New Zealand. Of that amount 154 bags of mail and 43 bags of parcels are for Auckland. Blackfish on East Coast.

A most unusual spectacle is to be seen on the Nuliaka Beacli, nearly f>o miles south of Gisborne. Over 230 blackfisli arc now and dry on the beach, principally opposite Uriti Hill. The first batch of about 120 appeared on Thursday, but since then tlie number has greatly increased, and they still continue to come ashore. In length the blackfisli vary from Oft to 10ft. This is the first time that blackfisli have been washed up on the Nuhaka side of Opoutama, and hundreds of people have visited the scene. Maoris have been very busy cutting up the flesh, from which oil is obtained, and carting it away for boiling down. Praise for Social Workers. Deep appreciation of the assistance and advice received by him during the past year from the social workers of Auckland was expressed by the Mayor, Mr. Ernest Davis, when speaking at the special meeting of the Auckland City Council last evening. Mr. Davis said he 'desired to attest, from personal knowledge, to the value to the community of the service in the different spheres of activity given by the social workers. "To me it has been a ' genuine pleasure to meet and work with the members of the various social organisations whose unobtrusive yet tireless work is deserving of the city's best thanks," he added. He also paid a tribute to the loyal co-operation he had received from members of the council staff, and expressed the view that the city was fortunate in its possession of officials whose qualifications and efficiency interpreted the highest traditions of local go v er.n me nt ad minis tr at ion. Philatelic Honour. The distinction of gaining the highest honour in the stamp collecting world belongs to Mr. R. J. G. Collins, of Ghrietchurch, who has received advice by cablegram that his name has been added to the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists. This award is given each year to three persons throughout tlie world, and, although there was a representative of the Dominion on the original roll, Mr. Collins is the first New Zealander to have his name added to the roll. He is also by far the youngest. Mr. Collins' nomination was forwarded by the Cliristchurch Philatelic Society. From 1912 he had carried out research work into the stamps of New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. In 1922 he organised the first New Zealand exhibition and congress, at which the New Zealand Philatelic Council was formed, and of which he has been secretary froin the inception. He was appointed the Dominion representative of tlie Royal Philatelic Society in the same year. Among original names on the roll was that of Mr. A. T. Bate, of Wellington, who for many years was a fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society, and until his death was its representative in New Zealand.

Visit Cancelled. It is announced that the proposed visit to New Zealand this year of the New South Wales State Orchestra has been cancelled. Mr. If. Gladstone Hill, of Christclnireh, had been endeavouring to arrange the visit, and had been in communication with the Minister of Education, the Hon. P. Eraser. The Minister expressed the hope that the visit would l)e postponed for only one year, and said that later he would be prepared to give as much assistance as possible. Opossum Trapping. The opossum trapping season opened yesterday, and from now on till September 1 trappers will be busy in the Auckland areas, where the little animals are found. The Auckland district comprises an area within 25 miles' radius of the city, and the best of the trapping centres are said to be Ilangitoto, Kawau Island, Clevedon, Waiwera and Helensville. Last year 17,000 skins were sent to Dunedin, which is the clearing centre for the Dominion. The prices of the skins ranged from 5/9 to 8/. The skins arc sent to Great Britain and the United States to bo used in the making of high-grade coat collars. Earthquake Resisting Buildings. As a result of correspondence with Mr. Clarke Freeman, of Providence, Rhode Island, America, a copy of a translation of Professor Tachu Naito's "Earthquake Resisting Construction" lias been donated to the college library, stated a letter from the actingProfessor of Architecture, Mr. S. Irwin Crookes, jun., received at a meeting of the council of the Auckland University College yesterday. Mr. S. Irwin Crookes said that the volume was a most valuable publication on the subject with which it dealt. He added that the author had been engaged in the rebuilding of Tokyo after the earthquake there. The council is to send a letter of thanks to Mr. Freeman. Rating Comparison. The fact that one-third of the rates of the city are derived ,from the business area was mentioned by the Mayor, Mr. Ernest Davis, at a special meeting of the Auckland City Council last evening, when the estimates for the year were presented. The Mayor said that the total area of the city was 18,700 acres, and the business portion, comprising all within a 50-chain radius from Quay Street, and embracing Anzac Avenue, Princes Street. Fergusson Street and Gaunt Street, was 393 acres, or l-47th of the whole. The total rateable value of the city was £2,509,005, and the rateable value of the business area of 393 acres was £809,618, or 34 per cent of the whole. Several of- the councillors referred to the comparison, contending that the public actually paid the rates, and that business people were only the receivers of the money.

Superannuation. A suggestion that the Waitemata Electric Power Board was "logging behind" in not providing a superannuation scheme for its employees was made at yesterday's meeting by Mr. ,T. Guiniven. Mr. Guiniven moved that tiie manager should circularise other power boards to consider the matter and suggest a basis on which a superannuation scheme might be established. lie said that whatever scheme was adopted, it must be compulsory if it was to be successful. The chairman, Mr. W. K. T. Leighton, said the board had on three previous occasions considered the matter and had put schemes before the employees, but they refused to agree to them. Mr. Guiniven's motion was withdrawn in favour of one bv Mr. S. E. Kennings, that particulars of the National Provident Fund scheme should be obtained. The Bledisloe Medal for Art. The honour of winning the Bledisloe landscape medal has this year fallen to Miss I. G. Eise, of Auckland, for a painting, "Mangaotaki River." The work is at present hanging in the. annual exhibition of the Auckland Society of Arts. The former Governor* General gave the medal with the object of encouraging the painting of New Zealand landscape; this being defined as "natural landscape of an uncultivated nature." The competition has been held annually for the past five years. Miss Eise studied at the 151 am School of Art during the war under Mr. Edward Tristrom. She has specialised in landscape work, and in 1934 and 1935 she exhibited work in the annual British Empire exhibition at London. She will do so again this year. 4 Cost of Electricity. The contention that rates at which electricity was supplied for domestic use in Christehurcli offered little advantage over the rates in Auckland was made at the meeting of the Auckland Electric Power Board yesterday afternoon. Advice was'received from the Cliristchureh board that the domestic rate had been reduced from ;]d to Id. The chairman, Mr. W. J. Holds worth, said that while it appeared that a substantial cut had been made, it had to be. remembered that in Cliristchureh the rate was net, as no concession was made for prompt payment. On the other hand, there was a penalty clause. In Auckland the rates were 3d, less 10 per cent. The concessions made in the southern city amounted to £12,000, whereas in Auckland the amount was £51,000. Christchurch had obtained its supply from Lake Coleridge at more favoui - able rates than Auckland had done later on, but when the present contract in Christchurch expired the price might be brought up to that paid by other, boards. "Our maximum lighting rate of 3d per unit is about the finest in the British Empire. That is a big statement to make, but we have checked up on it," the chairman stated finally. Airport Facilities. Reference -to the possibilities of the utilisation of the Mangere aerodrome as the main airport for some years to come was referred to by the Mayor, Mr. Ernest Davis, in his financial report to the Auckland City Council last evening. "This matter has been fully explored," said Mr. Davis. "A report was made by the Director of Civil Aviation, Wing-Commander T. M. Wilkes, and he expressed the opinion that the city would be unwise not to secure rights over the proposed site at Point England: The report indicated that although Mangere would serve the requirements of Auckland for some few years, eventually a larger and better-shaped aerodrome would become essential —probably in from three to five years. Wing-Commander Wilkes held that Mangere could not possibly fulfil anticipated future requirements, in so far as they could be judged from present-day i standards, but Point England undoubtedlyl would. I feel that, whatever site is selected, there can be 110 question but that Auckland is likely to become the chief port of call for overseas air services, and the main distributing point to the other centres of New Zealand."