NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 181, 1 August 1936, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Passing It On. "If increased costs of poultry could be passed 011, I would have to charge 06 2-3 per cent more for eggs; I wonder what people woukl say to that?" asked a poultry farmer amid laughter at a Farmers' Union meeting in liotorua. " Paddy's Watch." When Air. 1). K. Blair, of Wellington, was giving evidence as a Lloyd's surveyor in the Arbitration Court hearing of the shipowners' application for a 44-hour week, he was asked whether he had worked long. liours in his youth. "Ves, I did," said the witness. "I usecl to be on a Paddy's watch—go on and stay on." The King in the Court. An assertion that the magistrate, Mr. W. F. Stilwell, was "the King in the Court" was made by a defendant in the Magistrate's Court, Wellington, during the hearing of a case in which the possession of ail overcoat was' in dispute. "Now, you and I are not going to argue over this," the magistrate told defendant. "No," he replied, "I am not going to argue with you, either; you are the King in this Court." The magistrate: "Well, I am not prepared to discuss that with you, either." Opapa Railway Bend. So that the railway trains may be given a straight run at the approach to the Te Ante incline, the Railway Department is laying a new track at the foot of the hill, thereby eliminating a curve in the line, states the "Hawke's Bay Herald." For this purpose the Department lias by proclamation acquired an area of land measuring nearly an acre and a quarter. Many New Lambs. Young lambs are becoming quite numerous throughout the Wanganui district, especially along the coastal area. A Wanganui "Chronicle" reported was advised last week that a farmer .in the Springvalc district already had a good average of lambs in one of his paddocks. In several paddocks on the Main South Road near Wangaehu there are a number of lambs, and considerable interest was taken in them by passing motorists.

Tribute to " Scotty " Fraser. The late "Scotty" Fraser was formerly a member of the 15!ack Watch Regiment, with which St. Cuthbert's College was recently linked up, and whose tartan is now featured in the school uniform. The girls of the college have therefore taken up a collection on their own account, and as a result the fund for the widow nnd children of Mr. Fraser, who was killed in a parachute descent when taking part in a benefit aerial pageant for his friend, the late Squadron-Leader M. C. McGregor, will benefit to the extent of about £0. Other Days Recalled. Memories of the days when the Canterbury Steam Shipping Company's coastal steamer Calm was a regular trader were recalled when the same company's motor ship Gale arrived at the Wanganui wharf with one of the Calm's lifeboats securely lashed on the top of No. 1 hatch (states the Wanganui "Chronicle"). The boat lias been sold to a Wanganui purchaser, and was shipped at Lyttelton. The Calm, having, outlived her period of usefulness, was sold to sliipbreakers some months ago, and broken up for scrap metal. With the exception, of that portion of the vessel's hull which is below the waterlinc, the operation was carried out while the Calm was alongside the wharf at Lyttelton. The scrap will be shipped to Japan in the near future. Dunedin's Week-end " Invasion." Mr. J. S. Douglas, who is convener of the committee which is dealing with the problem of accommodation in Dunedin during this week-end, when thousands of visitors are expected for the Ranfurly Shield match today and the pipe bands' display on Sunday, has succeeded in obtaining the co-opera-tio'n of the Railways Department officials. A large waiting room at the southern end of the railway station has been placed at Mr. Douglas' disposal to utilise from Friday evening to cope with the demand for accommodation. Mr. Douglas expresses pleasure at the response that has been made by private citizens in offering accommodation, but so great was the inquiry from visitors that more accommodation was needed.

The Last Straw. The relationship of sailors to the ship's lamp trimmer, outside of working hours, has evidently changed in more recent years. At one time when the ship was in port for the night and the sailors returned after an evening ashore they were careful not to waken the lamp trimmer if lie liad already turned in. That was the usage, unless a returning sailor had something in a bottle to impart. A captain told a Duncdin "Star"' reporter about his lamp trimmer lodging a complaint anent a young sailor waking hi;.i up when he came aboard the previous night. The lamp trimmer clinched his grievance in these words: "He actually woke me up to give me ;• chocolate! What's things coming to these u;\ys!" Gun's Midnight Journey. A low rumble and the sound of marching feet heard at an early hour on a recent morning presaged something unusual and prompt-d an investigation, states the "Otago Daily Times." It appeared that the students at Knox College had suffered an affront by the removal from the precincts of the college of the, cannon presented to them l>y the City Council. To borrow a student expression, this procedure had been authorised b.y "some irresponsible individual," and not wishing to he robbed of their trophy a number of young men from the college set out to find the missing piece of ordnance and restore it to its proper resting place. Cheerfully, if belatedly, the "war veterans of the future," as they described themselves, trundled tlioir howitzer along King Street ill the face of a cold, misty rain, and so back home. Once it was safely: installed in the college grounds again they; proposed to institute such measures as would, make the prospects of the cannon ever reaching the hands of the Japanese as scrap iron extremely remote. Flowers as Empire Bond. "Naturalist" writes:—"Wild Flowers of the Great Dominions of the British Empire" is the title of a book by Lady Hockley, C.8.E., recently published in London. The authoress brings forward the charming and by no means unpractical suggestion that greater knowledge of other Dominions' and colonies'flowers would form a real bond of Empire. In every Dominion the child is taught to think of the Old Land as Home, and a knowledge of the flowers of the Homeland is taught, but how much, for instance, does tlie average New Zealander know of the plant life of Canada, or tlie average South African of th«* Australian bush? Lady Roekley holds that even a slight and unscientific knowledge on the interDominion lines suggested would be a uniting bond, and add reality to the picture called up by the mention of other parts of the Empire. To know something of the floral beauty of the juiigle, the forest, the hills and plains of distant but "cousin" lands could hardly fail to increase the interest and understanding which bind all British subjects together. Lady Roekley writes attractively of the arum lilies "running wild on the railway embankments near Auckland," and she also makes reference to the "golden gorsc on the hillsides further south." The romantic aspect of gorse is possibly less evident to the farmer.

£320 Left in Bus. Most people will consider that an elderly woman resident at St. Helier's has every reason to consider herself lucky. On Thursday night she left her purse, containing £320, in a bus, and inside two hours the purse and money had been returned to her. Another woman passenger in the bus picked the purse up, and examined the "contents, which revealed the name of the owner. She immediately got into touch with the bus company, and the purse and money were restored to a - muchrelieved owner. Lion Cubs at Zoo. The Auckland Zoo has already obtained a reputation for the breeding of wild animals in captivity, but quite a singular happening was the birth yesterday of a litter of four lion cubs. Lions have been bred and reared consistently at the Zoo over a number of years, but the normal litter is two. The parents of the four cubs are Trixy and Victor, who are both about 1(5 years old, and have had four previous litters at the Zoo, where they have spent most of their lives. If the present litter survives there will be eight cubs at the Zoo. Teaching History of New Zealand. The view that perhaps more could be done in the teaching of New Zealand history in schools was expressed by Mr. Spenceley Walker at a gathering last evening of the Auckland Historical Society. Mr. Walker said it was not until about 1921 that Dominion history was taught regularly in the schools. Greater interest in local history seemed to be taken in Australia. To iind articles dealing with New Zealand history in the "School Journal" was the exception rather than the rule. He mentioned the good work in the encouragement of local history being carried out at the Auckland Training College under its director, Mr. D. M. Rao. Little New Zealanders. "When the Navy League was formed we had the Little Englander with us. To-day we have the Little Englander and the Little New Zealander, still, only unfortunately they are more numerous," said the Hon. W. Perry, M.L.C., in an address at the annual meeting of the Wellington Navy League. The Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, presided. Since the war, Mr. Perry said, public opinion had become more and more apathetic. Recently, however, there had been a quickening of the public pulse on matters of defence. The apathetists were now beginning to think that there had been something in the propaganda put forward by the Navy League.

Ship Rams Whale. An interesting letter was received by a well-known city solicitor this morning from Mr. W. H. Bowen, who was travelling by the R.M.S. Remuera to England. The letter is dated June 28, 1930, and was written three days off the Panama Canal. Mr. Bowen writes: "We struck a whale last night, and it got curled around the bow of the ship, causing the vessel to lose speed, and it was necessary to stop the ship to release it. The whale was apparently sleeping, and was caught unawares; however, it caused a bit of excitement." Mr. Bowen also states that to his knowledge this has happened only once before 111 such latitudes, and that was when the Monowai was on a recent cruise. "Truthful Anglers." An announcement at the anniversary banquet of the Wellington Y.M.C.A. that the Right Bev. H. St. B. Holland, the new Bishop of Wellington, was an angler, was greeted with pleasure by the Governor-General, Lord Galway, who said that perhaps they might together form the distinguished company of two truthful anglers. He at least hoped neither would ever be grouped with the man who dislocated his shoulder when trying to illustrate the size of his fish. Mr. R. H. Nimmo, president of the Y.M.C.A.. who presided, remarked that the bishop would find that the fish were so large that it was never necessary to tell a lie about one in New Zealand.

Centennial Celebrations. "Centennial celebration means more than the keeping of a birthday; it means the review of the whole period and the events leading to that period," said the Rev. A. B. Chappell, president of the Auckland Historical Society, in speaking 011 "The Birth of a Centenary" to fellow members last evening. The coming of British rule in 1840 fixed the year for the anniversary, but the happenings of previous years were also of importance. Mr. Cliappell, in outlining various proposals for celebrating centennial year, and particularly those for Auckland, advocated the staging of a grand pageant 011 the lines of those conducted in England and other countries. Such a pageant would need to capture in detail the spirit and atmosphere of the time, but Auckland had the ideal setting for this. A film of historical and scenic interest was exhibited hv Mr. Hemi Bennett, son of Bishop Bennett, who suggested to the meeting that such films offered an excellent medium for preserving material of historical interest. The suggestion was endorsed by the president. A Great Man's Passing. Accounts of the funeral of the late C. K. Chesterton, the famous man of letters, show that two Aucklanders were present, the Rev. Dr. Buxton, administrator of St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the Rev. Father Colgan, of Avondale. A touching message was received of the nation's act of homage when Solemn Requiem Mass was offered in Westminster Cathedral, Archbishop Hinsley receiving the following cablegram from Cardinal Pacelli: — "Holy Father deeply grieved death Mr. Gilbert Keitli Chesterton, devoted son of Holy Church, ™ifted defender of the Catholic Faith. His Holiness offers paternal sympathy people of England, assures prayers dear departed, bestows Apostolic Blessing." Among the large crowd at the obsequies were ambassadors of several foreign nations. Father John O'Connor, rector of St. Cuthbcrt's, Bradford, who had received "G.K." into the Church, and who is known to thousands of readers as the original "Father Brown" of Chesterton's famous detective stories, left a sick bed to celebrate the Mass.

Early New Zealand Research. The Deed of research work for the purpose of completing early New Zealand records and also of ensuring historical accuracy was emphasised by Professor James Rutherford, Professor of History at the Auckland University College, in speaking at last evening's meeting of the Auckland Historical Society. To illustrate the pitfalls into which writers about early New Zealand might fall, ho mentioned that one or two authors claimed that Captain Cook proclaimed British sovereignty over New Zealand at Poverty Bay ou October 10, 1709. This was not correct —the journals of Cook merely stated that a party of marines with a flag landed there 011 that date—but one early journal made this mistake, and the authors mentioned had presumably obtained their erroneous information from thnt source. Professor Rutherford said he would like to see the Qivernment undertake the publication of the full text of the most important records in the archives in Wellington, so as to preserve them and also to make them available to students and others throughout the world. Great Britain and Australia had started the task of publication of State papers, Government dispatches and other documents, but New Zealand had yet to begin that work. He invited the assistance of members' of the society in gathering old letters and material from private collections and other sources that, after careful perusal, .might be found to have an important bearing on early New Zealand history. ,