NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 200, 24 August 1936, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

" Under Our Umbrella

While seated in the comforting shelter of the grandstand at C'arlaw Park on Saturday, people were commiserating a solitary "couple" oil the exposed terraces, huddled together under a large umbrella. As the rainfall increased, so did sympathy for the twain in the gloom opposite. Evidently the sight of the outcasts also touched official hearts, and a boy was soon seen scampering across the ground to invite the terrace occupants to the grandstand. A hearty laugh went up when i it was observed that, instead of the "couple" j being romantic lovers, two sturdy youths—one s with bare legs—gladly responded to the invitation. i Kowhai in Bloom. J One Tree Hill, which won in the race to ' report the first lamb of the season, has now s a flowering kowhai tree, which must be one < of the first trees of this type to burst into i bloom. The tree, which stands on the strip i of land near the Royal Oak entrance to the 1 One Tree Hill Domain, began to show signs 1 of colour a week ago, and now it is well i covered with golden blooms. This is another i indication of an early spring being experi- i enced in Auckland. In many parts spring flowers are brightening the appearance of ( home gardens, while fruit trees of various ] kinds are blossoming profusely in certain , localities. ( • 1 Humour in Hospital. V-.. > There is humour as well as pathos in a | hospital ward, and recently some amusement t , was caused by a patient in one of the women's . wards, to whom radiant heat was being applied. She wished the treatment t continued, as it was doing her so much good. One of the ' other patients asked her why she wanted, to continue' the treatment when she was so much better, and could do without it. Then' she confided the view that when she came into hospital she had far too much weight on, and that she thought the radiant heat, if continued long enough, would be good for slim- ; niing, and she wanted to go out of hospital quite a graceful figure. When the story went ■ the round of the other women patients it acted like a tonic. The Flood and An Auckland Ark. Few residents of Morningside would have credited the number of small boys who ap- ■ peared yesterday when it was found that their playing area possessed a lake of its own. The avenue adjoining Fowlds' Park was a river, and at least three backyards lav under water. Lads of a' roving disposition soon discovered a small landslip, which to the more daring formed an excellent ground for mountaineering. That yachting spirit for which Aueklanders are noted came to the fore, and several youngsters navigated the narrow waters in an old packing case with the skill of old hands. At least some hearts rejoiced; one small boy, dripping wet, was heard to remark that 'it was the .best Sunday foe a long time. All Through the Night. Last night, while the city slept and a blanket of silence lay over warehouses and .shops, in a largo mercantile establishment just off Queen Street there was one man who thought of bed and home and made vitriolic comments to himself concerning the reliability of modern electric lifts. ITe was an office cleaner, one of those nocturnal folk who stay behind locked doors until far into the night, sweeping a way. the grime and dust of the day, scrubbing the floors and stairways and cleaning away the waste paper. At six o'clock he stepped blithely into the lift, as he had done every Sunday night for some years past, pressed the button, and had reached the seconfl floor when the lift stopped dead and refused to budge. Unfortunately there was a heavy wooden door between him and freedom, and he did not possess a key to it. A heavilybuilt nian, there was not enough room for him to recline, and he was forced to spend the long, cold hours of the night seated on a box, which had previously contained a popular brand of soap. His comments to an . amused staff' this morning were only what could be expected under the circumstances. Loyal Fire-fighters. "The Devonport fire brigade has certainly a- fine . record for consistency," declared _ Mr. Alex Harris on Saturday evening, when making the annual presentation of honours. "To have two members with 27 years' continuous service must constitute something like a record, and the borough has reason to be proud of its brigade." He then presented gold bars to Superintendent Follas and Deputy-Superin-tendent Stevens, who had completed this lengthy period of service. Other recipients of silver bars were Fireman Whitley, with 21 years' service, Secretary Crabb, with 19 years, and Firemen Cooper and O'Brien, with 15 and nine years' service respectively. The Hon. E. W. Alison, who was present, spoke in reminiscent vein of the establishment of the brigade, which was then equipped with a handcart and reel, and reviewed its progress to its present fine standing, concluding with the wish that Superintendent .Follas would celebrate his jubilee with the brigade. The Marine Suburbs Cup, awarded for«,annual competition between the North Shore boroughs, Was presented by Mr. E. Aldridge to Firemen Clark, Page, Hemingway and Fletcher, Divinity Professor at Hospital. Before he sailed by the Mariposa 011 Saturday, Professor J. Dickie, D.D., principal of the Presbyterian Theological College in Dunedin, found time to pay a brief visit to the Auckland Hospital, where by a happy coincidence he met the chairman of the board, the Rev. W. C. Wood. Dr. Dickie said he had often heard of the high reputation of the Auckland Hospital, and he had seen for himself what a magnificent institution it was. Ho met some of the visiting and nursing sisters at the hospital, and judged that the nursing staff was well organised and efficient, and that the patients were in good hands. The efficient organisation of such a large institution must entail the work of many skilled officials, for the task was a big one indeed. He paid a special visit to Ward 7, where he had a brief talk with Mrs. Howitt, 1 some of whose family he was intimately asso- ' ciated with in Scotland before lie came to the Dominion. From her sick bed, he said, he ! would carry greetings to her kith and kin in the" Old Land, Professor A. Souter, D.D., of Aberdeen University, her . nephew, being a special friend.

Grant for Fire Brigades. A political note was added to the harmony of the occasion on Saturday night at the annual social of the Devonport Fire Brigade: Captain T. J. Watts, travelling supervisor of the Dominion's fire brigades, introduced the subject of the Government's contribution to the biennial demonstration of the,united fire brigades, to be held at kelson next February. He deplored the fact that the suni of £500 usually contributed by the Government had been deleted from 1931 to 1935. 'St had then been restored, with the stipulation that the grant had to be_ spent on railway fares. Seeing 'that about *50 fncmen generally took part in these displays, this_ sum was characterised by the speaker as trifling and inadequate. Superintendent Follas, of the Devonport Brigade, also referred to the subieetV- and mentioned £1500 as being -the amount that should be allocated. Later Mr. W. J. Lyon. M.P. for Waitemata, stated that the isum of £1500 had been placed on the Supplementary Estimates for the year, and that he would bring the matter before the Government for further favourable consideration The brie'adesmen present thoroughly appreciated this gesture of Government interest' in fire-fighting affairs.