NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 292, 10 December 1936, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Thirty Miles An Hour Signs. Reporting to the Automobile Association (Auckland) last evening on "apparent peculiarities" in the erection of the 30 miles an hour restriction signs, the touring manager, Mr. K. E. Champtaloup, said the work being carried out this week was only preliminary to the extra signs that woukl be placed next week, when the de-restricted areas had been gazetted. Before Christmas every main road in the Auckland Province would be marked, but the work would only proceed as fast as i the signs were received from the factory, and the completion of the work depended On the date of the "Gazette" notices. A.A. and Harbour Bridge. l A decision not to enter into any controversy regarding the merits or demerits of a 1 bridge or tunnel across the Waitemata Har- ' bour was made at last evening's meeting of - the Automobile Association (Auckland). A , letter was received from Mr. R. D. Stewart advocating a tunnel and asking the support T of the association. Mr. 11. ,T. Butcher asked ! if the association would agree to Highway [ Board funds being used for any bridge or tunnel. He himself would not agree to this. ' The president, Mr. F. G. Farrell, said the asso- ) eiation would be well advised to keep clear of I any controversy. On his motion, a resolution ( not to enter into any controversy was carried. > Strange Cause of Death. L A well-known Poverty Bay sheep farmer, L Mr. IT. W. Barker, of Hexton, has lost a L valuable Polled Hereford bull, Bonny Gem, whose death was due to an unusual cause. The bull was a four-year-old, and was pur- ■' chased at the Royal Show <fs a two-year-old. 3 About IS months ago (says a Press Associa- . tion message from Gisborne) the animal began to have frequent turns of illness and became 1 seriously ill about a month ago, but appeared l to recover somewhat. However, on Monday t afternoon the bull dropped dead. Mr. Barker, who is an experienced farmer, was mystified, and instructed a veterinary surgeon to hold a L post-mortem examination. When this was i done a piece of fencing wire, three and a half I inches long, with one end turned round like •a hook, was found deeply embedded in the 5 heart. It probably had been swallowed in ;■ food years ago. ' The Money Goes Around. According to indications, this is going to ! be the busiest Christmas shopkeepers have I experienced in a decade. That, at least, is [ the opinion of many Auckland retailers, and they have backed it with orders for CliristL mas goods, which constitute a record. Already • the rush of shopping has commenced, and in t all varieties of stores the assistants are being kept busy attending to customers' wants. Shop early advice is being accepted s literally this year, it is pointed out, and with i such a demand already in existence late sliopi pers are likely to find the purchasing road a . difficult one. "Fifteen more days to Christmas Day—and two more pay days," said one sliop- -- keeper this morning. "We can see what it is > going to bo already—l hope the shoppers take the hint and spread their buying over the period. It will make it easier for us, «yid ! certainly easier for them." > > Delayed Shearing in Poverty Bay. ) Shearing lias been seriously delayed in the j Gisborne district this season, and large numbers of sheep remain unshorn in this area. 1 Showery weather and restrictions oil shearers' • hours have caused one of the most serious ) delays for a long time. Much of the shearing , this year could have been finished before the a showery spell commenced, and even in this ' period much week-end work could have been done had it not been for the restriction on : working hours forbidding Saturday afternoon r shearing except at overtime rates (states a ' Gisborne correspondent). Since the removal of 3 this restriction much better progress has been 3 made, but many flockowners have found that. 3 their wool hits depreciated- in value as a result a of bidibidi getting into it. One wool grower ' stated that the value of his fleece had de- ! creased bv 3d to 4d per lb as- a result of the ' delay. This week's fine weather has assisted operations, and much of the leeway has been ' made up, but there is not sufficient time before Christmas to overtake completely the time i lost. Housing in Victoria. Fanned into flame by a widespread demand for modern standards in housing, toL gether with the recent discussions on the • j subject of increased immigration, a strong anti-slum, pro-housing campaign has been launched in Melbourne. The problem is being attacked from many sides, including transport L fares, for it is felt that in many districts where there is land suitable for building homes, the high and often uneven transport rates are retarding natural development. The Minister of Railways was recently waited ! upon by a delegation, which asked for an inquiry into railway fares to be carried out bv the Government and Railway Commis- , sioners. It is felt too in many quarters that , fl>e activitv in flat and apartment building does not help those home seekers who are young couples wishing to rear a family, and. lifter all, it is pointed out, the be«t immigrant is a natural-born Austrr'"*ti. Tn pressing for recognition of the need for gardens round small homes, so that children not be compelled to play in the streets, the very influential Victorian Housewives' Association asks that women's assistance shall be. sought in whatever action is taken, and that at least one woman shall be appointed to the recentlyformed Board of Inquiry into housing.

Ship's Sell to School Bell. Though the tug Plucky, which saw 50 years' service with the Otago Harbour Board, js to be sold and probably broken up, her bell is still to serve a useful purpose. It is to be presented to the King's High School by the Otago Harbour Board. The Parents' Association of the school originally asked that it should be given the bell of the dredge 222, but that of the Plucky was found to be more suitable. An inscription which is to be placed 011 the bell will act as a reminder of its former service. Cricket Debacle. One of the most remarkable things about cricket, arid to its devotees one of the most delightful, is the manner in which a cricket situation can change. Very few would have had the temerity to suggest, soon after the first Test had started, that Australia would be out for less than GO in their second innings. Fingleton and Bradman, ducks? McCabe out for less than double figures ? Why, what sort of supermen were the English bowlers? And yet it happened. Rain overnight and good bowling form —nothing else was necessary. A Splendid Job. "I had occasion to visit Devonport one , night recently, and I was amazed and delighted at the improvement effected by the new lighting scheme," said Mr. L. Wilson in a letter which was received by the Devonport Borough Council last night concerning the new sodium lighting system in Lake Road. "Most mayors and councillors receive for their services personal abuse. May Ibe permitted to extend to your Mayor and councillors a compliment well earned. They are deserving of every congratulation for initiating this lighting ' scheme. It is a splendid job." The letter was received. Highway Tree Planting. In reply to an inquiry from the Automobile Association (Auckland) regarding the planting of trees on highways, the chairman of the Alain Highways Board, Mr. J. Wood, advised the association last evening that, 011 account of the more urgent work of bringing highways up to standard, it had been impossible to allocate funds for extensive tree planting. With the taking over of State highways by the Government the board would be giving more consideration to this phase of highway work. The letter was received. " Lovelock New Zealand." If the experience of Mr. D. Crozier when touring in Germany is any guide, the name of Lovelock is among the Germans the sole symbol of New Zealand's existence —in fact, if New Zealand means anything at all to them, that anything is Lovelock. The car in which Mr. Crozier arrived at Coblenz during the tour carried a New Zealand flag, among others. The inhabitants were curious about the flag, which they could not place. Mr. Crozier told them it was the New Zealand flag ami they were still none the wiser. Then, with an inspiration, he mentioned the name Lovelock, and recognition dawned on the inquirers. "Ach, Lovelock—New Zealand," they said immediately. In this case an athlete proved by far the most effective ambassador. Inferiority Complex. The South Island suffered from an inferiority complex, said Mr. C. H. Clibborn, treasurer of the South Island Travel Association, at a conference of representatives of local bodies and other interested organisations held at the Hermitage during the week-end. The attractions the South Island had to offer were as good as those of the North Island, if not better. The tourist industry was a live one, and an international one. and it should be possible for the South Island to develop it more than it had done in the past. The reactions from the industry were three—economic, political and sociological, and to obtain the greatest benefit from them it was hoped to have the co-operation of the Tourist Department in the North Island. Beans and Potatoes. Small new potatoes of excellent quality at a shilling per sugar sackful, and new season runner beans at a shilling per pound provided a striking contrast in retail prices in Auckland shops to-day. Incidentally the contrast also illustrated the vagaries of Nature in what promises to be ail abundantly fruitful summer season. The potato crop at Pukekolie has reached a record level during the past month, but in all parts of the Auckland district runner beans and peas are exceptionally scarce. A cold, wot November retarded flowering, although the growth of foliage was abundant. "Not until there is real warmth in the ground can we expect even a normal yield of early beans and peas," said a grower. "A few weeks of summer weather will make a big difference, but whatever the conditions may be, the early crop will be small. And the same remark applies to tomatoes." Revitalised Text Books. "Nothing would do so much to transform education in New Zealand into a dynamic process as the 'provision of a set of revitalised text books," says "National Education," the iournal of the ' New Zealand Educational Institute. "Children cannot be expected to have a thirst for knowledge after they leave school if day after day throughout the period of their formal education they have found by experience that the sources of knowledge are 110 more than a collection of mummified relics. The only way to change this attitude is to ensure that the new text books, at the same time as they contain the basic elements of knowledge, are written and produced in such a manner as will rivet the attention of the children. This may be a tall order, but in such a matter as this 110 expenditure of time, thought and money should be spared."