NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 7, 9 January 1937, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Age No Bar. Worried, because he had reached the age of 04 and was unable to obtain work at his trade in the city, a carpenter registered at the placement office in the hope that a light job might be found for him. The placenient officer's inquiries on his behalf covered a wide range, and finally a building contractor" in a country district agreed to give the man a job. So long as the man could do a fair day's work, said the employer, he didn't care if he was 100 years old. Children and Canoe. The need for a regular watch being kept at those beaches where young people make use of small boats was emphasised this week at Milford. Two boys and a girl were out in a canoe when the sea became rough. They were unable to bring the canoe to the shore, and. the craft drifted well out before two men in an outboard motor boat noticed the signals) of distress from the occupants of the canoe. After some difficulty the children were taken on board the motor boat, the canoe, then partly waterlogged, being left to its fate. Business Still Brisk. Although business is usually fairly quiet d.iring the first few weeks after Christmas, many city shopkeepers are finding trade surprisingly brisk, while wholesale linns are also receiving heavy orders from country districts. It is noticeable, however, that the lessons in economy that were learned during the past few years have not been forgotten, people showing care and discrimination in their choice of purchases. As a luxury trade, the sale of jewellery is regarded as a gf>od barometer pf conditions, and this is particularly brisk compared with repent years. Shortage of Snapper. As a result of a large area of the gulf being closed to seine net boats from October 16 to January 31, while the snapper are spawning there, supplies of this fish are fcurly short as compared with this time two years ago, before the restrictions were introduced, when there was usually a glut of snapper during the summer months. The rough weather that has prevailed almost continuously since , before Christmas is also partly responsible for the shortage, as boats have not been able to go out beyond the limits. With better weather promising, the shortage is not expected to become dcute or to last long. Australian Squadron's Visit. Feeling dissatisfied with the itinerary of calls to be made to New Zealand ports by ships of the visiting Australian naval squadron in April, the New Plymouth civic and port authorities have made representations to the authorities to have tha itinerary amended to include New Plymouth (states the "Star's" New Plymouth correspondent). The itinerary includes eleven ports, but excludes New Plymouth, and surprise was expressed by the borough authorities and the Harbour Board when the announcement was made. The Mayor, Mr. E. R. C. Gilmour, made representations to the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, by telegram and to the Australian Naval Board by cable, suggesting that at least two vessels of the squadron should call at New Plymouth.

Rotorua Fishing Conditions. Fishing conditions at the mouth of the Tongariro River have improved considerably during the past week, and on Monday last Mr. Barlow, of Morrinsville, secured a bag of eleven well-conditioned fish, states the "Star's" Rotorua correspondent. Mr. Barlow stated that he had fished at the mouth of the river for a considerable number of years, but the fish he had secured on Monday were the best he had caught for some time. In hia fortnightly fishing report, issued yesterday, the conservator for the Rotorua district, Mr. A. Kean, stated that with the exception pf a short period of good weather at the opening of the season, very unsatisfactory conditions had .prevailed in the Rotorua district during the period, and, although several excellent bags had been taken from the various lakes, the catches were not generally very good. On a .number of occasions fishing had been right out of the question owing to the weather. Increased ■ Railway Revenue. Revenue from tickets, reservations, luggage and platform tickets taken at the .Auckland railway station during the Christmas and New Year periods amounted to £11,822, an increase of approximately £4000 over last year's figures. Passengers made 25,561 journeys, and reserved 85S8 seats, while 5011 people bought platform tickets to see them off. Luggage checks were issued to the number of 4189, returning a revenue of £104, while 4025 left luggage checks returned a revenue of £05. The 237 sleeping berths that were taken earned £207. Traffic is still so heavy that the 3 p.m. express to Wellington this afternoon was split into two trains, the second | leaving at 3.30, and the same procedure was adopted at Wellington, the second northbound train being due here at 7.48 a.m. tomorrow. Following the ordinary Limited tomorrow evening, a second expire®', will be dispatched for Wellington at 7.40 Motor Repair Trade Active. The large number of motor aciidents, minor and major, which occurred during the holiday period is reflected in the active state of the motor repair trade in Auckland. Firms specialising in motor body building, panel beating and other repairs have experienced a particularly busy week. The principal causes for complaint are smashed mudguards, dented bodywork and buckled bumpers. The manager of one firm said his telephone had been going almost constantly throughout the week with instructions about repair work from insurance companies. As most employees were on holiday, some difficulty had been experienced in coping with all the grders. This rush of, business has also been enjoyed by automobile engineers and electricians. The fact that drivers were giving attention to the warnings regarding mechanical fitness issued by the Minister of Trnasport, the Hon. R. Semple, was mentioned by another firm. It was stated that, as motorists knew that they would later: have to obtain a certificate of mechanical fitness, they were taking no chances, but were entrusting the repair of minor faults to skilled mechanics. There was thus bound to be a general improvement in the road-worthiness of vehicles.

Wagons Derailed. Two wagons carrying sheep and an empty carriage on a goods train were derailed at Otahuhu yesterday morning through the breaking of a buffer on a truck as the train was coming to a standstill at the station. None of the sheep was killed, and traffic was not delayed. Weather and Holidays. Auckland's reputation for fine holiday weather appears to have been somewhat Sullied in the sight of visitors from the south during recent weeks. "We have had 110 sunshine here to speak of since Thursday week," candidly states a private letter from Dunedin written on Tuesday. "However, perhaps I had better not seem to skite," cautiously adds the writer, in again striking a patriotic vein, "but a friend of mine just returned from a holiday in Auckland jrives such a harsh account of your Queen City elements that I really think Dunedin's weather—misty though it was on the principal clays—must have been 100 per cent better." Information added is that the tourists in the southern lakes centre, Queenstown. had perfect weather for the festive season. Munich Artist for London. One result of Sir Thomas Beecham's recent tour of Germany with the London Philharmonic Orchestra is the engagement of Herr Ludwig Weber, of the Bavarian State Opera, Munich, to sing "Daland" in the Covent (iarden production of "The Flying Dutchman" under Sir Thomas' baton next summer. Herr Weber earned unstinted praise for his portrayals of Warner roles during the 1936 Covent Garden season. The setting for the same opera will he designed by Dr. Emil Praetorius, of the Bavarian State School of Art, whose settings for this year's production of "Lohengrin" at Bayrenth greatly impressed Sir Thoma3. Adventure of the Flood. During the recent flood at Mercury Bay Mr. ¥. Plow's transport service, proceeding from Auckland to Wliitianga, was caught in the centre of the flooded area, and, being unable to retreat or proceed, placed some young lady relatives travelling with him in an unfortunate plight, reports the "Star's" Mercury Bay correspondent. Amongst relatives aboard were two young men, who swam the flooded area to the Whitianga side, a distance of half a mile. They then obtained a lorry, in which a rowing boat was transported to the flooded area, and the marooned young women were rescued by boat. "Black Forest Express."

A "Black Forest Express" which will leave Victoria (England) at 11 o'clock at night and arrive in Baden-Baden (Germany) at 4.53 the following afternoon, and at the town of Constance at 8.35 p.m., is to be put into operation during the summer months of 1937. The train has been specially timed so that passengers will travel by daylight along the banks of the Rhine, through Romantic Heidelberg and the heart of the Black Forest. In Cologne it will connect with the famous Rheingold Express for Freiburg, with connections for Titisep. Although taking only 21J hours to do the outward journey to Constance, and 22$ hours for the return journey, the train will include first, second and third class carriages. Toll of the Road. Civilisation always seems to be finding som? new means of clashing, with Nature. We hear much of the human tragedies that the holiday traffic seems to bring, but of other little tragedies we hear nothing. A recent traveller on the main south road being struck by the number of birds and animals that had been killed on the road by motorists, took a ially over a mile or so, and found that; in one place there were no fewer than 20. dead animals and birds. Blackbirds and thrushes seemed to be the commonest victims, with an occasional lark, or a native bird. Rabbits and hedgehogs were common, and even the crafty stoat seems to find hii native cunning too slow for the speed of a motor car. One wonders if future generations of rabbits and birds will be taught "safety first" rules, like young humans. Fire "Mystery" Explained. An instance of how simple and yet mysterious an origin fire may have was witnessed recently at Mercury Bay (reports a correspondent), when a wooden fence surrounding the property of Mr. W. Topp, of Whitianga, was fortunately saved from complete destruction by the prompt action of the scven-vear-old son of Mr. Liddell. The lad. noticing the flame, quickly summoned his father, who. with Constable Rose, soon extinguished the fire, which was coniined to thp top of a heavy post, to which the crossbar had been bolted. The bolt had worked loose, and a wire had l>een employed to tighten the rail at this point. However, the rail had again worked loose, and with the wind swaying the fence and forcing the bolt backwards and forwards through the wood and against the wire in the heat of the sun, caused ignition, creating a fire, which, if it had not been so promptly extinguished, would have left many guessing as to its origin. Pohutukawa Blooms. The profusion of pohutukawa blooms in' the city and suburbs this season lias been commented upon by many visitors to Auck-i land. Some varieties of tile trees, on the I waterfront road, in Epsom and in other suburbs, were in flower some months ago. Trees in the City Council's reserves, oil beaches in and around Auckland, and in private gardens are heavy in bloom or blossom. A profusion of pohutukawa blooms was held by the Maoris to denote a dry summer, but the recent unseasonable weather has not borne out this theory. However, the Maori idea did not allow for the science of modern cultivation. Mr. T. S. Aldridge, superintendent of parks, said he had never known a greater display of pohutukawa blooms in the city, and he" explained how the growth and the flowering could be increased bv judicious pruning. Seed-grown trees varied in habit and in the colour of flowers, the diversity of which was from almost champagne to orange scarlet. Where a particular colour was desired, trees should be grown from slips from the stock tree. Mr. Aldridge mentioned that the tree could easily be kept in bounds without destroying its habits, and he therefore could not understand why pohutukawas were not found in more private gardens.