NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 23, 28 January 1937, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Wheatgrowers Disappointed. North Otajro wheatyTowcrs are keenly disappointed at the price fixed for wheat, says the Dunedin "Star." The opinion is held that the Government is determined to allow the fanner to make as little as possible in so far as wheat growing is concerned, despite the increased expense of growing and the. mounting cost uf living. Some growers thought that a minimum of 5/6 or more would have been a just compensation. Other opinions hold that 5/0 and (>/, f.0.b., would not give the grower more than a reasonable return on his outlay. Flat Farming. Quite a business has been developed in Wellington by some people possessed of a few pounds I(j put down in rent and a praiseworthy desire to find homes for others, no matter what may be the worry and trouble to themselves. The plan is to lease one or several (preferably several) houses with ten or more rooms and then to turn them over to mi agent or rent-collecting firm. Tenants are found, and the room rents come in. Everyone is pleased; the owner has his lease signed up, the room tenants have their rooms, and from, say, four such leased and ■ sub-let without personal effort houses the margin from rents and from the fixed charges of electricity provides a handy living, and perhaps enough to make an extension of so pleasant and comfortable a business possible?—more leases, more room, tenants, and, of course, more margin. Motuihi Improvements. Members of the Auckland City Council, headed by the chairman of the parks committee, Mr. K. J. Phelan, paid a visit to Motuihi Island yesterday and inspected the work which is in progress on that portion of the island recently transferred to tile council by the Health Department for recreational purposes. The work of levelling the area and laying clown a running track is well forward. and it is estimated that the track will be available for use within the next few weeks. It is now too late, however, to have a grass track for this season. Scoops and ploughs were busy at work yesterday, and the council party saw for themselves that the work was rapidly being pushed on to completion. When the running track, which will be 17yds wide and 130 ft in length, is turfed and the area overlooking it planted with treea, an additional ideal picnic spot will have been provided on the island. Whales in Rangitoto Channel. More than once during the week whales havj been seen in the channel near the Rangitoto Beacon. About 200yde off the beacon they appeared to be between 30ft and 40ft in size. Yesterday the whales were noticed basking for quite a while, and then they ppouted suddenly and disappeared. What looked like a blaekfish, one of the smaller species of whales and the commonest in Xew Zealand waters. showed itself for brief glimpses in the harbour last evening, near tin , hulks in Shoal Hay. The grampus, or killer whale, scientifically known as Orca, has also been seen in the Hauraki Gulf. This is the wolf among whales, savagely attacking the larger, slower-swiinming members of its kind. It is also very partial to stlngaree, skate and similar *ish, and when fishermen seine netting in the gulf get a big haul of these they keep a sharp look-out for the killer whales that are probably following them up, for killers have been known to attack boats. Local Body Amalgamation. The opinion that before any amalgamation scheme for Auckland was considered a thorough investigation should be made by competent and impartial persons, as a commission, to decide on the best form of local government for the metropolitan area was expressed by the town clerk to the One Tree Hill Borough Council, Mr. A. Leese, in a report presented at last evening's meeting. There were three systems available—one compendious authority, a metropolitan board system on the linee of the London County Council, and one or more territorial units to administer the area, leaving the existing authorities to function as at present. He supported the recommendation of the executive of the Municipal Association of New Zealand that the Government should make a Dominion survey of local government administration and submit the evidence to the local bodies. The council deferred discussion of thi» matter until next meeting. Housing Survey. Application for complete exemption from the provisions of the Housing Survey Act, 10;}.">, as the borough contained no areas in which dwellings fell below the requisite standards of (ivercrowdinsr and fitness, was made recently by the Or?; Tree Hill Heimlich Council. The Director ..f Housing Construction advised the council last evening that the act-ing-Minister of Finance had no power to grant total exemption. The satisfactory state of bousing in the borough was gratifying, but it was only by such a survey that th" housing requirements of the Dominion could be ascertained, and a satisfactory housing programme undertaken. H<> would be prepared to recommend approval of a plan showing only those sections having houses not complying with the standard fixed by the regulations. Tlio areas mentioned by the council could be omitted. The council decided t I ask the town clerk, Mr. A. Leese, to report on the matter.

One Hundred Ascents. The distinction of joining the ranks of climbers who have completed 100 ascents of Mount Egmont has been achieved by Mr. Roy Sole, chief guifle at the North Egmont Hostel. The other mountaineers who have accomplished tins feat i.re Messrs. Rod Svme (Hawera) and B. Murray (Eltham), who reached their century of ascents only within the past 18 months. Stewart Island Air Service. The suggestion that an amphibian service should be instituted between Stewart Island and the mainland was contained in a letter which the Controller of Civil Aviation, WingCominander T. M. Wilkes, wrote to the Southland Progress League, advising it of the complete rejection, in the interests of public safety, of the proposal to allow Horseshoe Bay to be a terminal for art aeroplane service. As other aerodrome sites on the island appeared to be unapproachable by road, the obvious solution to the problem seemed to be an amphibian service, the letter added. Coronation Contingent. Details of the manner in which the Xew Zealand contingent of former servicemen to attend the Coronation celebrations in London will be chosen are announced. The physical requirements for selection are a maximum of 50 years of'age, except in the case of South African War veterans, a minimum chest measurement of 3">in and a minimum height of ,Tft Bin in bare feet. The selected men will bo required to enlist in the Xew Zealand regular forces from February 23 to June 28, and will be ranked as privates. The pay will be .">/ a day for single men and K/ a day for married men, with an allowance for children of 1/li for each child. Ahead of Fashion. At the last Rangiriri regatta a "Star"' representative observed a novel nnd attractive trimming on a panama hat worn by a Maori matron; this was an ordinary man's silk necktie, of black brightly patterned in red and grey, and it was tied loosely with the ends hanging free. Xow cabled news comes from Paris via Xew York that the very latest trimming there for ladies' hats is a man's necktie. placed with the narrow part to the front and the ends tied at the back of the hat. Since this trimming is chiefly put on the more "mannish" shapes of headgear, no attempt is to be made to disguise the fact that it really is a man's necktie; and needless to say the ladies are favouring the brightest colours and the most arresting designs. One more world problem—that of the Christmas gift necktie— appears to be on the verge of happy settlement. Successful Quarry Shot. A very successful shot, which involved the use of 21 tone of explosive, costing about £400, wae made at Smeed's quarries, on the bank of the Waikato River above Tuakau, yesterday afternoon. A tunnel was driven into the huge rock face for 110 ft, and into this the explosive was packed. A muffled report and a violent shaking of the ground marked the explosion of the giant charge. The rock face lifted slightly, and tlien 1.5,000 yards of metal, which wiU be crushed for highways, crashed down into the quarry. Trimming of the new face will remove several thousands of yards not properly brought down by the explosion. The shot on this occasion did as it was expected, but lacked the spectacular element 'displayed four months ago, when the last shot blew out with disastrous effect, the wrecking of a cottage being only part of the damage. It is anticipated that the metal brought down will be sufficient for several months' crushing. " Mosquito Orchestra." "They bite through the curtain, and keep their sting in, levering themselves through the net with it , ' —that is how the camp cook in a northern bush camp conveys the tenacity of the mosquitoes, which have plagued the little settlement during the past few days. Workers on the job (reports the "Northern Advocate") say that an orchestra strikes up as soon as the lights are extinguished, and despite every protective measure, and the fact that the liushmen are working 10 hours a day, sleep is impossible. The intense heat, following the rain, has brought the insects out from breeding grounds, which are full of tepid water. A returned soldier, who is one of the party, says that he slept in the Jordan Valley, said to iithe world's worst place for mosquitoes, but the species in this camp has got him beaten. Spare-Time Work. "I think the Labour party should first put its own house in order. It lms been mentioned time and again that prominent men in the Government are holding other good jobs." remarked Mr. J. (iuiuiven. Mayor of Takapuna, nt last night's meeting of the council, when a letter was received from the Tnkapiiua brunch of the Labour party requesting the council to advise its employees wlio were working a 40-hour week to desist from engaging in other employment during the week-ends and evenings; with the exception of farm work. Mr. (iiiinivcii str.te-.1. however, that lie thought the council shoulil support the Labour party in this matter, an it was right in principle. lie knew of men who undertook contracts dining the week-end, nnd he considered that if they persisted they should be dismissed. The 40-hour week hud been introduced to reduce unemployment, and if men undertook work in their leisure this objective woifld l>e defeated. The council decided to take no action, pending the receipt of more specific information from the complainants.