NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 37, 13 February 1937, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Summertime in Winter. A request from its outside staff to observe summer time in the winter months was refused by the Egmont County Council at the monthly meeting. It was claimed that in winter it was daylight at 7.311 a.m., but dark at 5 pan. Under summer time the men, it was stated, would start in daylight and finish ill daylight. "The men cannot get to work at 8 o'clock in the morning as it is," said the chairman, Mr. W. C. Green, in moving that the request be not granted. A Trier.

A judgment debtor at the Wanganui Court had ' produced his statement showing liow lie was struggling along on a small iueome and endeavouring to liquidate his debts. He intimated his willingness to pay something weekly towards the account as soon as lie could. Counsel suggested an order, but the magistrate, in dismissing the case, remarked that lie was impressed with the honesty of the debtor and it was wonderful how he "was managing.

Long, Long Trail. Motorists on the road to Kotorua early this week were held up for fairly long periods ,by a great mob of sheep, which was being driven from Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, to the Waikato. The mob, totalling nearly 3000, had been a month on the road, and were in excellent condition, despite their long trek. They were attended by the usual retinue of men, pack horses and dogs. The latter knew their business well, helping the motorists, shooing the sheep here and there, making a way through without any fuss or bother. Two Prizes for One Ticket. Those, of a mathematical turn of mind may care to calculate the odds against a happening which occurred at the Masonic Hall, Wellington Terrace, recently—the drawing of two prizes by one art union ticket. Ticket number 17709, held by R. Angus, .1(53, MacAndrew Road, Duncdin, was credited with two £5 prizes. This has happened on only four or five occasions during the past six years. Another coincidence was the successive drawing of two tickets bearing the nom do plume "Just in Time," one from Gisbornc and one from Greymouth. Roadsides Eaten Bare. The number of sheep travelling through both the Yv'aioeka and Motu routes, in Hie Bay of Plenty, during the past few weeks have been no large that everything available is eaten almost bare along the road and also in night paddocks. The result is that many are now being transported by double-decker lorries, and one contractor is reported to have undertaken to cany 5000 head between Gisbornc and Taneatiia. The Motu route is stated to be in a worse condition for feed than Waioeka, but there is still a fair amount of feed on the roadside when the Opotiki Plats are reached. Sheep are not now in such good condition as earlier drafts. Pastures on the roadsides are suffering from tha clouds of dust raised by the mobs, and road surfaces are also affected,

City Fathers Arraigned. It is not often that the Mayor, borough councillors and burgesses of a local body are prosecuted for an offence, but at the Te Awaniutii Magistrate's Court this week the parties named above were defendants in a prosecution by Mr. G. H. Webb, noxious weeds inspector of tlie Raglan County Council, who successfully maintained that the Mayor, councillors and burgesses of the borough of Te Awamutu, being the occupiers of certain lands in the borough of Te Awamutu, Pirongia West district, had failed to clear the Innd of ragwort, and keep it clear. The magistrate. Mr. F. H. Levieri, commented that the defendants were referred to as the Mayor and borough councillors; actually the burgesses of the borough should be included, and he amended the claim accordingly. Mr. H. A. Swarbrick, the borough solicitor, stated that the. work of clearing had been commenced the previous Friday, and he suggested that the case be adjourned until next Court day. This the magistrate declined to do, and recorded a conviction, with a fine of £2 and costs 10/, remarking that he must treat the defendants just the same as private landowners, some of whom were in very straitened circumstances, vet were convicted of similar breaches.

Rabbits and the Farmer. Stories of the fecundity of the rabbit tribe are plentiful, ami fairly well known, writes the "Star's" To Awnimitii correspondent. At the Te Awanuitu conference this week of representatives of loenl bodies to consider lunalgniniitioii proposals as suggested h)' the Government, one, delegate remarked, that all present doubtless had heard the huge ■figures quoted by a certain rabbit inspector to show the total progeny of a pair of rabbits at the end of three years. Other delegates smiled, for it was an old story. Hut another delegate, who represents a rabbit district near the Wnikato River, rather startled the conference when lie said that following one comprehensive poisoning soon after the board was formed about four years ago the huge total of 340,000 carcases was counted, including 11.000 on one property alone. This was nil indication of the need for a rabbit board ill certain areas. Nowadays, continued the speaker, there arc so few rabbits in the district that they "are not noticed." Delegates representing boards that wero established about a decade ago point with pride to the success of their administrations, fur rabbits, once plentiful and a drug on the market, are now so scarce as to be regarded as tasty fare, on the farmhouse table.

Off the Rails. Great interest was shown by the public, which appreciated something of interest to brighten up a, rainy late shopping night, when :i traincar went off the rails at the intersection of Karangahapo Eoail and Pitt Street at about 7.45 o'clock last night. Crowds gathered on the pavements in the shelter of surrounding verandahs to watch while the car was quickly and efficiently jacked back into place. Road traffic was, however, held tip for some minutes, a long stream of motors and tramcars beingkept waiting along Pitt Street. North Shore Water Supply.

Satisfaction with the water now obtainable from Lake Piipuke for the North Shore water supply was expressed yesterday afternoon at the meeting of the Xnrth Shore Water Board. The chairman. Mr. TT. F. W. Mci'klc, said that the report of the Health Department as the result of the quarterly bacteriological tests showed that such trouble as had existed had now been cleared up. "The water is very good indeed." said Mr. John fliiiniven. Mayor of Takapuna. "I think the report is very satisfactory." Community Lighting. The growing shopping area in Customs Street East took on a new and much brighter appearance last evening, when a new community lighting system was inaugurated. The system is similar to that started ill various suburban shopping areas, where it has been found that efficient lighting lins been conducive to increased business on the late shopping night. The Customs Street scheme has boon carried out to get the maximum effect nf lighting, and last evening it was noticeable that there was a much larger crowd of peoplf. than usual visiting that area.

Need of Tourist Trains. The suggestion that tourist trains should be run in Xew Zealand once or twice a week is made by the Hon. K. H. Angelo, M.L.C., of Perth, who, in company with his; wife and daughter, is visiting Xew Zealand, states a Press Association message from Wellington. Mr. Angelo said that, contrary to all advice, lie travelled by slow trains in the North Island, and took two and a half days to make the journey from Eotorua to Wellington. "I would not have missed one minute of it," said Mr. Angelo. The daylight trips gave the opportunity to see the country, and tourists were, unwise to travel by night.. "The courtesy of the railway officials passes nil understanding." he remarked. "They pointed out all the places of interest, and made a special effort to see that we should not miss the more important spots."

Travellers' Experiences. Taken by lifelmiit aboard a Norwegian freighter anchored some wiles oil' tlie const nl Los Ar.geles, Mr. W. K. Zander and his family, of Berkeley, California, were able to overcome the difficulties that beset intending travellers ns a result of tlio American shipping strike. They readied Auckland by the Rnngitiki yesterday, having taken .'il days to journey here from San Francisco. There was a possibility of joinimr a vessel anchored off San Francisco, but the organisation of the Seamen's Union there was too stronfr, and so, accompanied by others in the same plight, they travelled by train to Los Angeles, At that port organisation was less complete, and there was a better chance of leaving the shore without being noticed. "Fourteen of us managed to secure a passage in a Norwegian freighter which was anchored some miles off the coast," said Mr. Zander. "It wiis impossible to secure a launch at Los Angeles, for the. launehinen were hi sympathy with the strike, but the freighter sent one of its lifeboats ashore for us, We piled in with all our luggage, and, with six big Norwegians at the oars, we were rowed out" to the freighter." On this ship they went to Panama, where they joined the Kangitiki. ■ Mr. Zander mentioned that the Hambiirjr-Amcrika Line was engaged during the strike in taking passengers from Los Angeles in much fan same way had the Norwegian freighter.

A Philatelist's Find. What may soon prove to be a rather rare stamp was shown recently by the postmaster at Tokomaru Bay, Mr. T. J. Morrison. It is the 2/ denomination of the current New Zealand issue, which made its appearance with the rest of the pictorial set last year. In this stamp a printer's error occurs once in each full sheet, and this has apparently only just been discovered. The stamp' is of a similar size and shape to the Chamber of Commerce series recently oil sale. It depicts file liindiiU! of Captain Cook; nil engraving of the famous navigator setting foot in New Zonlnml and meeting the Maoris. In extremely sum 11 type appear the words. "Cnpt. Cook, Poverty Bay, Oct. Bth. 17fifl." The colour of the stamp is olive green, and on certain stamps the name "Cook" has been wrongly spelt with a "q," and appears as "Coqk." This only occurs on one of the coiner stamps of the top row of each full sheet. Mr. Morrison is unable to state whether the issue is being temporarily suspended while the correction is made. In any ease, as each sheet of 2/ comprises £10 worth of stamps, only one stamp in every 100 contains this error. Their value to philatelists will consequently rise, in all probability, proportionately with' the Xew Zealand 0d jubilee stamp, some of which are reported to have changed hands already for as much as 15/ apiece. Mr. Morrison also pointed out another unusual feature in (lie design of the recent halfpenny Chamber of Commerce stamp. This depicts a'motor lorry, but the,number plate on the vehicle is a car plate, not a lorry plate.