NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVXIII, Issue 53, 4 March 1937, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Leaves Fall

When Tost! wroh- his famous good-live j (i> summer }><> wn< not thinking of Auckland, . lint a similar soiijj is now being sun? with \ renewed vigour l>y the trees in Albert Park ami about <-ity streets. Through them the i wind i* sighing, and the sun breuking ever and anon through the passing clouds liglitu up a irood sprinkling of rods and browns ainonjr ' the green leaves; and the workmen are busy on off mornings with rake and broom, clearing ' tlie footpaths, the roadways and the lawns of the fallen. It looks like" it feels lfko—it is ' autumn. Generous Treatment. Information was received from the Education Department by the Auckland Education j Hoard at its meet ing yesterday that provision had been made for comjiensatinur contractors who provide transport for children to and from the schools and who had Ik'en affected by the curtailment of the final term last vear and the late opening this year. The Dojiartment ha* decided to pay 7"> per cent of the contract for the period of live days lost in December last and the same amount for the three weeks at the beginning of this school year. The latter provision is contingent on the contract including the present term. Board member* considered that this was very generous treatment. Soldiers' Graves. Folio wiiii; representations made by the Takapuna ami Milford branch of the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association and the Devonport Keturned Soldiers' Club concerning ttie state of tile soldiers' graven at O'XeiU's Point Cemetery. members of the Devon port I and Takapunn Borough Councils last week j made an inspection of the cemetery. At laitt night's meeting of the Takapun'a Borough Council. Messrs. C. L. Clifton and M. P. Stepheiirton reported that the borough engineer had been instructed to engage four men to put the soldier*' jrraves in proper order. This work would l>e carried out immediately. The Devonport Council had agreed to pay half the cost of the work. Loder Cup Award. Awarded annually to the person nr persons who have done most to protect or cultivate the flora of New Zealand, the Loder Cup, originally presented by the late (Jerald V. Loder. afterwards Lord AVakehurst. has been awarded for the year 1!».'{(! to Messrs. J. S. Thomson and (J. Simpson, of Dunedin. The winners have carried out extensive botanical exploration all over the South Island during the past 17 years. They have made a liehenologicul survey of Otago. collecting over 2.">00 lichen specimens, with the discovery of many new species, and also a moss survey, collecting r>oo specimens of mosses and liverworts. The winners have private gardens, which contain more than 700 different Xew Zealand plants, and which attract many visitors. A Cash Transaction. Kecently a prospective buyer of a secondhand car strolled into a well-known to inspect a wide ran«e of vehicles for s«ale, writes the Rivertini correspondent of the '•Southland News."' After he had made his choice he bargained with the proprietor, who insisted on a sum of £2ti more than was offered to him. So the buyer, with a tin liearing a label which advertised a brand of dofr biscuits, retired to make a deal elsewhere. The proprietor reflected a moment, linally sending the. garage boy post haste after the man with the biscuit tin. The buyer returned to be informed that his offer was accepted. Down went the tin, and, to the astonishment of the garage keeper, beautifully polished pennies, threepenny pieces, florins and halfcrowns to the value of £100 were revealed. The tin of "dog biscuits' , was duly passed over and the sale effected. Wild Cats and Weasels. \Vild cats and weasels probably more feathered jiame than do shooters, BB the Ohinemuri Acclimatisation Club's district the cats take the heaviest toll, asserted member* at the annual meeting of the plub at Paeroa. '"Some parts of Huuraki Plains are alive with wild cats." said Mr. F. I. Luke, "and many of them find a happy hunting ground on the club's game sanctuary."' The chief cause of the increase in wild cats, it was asserted, was the practice, common among townspeople, of dropping unwanted domestic] cats in country districts —a practice which, members contended, should be heavily penalised. When the «lljr«restion was made that the cats in the sanctuary be trapped, it was i pointed out that, apart' from the fact that siK-h trapujnj; was illegal, there was the danger that more birds than cats might be caught. A cat-shooting drive would !>!• better. It was airr-.-ed that the Auckland Acclimatisation Society's ranger be consulted. Traffic Problem's in Devonport. The Devonport Borough Council last even- : ing had under consideration the traffic management of Marine Square. Messrs. W. F. M., Maclean and (1. Hardy introduced the matter ' by criticising the method of the disembarkation of buses, and this led to a general discussion of the complications of the borough's traf!i«—private, public, vehicular ferry and ' pedestrian, all converging and crossing at one • strategic- point. Mr. Aldiidge urged considera- . tion of the construction of n peninsula safety . zone at right angles to the main wharf entrance, at which bus passengers could disembark. He considered that this would serve as a division between the tracks of the private . and public conveyances, as well as giving additional security to pedestrians crossing "the desert of concrete" between the ferry ; entrance and the hotel corner. The council ;' remitted the matter to the engineer and the . traffic inspector for consideration. ' I Devonport's Refuse Removal. I When the Devonport Borough Council's ; agenda came to "tenders for refuse removal" , last evening, the town derfe reported that no tenders had been received. For the past 12 months the borough had .experimented with private contracting for this service, reverting from many years' municipal management of refuse removal. Mr. Aldridge stated that the time was opportune for a complete revision of the whole system. In his opinion the council should assume complete responsibility ■ for the borough sanitation, imd he recom- ( mended that the whole question should be , examined, particularly with regard to the installation of standard rubbish receptacles. ■ This would simplify the whole system of col- • lection. The Mayor. Mr. H. V. W. Meikle, , upported the remission of the matter to a ) siieeial committee, and indicated that the discussion should include the provision of a i modern refuse wagon. The council agreed to . take action along these lines. t A Magistrate's Advice. > "My advice to you is to pester the placei merjt officer until you get a job." so said Mr. ( F. H. Levien. S.M., at the Papakura Police Court to a defendant. The case was one ' "brought by the State Advances Ofliee to secure » an eviction order against one of the State I tenants in a nearby town. The defendant • pleaded that he could not pay the whole of . the arrears at once, for he had been on relief ' for a long period. Now he had started on his , own account dealing in scrap iron. Xotwith- . standing the very persistent efforts by the State officials to secure an eviction order, the magistrate decided to give the man another 1 month in which to find a job, and added that ; there was far more work offering now than j some time ago. Mr. Levien advise*l the man to spend a few pence on postage utaiuim and l j worry people'until he got some work. It i was' wonder Till what a penny stamp would t do, declared the magistrate. "And also pester the placement office to get you fixed," ' added his Worship, after the men had said he had not been to the placement office lntelv.

Trees and Sheep. The presence of stray sheep and overhanging trees wae receutlV brought to the notice of the One Tree Hill Domain Board, and,the secretary of the board advised the One Tree Hill Borough Council that the matter had been referred to the works committee and that the erection of a cattle-stop was contemplated. Clean-up of Rubbish. The opportunity afforded householders to got rid of accumulated rubhi«li when a local body arranges a clean-up week was shown in a report read at last night's meeting of the One Tree Hill Borough Council. The town clerk. Mr. A. Leeee. stated that approximately 40 tons of rubbish were collected in the borough during clean-up week. No Sympathy. Members of the One Tree Hill Borough Council last evening congratulated the Mayor. Mr. 1. .1. (Joldstine. upon being elected chairman of the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Council. In expressing his appreciation. Mr. (loldstine remarked, '\| have been congratulated on all sides, but so far no one nil* etympathised with me.' . Bicycles in Takapuna. Owners of bicycles who reside, in the Takapuna 'borough will in future be required to register their machine*. At a special meeting last night the Takapuna Borough Council made a special order providing for registration of all bicycles in the borough at a fee of 1/. This fee is not an annual fee. nor does the license have to be renewed. The date of operation of the by-law will be decided upon when the council confirms it, probably in April. Westfield in the Rain. I Of all places a cattle sale is the best place to stay away from on a wet day. That was the opinion of some few score butchers, farmers and stockmen who gathered at the Went field saleyards yesterday for the weekly fat stock auctions. * The cattle huddled together in the pens were the sorriest spectacle, though the auctioneers and their clerks on the rail, with miniature river.* pouring off oilskins and down necks, were less silent sufferers. Perhaps the farmers who realised lower prices than usual suffered most of all. Rangitoto Domain. An interesting week's "botanising ,, spent on Kansritoto Island was the subject of a letter received at a meeting of the Rangitoto Island Domain Board last night. Professor .1. K. Hollo way, of the botany department, Otago University, thanked the board for the use of a hut on the island during his reeent visit, and said that he had spent a profitable week studying plant life. "My object." said the professor, "was to search for certain microscopic plants, and in this 1 am pleased to say that I was fairly successful. I enjoyed an excellent week's botanising." "Fishing" for Tourists. The lure of New Zealand's fishing is every year bringing more and more tourists to Xew Zealand. Travel agencies report that there is continued inquiry from overseas about the fishing, and that many retired men from Kngland are making annual visits here. They stay often from November until April or May, and when they return they bring one or two more keefi fishermen with them. It is not only the attraction of the big fish that are to be caught, but fishermen state that they can travel out to Xew Zealand. live here and have much better fishing for the same money that it would cost them to spend a fishing holiday in Scotland or some other nearer field. Ngataki Off Again. The yacht Xgataki. well known for her many long voyages, including one from Auckland to Melbourne and Hobart, also three visits to Nukualofa, Tonjra. three to the Kermadecs and two to Xorfolk Island, sailed at 7 o'clock last evening for Xorfolk Island. Mr. .JoJin Wray. her owner, master and builder. U accompanied by two Wellington yachtsmen on this cruise, which he says may be his last, as he intends to settle down on his return. With the fresh southerly prevailing, the Xgataki should make X'orfolk Island, which is f>o4 miles north of Auckland, in five days. The Xgataki is expected back before Kaster. A Scot in Wellington. Wellington lms taken Sir Harry Lander to its heart. Mis arrival from Australia reunited in a tyvicnl welcome mi the J wharf. Not much abme .">tt in height, but I making up for shortness of statur.- by his breadth. Sir Harry, when he lauded from the Awatea. wits dad in a gay green and red kilt, •bright blue stockings and a blue tam-o'-shanter —hii arresting s'.glu. He was ru-hed by' inaiiv friends, and pipers on the wharf below squalled his appearance on the gangway by "gieing him a blaw" of welcome. Lalt-v. ai the Hotel-Midland, a fresh band of pipers appeared, and after being introduced to Sir Harry, played the wonderful march. "The Koad to the Isles." whilst the famous Scot tapped his feet in rhythm. After "turning it on" for the band (whom he carefully counted) Sir Harry retired to his apartment.