NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 127, 31 May 1937, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

"Aeroplane" Kite. How 'the science i>r aviation is repaying some of ils debt to the toy kite was strikingly shown at Hawera recently, wlien quite a crowd, including adults as well as children, was attracted by the flight of an aeroplaneshaped kite. Although some :>ft long nnd nearly as wide, the model was held with ordinary cotton. In a light wind that was blowing it achieved a height of over 12<H)ft and glided, to and fro in the air in a manner remarkably similar to that of a real aeroplane. Three Languages Taught. There were three oMicial languages in Palestine, said the Rev. J. 1). McL. Wilson in an address at St. Andrew's' Hall. New Plymouth. Signs and public announcements were printed in English. Arabic and Hebrew. The schools were in different areas. In a school in an Arab area the children were taught Knglish and Arabic, and in Jewish schools Knglish and Hebrew. New Zealanders in the East. New Zefllandcrs can l>e found among ports and cities almost throughout the Far East, according to the experience of Mr. A. V. Prince, who described some of his impressions along the Chinese coast in an address to the C'hristchureh branch of the Wellington , College Old Boys' Association. In Hongkong, he. said, 10 per cent of the European population were New Zealanders or Australians, and an Australia and Xew Zealand Association was thriving there. He met quite a number of Xew Zealanders in various Eastern ports. A Beer Strike. Miners are touchy in the matter of beer. Their job is a dusty one. with corresponding desiccating effects on the throat. But a prinI r-iple they may put above the quenching of a thirst. At Corrimal, Xew South Wales, last week, the miners declared the local hotel ''black'' on two grounds:— Dismissal of a popular barman; and (2) 9d, as the of a "schooner." Other hotels outside the district charge Bd. Pickets guarded the. boycotted "pub," and there the matter stood as the Svdnev mail left.

Benefit of Irrigation. The phenomenal growth of red clover on irrigated land was demonstrated to the Ashburton County Council by Mr. T. G. Beck, Public Works engineer in charge of irrigation, when he produced samples of the clover taken from an area which had been irrigated with one watering at Redelifif, South Canterbury. The sample was 3ft 3in high, and for comparison a sample of red clover grown in the same paddock and under the same conditions, but without irrigation, was produced. It was only loin* high. Mr. Beck explained that the tiltmts were from the same paddock, the only difference in treatment being that the taller sample was taken from a portion of 10 acres of the paddock which received one watering in the spring, when the water was needed most. The irrigated clover came away quickly, and the strong, leafy growth conserved the water under the plants, whereas the other portion of the paddock, which was not watered, dried out and the growth was stunted. Taxi Trade in Wellington. Wellington taxi owners and proprietors last week decided to form an association to put the taxi business in the city on an economic basis. At a general meeting a committee of eight was set up to find methods of improving the internal organisation, the standard of efficiency to- the public and the working conditions of those engaged in the business. It "was urged that a better system and more dependable- facilities were factors which should b.e considered seriously. It was a common occurrence on a wet day for clients to be kept waiting for long periods. The business as it was to-day was uneconomic, with too much overlapping and waste mileage. Present overhead expenses of the various companies were out of all proportion to the number of cabs employed. One speaker said he was confident j from interviews with the Transport Departi ment authorities that any representations ; made to it through a representative organisation would receive a very sympathetic hearing. I Taxi owners and proprietors had paid* dearly in the past for repairs and upkeep simply because the business had been unorganised. Future of Science. A striking analysis of the achievements of science and a forecast of imminent developments was given by Mr. R. G. Jones, M.A., B.Sc, speaking at the People's University yesterday. The possibilities of television in the detection of crime were mentioned, one scheme already being used being the sending of fingerprint photographs by radio. Films now gave coloured photography, and in a few years' time- people would look at "movies'' by television in their homes. At sea even ships as large as the Queen Mary could now be steered by wireless, a signal showing the slightest deviation from course. Alluding to the group of experiments on splitting the atom. Mr. Junes said that when matter was "destroyed" it was changed into energy. Some people apparently felt apprehension at such experiments, for Lord Rutherford actually received letters from people threatening him with trouble if he did not stop his research. Exploration of the stratosphere envisaged flights in that storm-free region in the future. The height of the stratosphere varied over different portions of the earth's surface. Averaging between •"> and 10 miles up, it was about 7 miles above Xew Zealand. The highest a man-driven aeroplane bad risen so. far was .nine miles, although observers had reached a height of 14 miles in a balloon, and an observation balloon without passengers had ascended to a height of 20 miles. - • • • ■- —

Automatic Fireman. An automatic sprinkler forestalled the Wellington Fire Brigade when an outbreak of! (ire occurred on the second floor of the D.I.C. I Building, Lambton Quay, shortly before 1 a.m. I the other day. The alarm was heard ringing inside the building, and by the time the brigade arrived the sprinkler system had extinguished the blaze. Apparently the fire started in a sack of papers in the rear of the building, but the sprinkler went into operation before the blaze had gained any hold.* Little damage was done. Maori Treasure. A striking example of old-time Maori workmanship was displayed recently at Wanganui by Mr. J. Gilchrist, Utiku. It was a "whaka-hnia" (box for holding huia feathers) 2ft in length and a foot high. The "manaia" pattern was very finely worked, and the long oval box stood on two small rests. None of the Maori experts at Wanganui had ever seen so magnificent an example of a "whaka-huia." The treasure has been carried from hui to hui for many years, but has now been given into Mr. (Jilchrist's care. Tramways and New Railway Station. .Although the new Wellington railway station is to be officially opened in .Tune, there is no sign yet of the new tramway loop at the rear of the Government Printing Office (northern end), round which the trams were to have run into Feat heist on Street, without using a crossover point. It was stated that special material for this curve had been ordered from abroad, but was not vet to hand, reports the "Post." It is still a" moot point whether this work shall be done at all. in view of a larger scheme (rf city improvement in the locality. " Like Looking for Gold." Trying to get an automatic windscreen wiper for a motor car these days is like looking for gold, according to a Christchurch importer and retailer. He said that the wipers had been so scarce that he had had to turn down as many as 20 orders a day. and recently when one importing firm landed fresh supplies it had been able to let him have seven only. Supplies were trickling through very slowly, but the demand brought about by the regulations requiring a warrant of fitness for motor cars could not be met. The manufacturers in England and Australia seemed to be rationing them out to the importers, and the importers were compelled to ration supplies among the retailers. Taxpayers, Beware! To-day is the final day on which the quarterly instalment of the employment levy can be paid without risk of incurring a penalty. To-day is also the last day for the annual return of income other than salary or wages, the tax on which may be paid either in a lump sum or in quarterly instalments. To-day also is the last day for supplying to the Commissioner of Taxes the annual return for income tax jvurposes. For those who have so far forgotten to make these returns, and who are now reminded that penalties for late payment accrue at the end of the month of May, it is recalled that the practice is to receive payment without penalty on the first day of the following month. Over Arthur's Pass. A wintry job is being done by Public Works linesmen in the construction of a 06,000-volt transmission line over Arthur's Pass to carry power from the Lake Coleridge hydro-electric station to the West Coast. From Arthur's Pass the iine will take power to a main sub-station at Arahura, near Hokitike. and from Arahura on to Dobson and up the Grey River to Blackwater, to supply various mining requirements and the Grey Valley Power Board's distribution system. The Diesel standby plant which was formerly in service at Lyttelton is to be re-erected at Dobson to take the immediate overload in the Grey Valley area, and later will be available for standby purposes in the event of interruption of supply from Coleridge over the Arthur's Pass line. The Old School Tie. The shafts* of ridicule and criticism often directed against the public schools and those trained in them were mentioned in a jocular manner by Mr. Alan Donald, president of the English Public Schools' Club, at the fifth annual dinner on Saturday night. Mr. Donald's reference to "The Old School Tie" and other music hall ditties raised a hearty laugh. Rear-Admiral the Hon. E. K. Drtiiniiiond, too. had something to say on the same subject when he replied to "the toast of "Our Guests.' 1 "I had the pleasure of co»iiing up in the Limited last night, and T came across an article in an American magazine."' said the Admiral. "It was entitled. "The Old School Tie.' Hut it was quite a good article. 1 should like to read you the first paragraph, which was as follows: 'The visible of all inner grace, "The Old School Tie." ranks as one of the most potent institutions in British life. Ghastly as its odour scheme often is. this bit of neckwear serves as a carte mark of the ruling class. Further, it constitutes within its folds an inflexible code of ethics: it supplies its wearers with an unquestioned philosophy of life, and, most important of all. it gives the Empire an all-pervading method of government. Its methods are indirect, but by means of "influence brought to bear" it makes Prime Ministers in England and war outside—it directs foreign policy and most of the stock companies. 7t fashions society in its own image and moulds society to its own ends. Verily it has been said, "the web of British destiny is spun with the threads of the Old School Tie."'"