NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 157, 5 July 1937, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Had the Last Word. Not often, it is said, is the man allowed to have the last word, yet one did at the annual meeting of the Waihi Dental Clinic Committee. He was the chairman, Mr. A. H. Rlackmore, and when his wife raised a question he gave a ruling. Her protests ended when the chairman said in a firm voice: "You must obey my ruling." She did so. She was not there as a wife, but as a member of the committee. Band to Visit Australia. The Woolston Brass Band has decided to attend the Centenary Band Contest at Sydney in November next year, provided that ways and means of procuring the necessary funds are found. Members of the basd are looking forward to the trip, and arrangements for procuring the finance are already being considered. This was announced at the fortysixth annual meeting of the band. " Like Topsy.** An appeal to the acting-Prime Minister, the Hon. P. Fraser, to shift the railway out of the main street was made by the chairman of the Kawakawa Town Board, Mr. H. M. Cookson, when speaking at a hospital ceremony which the Minister attended at Kawakawa on Saturday. "This railway through our mam street lies heavily on our necks, and we are waiting for somebody to shift it," sail the chairman. "How did it happen?" asked the Minister. "Like Topsy, it grew," was the reply. "But, take it away." "Altogether t" inquired Mr. Fraser, amid laughter. Auckland Saw the Sun. After a week of cold, broken weather Auckland saw the sun again during the weekend, and on Saturday—a fine, clear day of pleasant warmth—many cars took the roads, outward bound. On the waterfront and on the roads leading north there were many people escaping the bondage of city limits. Yesterday morning was again clear, though the sky darkened and showers came again in the afternoon. The stars shone again at night, but the city woke this morning to a shrouding fog, which, however, cleared away as the sun shone through. Proposed Tyre Factory. The Auckland Chamber of Commerce has received advice from the Associated Chambers that the Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, has received applications from practically all the major j tyre manufacturers to commence the manufacture of motor tyres in New Zealand. The bureau, bowever, bad made no decision as yet, and neither the bureau nor the Government was committed to any one applicant, nor to any tariff protection, nor even to investment of Government funds. The position is being watched by the Wellington members of the Associated Chambers' executive. The Potter's Art.

The progress of the potter's art through the centuries, and its cultural influence on civilisation, was the subject of an address given at the Auckland War Memorial Museum yesterday by Miss Briar Gardner, a practical potter in Auckland. Mr. E. Vaile presided. The speaker said that it was not known where or by whom clay was first used for the needs of mankind. Early references always ascribed it to the gods of the various races. All sorts of writings made reference to the moulding of clay, and Miss Gardner quoted what she considered the most subtle: "I am of the earth, it is moat true; despise mo not, for so are you." The Egyptian potter was a great historian, she said; the Grecian a great artist, and the Chinese a great magician. The latter was the first to introduce porcelain, tho finest form of pottery. The work of the Chinese served to stimulate interest in Europe, the speaker added, and there pottery reached a high standard, particularly in England, where calcined bones were used in making fine china. A film of Miss Gardner at work making pottery at her premises at New Lynn was shown, and pieces depicting Maori designs and native plants were displayed. Cool Springs at Mount Albert. From the natural reservoir under Mount Albert, as under dozens of other volcanic cones around Auckland, flow innumerable springs, which feed the, many streams where schoolboys love to play. A small crop of these springs has been discovered on the site of the new plant research station, on the northern slopes below the Owairaka tram I terminus, and the Government proposes to put them to practical use. A reservoir will be built with a capacity of between 10,000 and 20,000 gallons in a central position on the site, and into the reservoir will lead pipes which tap the various springs. Thus there will be an- all-the-year-round supply for spraying and other purposes, and for the air-conditioninpr plant in the proposed laboratory block and glasshouses. "The mountain acts like a giant reservoir," said Dr. G. H. Cunningham, director of the station, in discussing the origin of the springs, "and the scoria underneath is a vast filter bed, which makes the water pure and crystal clear." He explained that the temperature of the springs was 10 degrees lower than that of the city water supply, and that the difference was maintained at all seasons. So there would be ready at hand an ample supply of cool water to reduce the temperature in the laboratories during the hot summer months. By passing the air through spraying jets it would be cooled and purified, thus mak:'itr conditions ideal for the scientific workers. In much the same way humidity would be controlled in the glasshouses.

A Family Affair. Three generations had a part in the Paku-ranga-Ellerslie road race on Saturday. J. Nicholson, sen., was a good second to J. L B. Neil. Nicholson's son also took part, and came in 21st, while the lad's granflratner, Mr. C. Spraggon, was one of the officials. To run second in a distance road race at the age of 42 years was a wonderfully good performance by Nicholson, sen. War Memorial Museum. The Auckland War Memorial Museum again proved itself a popular place of gathering yesterday to those interested in cultural advancement. Over 1600 persons visited the institution, and this despite the inclement weather in the afternoon. There was a steady stream of visitors from the time the doors were opened right up to closing time. A lecture on pottery was a special attraction. Fog Over the City. Extending in a heavy belt across the city, along the waterfront and out into the suburbs, fog made many difficulties for traffic this morning. Along Tamaki Drive it came down in swirling folds when the volume of citybound traffic was heaviest. Cars and buses had to watch their speed, and many drivers took the precaution of switching on the side lights. Railway passengers from the southern suburbs travelled to the city through a heavy fog, which lay close to the ground, and blotted out the view after a few feet "rom the carriage windows. The sun through the gloom was a queer spectacle. By half-past eight the sun had broken through, and an hour later the fog had disappeared. Football in the Gloom. Ihe last quarter of the main game at Eden Park on Saturday, Ponsonby vensus Manukau, was played in a haze that made it difficult for weak-sighted people to follow the run of play. When D. Solomon, the brilliant All Black five-eighth, broke away in a solo burst for the line near the end of the game, the crowd in the grandstand saw a shadowy will-o'-the-whisp figure and a pair of flying heels. On the terraces the barraekers were delighted with a brilliant move, and as the ball was placed for the kick several flaming torches of twisted newspaper were- hoisted above the heads of the crowd. The interest in the main game was shown by the crowd. Half-way through the curtain-raiser there was scarcely a seat left on the main stand, while the best club attendance of the season settled on the terraces. Glass Floats for Fishermen.

Glass floats which glint in the sun as they bob about on the surface are growing in popularity with Auckland fishermen in the construction of their nets. Encased in small net bags and so attached to the large nets used by the launchmen who work in various parts of the Hauraki Gulf, the glass floats have greater buoyancy than cork, and also possess a number of other advantages. Of course, there is the loss through breakages to contend with, but in normal weather this is not heavy. And against breakages has to be set the loss of cork floats through splitting and becoming saturated. Possibly the wear and teajr is as great with the one variety as" the other, and now that cork is rising rapidly in price the glass wins. At least that is the impression among cork importers, who find the demand falling off, but it is not entirely supported among the fishermen, who say that price has little to do with it. "It is a question of utility," said one fisherman this morning. "We use what gives the best service."

Early New Zealand History. As part of the university extension course, Professor J. Rutherford on Saturday morning delivered the first of a series of three lectures on New Zealand history, entitled "The Coming of British Rule to New Zealand." He said that Tasmon was less concerned with the discovery of land masses than in the establishment of a trade route across the South Pacific. His naming New Zealand Staten Land seemed to indicate that Tasman thought it might be a continuation of Staten Island, to the south of South America. The purpose of Captain Cook's voyage to the Pacific was to extend geographical knowledge. Apparently the British Government had no political intentions in sending Cook so far south. In dealing with the Treaty of Waitangi, the professor said the legal significance of the treaty was doubtful, Captain Hobson being directed to act as a •consul in negotiation for cession, the sovereignty of tie native chiefs having been recognised by a legal fiction. Headmasters' Salaries. Equal salaries for headmasters of technical and academic schools are being sought by the Hawera Technical High School. A resolution drawing the attention of the Minister of Education to the disparity between the salaries of headmasters and recommending that they be brought into line was carried at a meeting last week following a report by a sub-committee set up to consider the question. "The technical school used to be looked on as a sort of Cinderella," said the chairman, Mr. J. W. J. Harding. There was a decided anomaly revealed in a comparison of the salaries paid to technical and secondary headmasters. In both eases salaries depended on the number of pupils attending the school. In the secondary school the principal's salary was affected by each change of 50 in the roll number and in the technical school by each change of 100. The minimum salary payable to a secondary school principal was £570, and to a technical principal £380. This difference was carried right through the salary grade.