NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 234, 2 October 1937, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Ambulance Station Shifted. Lifted in its entirety from the foundations before being shifted to a new site, the John Ambulance Brigade station at Epsom yesterday presented an unusual appearance. The lease of the site in Manukau Road has expired, and the station in future will be located in Kipling Avenue. Formerly the building was the Epsom fire station, and has been occupied bv the ambulance for some years. The local firm of contractors doing the work had the station ready on wheels yesterday in preparation for the final part of the proceeding!?. This was completed at an early hour this morning, as the actual removal could not be commenced until after midnight in order to avoid the dislocation of traffic. Good Railway Business. Railway revenue at Morrinsvillc station has been particularly buoyant for some months as a result of increased numbers of live stock being railed away from the local weekly stock sales, and also "the increased outputs of butter and cheese factories, which have experienced a record epring production. General goods railed from Morrinsvillc last week totalled 501 tons, mostly butter and cheese, and stock traffic included 1014 pigs and sheep and 2371 cattlc and calves. The total outwards revenue was £1115, an increase of £342 over the corresponding week of 1936. For several montns the outwards revenue has shown a substantial increase on the figures for last year. Daisies, Not Snow. The Waitakere Ranges are at present a mass of white. To the casual observer this bears a remarkable resemblance to snow, hut it is the yearly flowering of native tree daisy, or heketara, which blooms at this season each year. Some years are better than others for this plant, and the blossom appears to be much heavier than usual. One observer, living at Henderson, has seen these white masses of tree daisies from a distance of about six miles. The heketara is something between a plant and a flowering shrub, and its display should attract large crowds of motorists during the week-end. Reported also this year is a splendid showing of kowhai in the same district. Scattered all round are masses of this beautiful native bloom, wif,h scarccly a leaf showing.

Newspaper Postage Rates. With the object of trying to arrange a reduction of postage rates on registered newspapers and magazines from 4d to Id a lb, Mr. fr. A. Parker, overseas manager of the London "Daily Mirror," arrived in Wellington by the Tainui yesterday. Formerly Canada had had a four penny rate, lie said, but had been swamped with American literature in consequence. As soon as the rate was reduced English publishers were able to compete on equal terms. The English newspaper world had been concerned with a scare about a shortage of newsprint, said Mr. Parker. Thanks to the foresight of the late Lord Xorthcliflfe and Lord Rothermere, the papers of their Press would never be affected. They possessed an adequate source of newsprint, having their own plantations and mills in Canada ond shipping a good deal of woodpulp across the Atlantic to be milled in Britain.

Chinese Boy on the War. "Japan might have a powerful navy, but we have a far superior air force and our soldiers can fight for at. least four days without eating. China will fight to her last man and to her last bullet.. This war will be like none that has gone before, but we are sure to win, especially if Japan does not want peace." This is an extract from a letter received by a Hastings resident from a Chinese youth. Tommy Ah Win™, who is at present finishing his education in Canton. Wing attended school in Hastings, and pome years ago went to China to complete certain sections of his studies. "This undeclared war will last a long time," states the letter. "It is not a war; it is really worse than war. It is slaughter of non-combatants, among whom the casualtics mount up in tens of thousands. Mangled bodies lie everywhere. These bombs strew death and destruction and misery among the innocents.' It is shocking. It is not humane. Xo prisoners are taken and held. Once caught they die in agony."

The Charm of Venice. Of all the citics of Italy, the one of greatest charm continues to hp Venice, according to the impressions of numerous Australian tourists on board the Monterey, who#pent two or three days there during a European tour last May. Members of the party made trips on the gondolas, and several of them recalled the enchantment of the lake scene when Italian youths and maidens on a particularly large pondola, moored in the middle of the lake and illuminated with coloured lights, were sinking folk songs and dancing in the evening. The effect as the sound drifted aero-* the" water, the mirror-like surface of the lake and the appearance of the gaily-dressed performers was, they said, unforgettable. Another novel experience on the same tour was that <>f travelling on a new funicular railway near Lucerne, in Switzeraland, to a height of 7000 ft. where a wonderful panorama of the Alpine country was obtained from the summit of Mount Palitus. Where the Pavement Ends. Scenes reminiscent of the flourishing days of the legitimate theatre, before the "moviei," came to distract a modern world, were witnessed last evening in Durham Street West, where a crowd of several hundred would-be • patrons of the operatic play "Kunnymede" was involved in the kind of near-riot which is so dear to the heart of the showman at whose doors it occurs. Symptoms of the disturbance were noticed shortly after 7 p.m., and a quarter of an hour later a brush occurred when some of the more eager attempted to secure places higher up in the queue. It bore every sign of coming under the American press-agent's description of "a milling mob of thousands of will-not-be-denied. patrons." To cap it, extra police squads should have been called out when the "House Full" notices went up at 7.30 p.m., but New Zealand crowds apparently are far too orderly to provide that sort of ending to the story. I Thin one broke up and went home—or to the ' pictures. |

Trade With the East. The expansion of trade between the Dominion and the East is reflected in the manifest of the South Pacific Line eteamer Van Rees, which is due at Auckland on Thursday from Singapore and the Dutch East Indies. There are 1000 tons of cargo aboard for New Zealand, the largest general lading consigned by the line since its inception. Auckland will receive 420 tons of this amount. Live Shell in Garden. The discovery of an Apparently live shell buried in his garden was made on Thursday by Mr. Skilleter, of Omahu Road, Hastings. The shell was handed over to the police, who intend placing it in the hands of the Defence Department. It is about 9in long and about 2in in diameter, and is of the armour-piercing type with a sharp point and no nose-cap. It is thought that it may have been brought home by a soldier as a war souvenir and buried in the garden.

" It's An 111-Wind ..." The troubled state of affairs in the Orient is likely to be to the advantage of New Zealand. The Monterey, which arrived at Auckland yesterday from San Francisco, had a number of passengers on board who in the ordinary course of events would have gone to Japan and China for a holiday, but instead they decided to visit New Zealand. It is expected that during the next few months there will be a large number of other visitors from tho United States, who will probably also include Australia in their itinerary. Anglers' Luck. A catch of eight rather small fish from the Waihou Stream was the only bag of any size reported in Hamilton yesterday, when the trout fishing season opened in the Auckland Acclimatisation Society's district. More than a dozen anglers fished the Waikato River between Horahora and Arapuni, but this stretch, which is usually considered a good one, yielded only one trout, weighing about 41b. Arapuni Lake was also fished without luck. The trout fishing season in Westland opened in favourable weather, according to a Press Association report. Several good catches are reported in the lower reaches of the Grey River, where brown trout appear to be plentiful. From the Springboks! The Mayor of Auckland, Sir Ernest Davis, has a valuable souvenir of the visit to New Zealand of the 1937 Springboks. It was presented to him yesterday at a little gathering prior, to the departure of the team, and was to mark the players' appreciation of his kindnesses to them during their stay in this city. The presentation took the form of a football, which had been autographed by the 20 members of the team, the manager, Mr. Alec de Villiers, Colonel J. Roach, and Mr. Frank Glasgow, representatives of the New Zealand Rugby Union with the team. The players' thanks were expressed to Sir Ernest in words also.

Cricketers* Return. The members of the New Zealand cricket team, which has now completed its tour of Great Britain, sailed from London this week. The team is due to arrive in Adelaide on Saturday, October 30, but the match against South Australia will not begin until November 5, by which time the players should have regained their land legs and had the four or five days' practice which is always necessary after a long sea voyage. The match against Victoria, in Melbourne, is due to begin on November 10. and the frame against New South Wales at Sydney on November 1!). The team will return to New Zealand by the Awatea, leaving Sydney on November 23. The steamer will, if necessary, be delayed a couple of hours. The team should arrive in Wellington on the morning of November 26.

A Plough Team of Bullocks. A ploupiiing contractor near Morrinsville has made use of six working bullocks as a team to draw a double-furrow plough over 50 acres of hillside land. The unusual spectacle of bullocks hitched to a plough has aroused considerable interest among by-passers, but there is no doubt that the contractor has got pood results on country where it would have been difficult to have worked a four-horse team. These bullocks had been used for hauling logs out of the bush near Te Hoe, and had never been in a plough before. Besides his bullock team the contractor has a three-horse team drawing a hillside plough. Although the country is very steep, lie has ploughed up 50 acres in 18 days. On flat country he estimates the bullock team would plough two acres a dav.

Tunnels in Italy. Amazement at the extent to which tunnelling lias l)oen necei'snry in railway construction in parts of Northern Italy was expressed l>y Mr. I*. MofJce. field officer of the Lands Department. Queensland. who passed through Auckland by the Monterey. On one section of the I'ne. while skirting the coast, from the French border around the tinlf of fienoa. he said the train in wliioh he was travelling passed through 00 tunnels in one day. the longest beinrr between seven and eiirht miles in length. The rtigfredness of the coastline at this part was due to the fact that the mountain ranges came down to tlm sea. Many engineering problems were thus created in railway and rood hiiildinrr. Mr. MoGce was a — onilxM- of a party of SO Australian* who travelled through the count rioc of Western Europe during the month which followed the Coronation. Habits of Huias. A correspondent writes from Fordell: — "During the last fortnight I have had the pleasure of being the pucst of Mr. and Mrs. Wni. Howie, of 'Learney,' Xu. 2 Line, Wanganiii, and in the course of convenation Mr. Howie mentioned some very interesting facts about huias. When camped in the bush on the foothills of the Ruahinc I?anges. lie had often watched at very close quarters tlie huia birds collecting their favourite food, the liuhu grubs. The male bird, having found a suitable log, would set to work with his short strong beak and tear away the rotten wood until lie had exposed the holes where the grubs were hidden. In answer to his call, along would come his mate, insert her long curved beak into the hole and dig out the i"icv morsel, which she would hand over to her waiting lord and master. This experience of Mr. Howie's must be quite unique, as the huias have, I believe, been extinct for some considerable* time."