NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 251, 22 October 1937, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Trouble in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a pretty little Maori village 'Mi the River noted for its placidity and liiuli 1111' Iv 11 tone, lmt it' >tmics are correct '• ' s i" <lanj;er of losing this reputation ill view of recent occurrences, reports the •'Star's'' eorrespondent. One Saturday night when the weather had l>een particularly dry and streaniH were running low, someone coneeived the idea of bringing in some liquor from outside. Some •»<> gallons of liquor are said to have found their way to the locality. All went merrily for u time, hut the potencv of the liquor hegan to tell, and one man was injured. .As the result of this incident in a "dry ' district the police are investigating.

Peat Fires in Waikato,

hach day the haze and smell of burning arising from the peat tires is thickening about towns in the Waikato district. Conditions are not as yet unpleasant, as there is little wind and the fires are not spreading rapidly. Motorist*, however, have found driving difficult at night, when the sinrtke has resembled fog in density. Patetonga, Koromatua, Paterangi and Rukuhia are the districts most affected. Some farmers are purposely lighting fires to burn off the peat, lint with the dry weather likely to continue this may prove a "dangerous practice. Lighting peat fires is forbidden by some local authorities.

Heavy Holiday Bookings,

Fnced with prospects of a record tourist influx. Xe w Zealand's hotel accommodation will be taxed to the utmost this year; and, indeed, appearances indicate that it may prove inadequate. Already many hotels and boardinghouses in the more popular summer holiday resorts are fully booked for Christmas and the Xew \ear, and holidav-makers who leave their plans too late are likely to experience difficulty in obtaining bed or board. u Our most serious problem this summer will be the shortage of hotel accommodation, not only at the major resorts, but also at smaller places,"' said Mr. K. W. Marshall. Well ington district manager of the Covernmenv. Tourist Bureau. He displayed a letter lie had just opened, from a lanranga hotel, stating that no further accommodation was available there for the Christmas holidays. "We have had a good many letters of the sort from various parts of the country,'' he said. "Already a large number of resorts are fully booked'for the Christmas holidays."

Home Critic on Trains. "Perhaps the most uncomfortable part of our journey to and from the Homeland," commented Mr. W. J. Hroadfoot, M P. for "\\aitorno, when describing his experiences on the visit to England for the Coronation ceremonies. "was the last part—the train journey from Wellington to our home in To Kniti. Somehow we had become used to the reallv inarvclious mode of travelling bv sea and by land, the orderly, quiet, speedy and comfortable boats and trains overseas, which were a contrast to the train journey on the last lap of our trip. Xew Zealand train travelling is distinctly tiring and tiresome, and it is no wonder that visitors from overseas criticise our train services, for they are bumpy, noisy and lacking in the comfort that could, I feel sure, be provided at little extra cost," Mr. Hroadfoot concluded.

Flowers that Bloom in the Spring. Native flowers are blooming in profusion this season in the Waitakere Ranges, especially in the sheltered Huia and Xihotupu valleys. Great clumps of the pale creamy-white mountain daisy are to be seen breaking up through the som bsm green of fern and forest on either side of the new scenic drive. On the sunny sid.'s of the less frequented valleys kowhai trees are still a niasn of golden flower. Xative fuchsia also lends an unaccustomed touch of colour to the bush. Orchids and clematis are blooming very freely this year, and great starry clusters of clematis trail from many trees. generally high enough to be out of reach of those vandals who cannot resist the temptation to pick native flowers. When picked, the flowers :.oon wither. Military Training in Schools. The value of military training in the creation of esprit de corps in secondary Schools and in fostering qualities of leadership was emphasised in a letter from the rector of Otago Boys' High School, Mr. H. P. Kidson, which came before a meeting of the Dunedin High Schools Board of Governors. "It has been made clear to us that the specialist sections in the cadets are to be abolished," wrote Mr. Kidson. "This applies to the Lewis gun and artillery sections at the school. I would retain the military organisation, but direct the work more toward physical training and such things as ambulance work and first aid, swimming and life-saving, elementary map work and field sketching, signalling, elementary field engineering and plenty of musketry, including much range work. I suggest that the board should make some recommendation to the Defence Department along these lines, that cadet corps should be encouraged to continue their work by the provision of instructors in such things as I have mentioned', and by a capitation grant to enable material to be purchased for the work." It was decided to support the attitude of the rector and to forward a copy of the letter to I the Minister of Education, the Hon. P. Fraser.

New Zealand's Pavilion. In the beautiful grounds of Bellahouston Park, one of the finest of Glasgow's parks, an attractive site lias been secured for the Xew Zealand pavilion in the Dominions' section "of the Scottish Kmpire Exhibition. When the High Commissioner, Mr. W. J. Jordan, visited the park during his visit to Glasgow at the crid of August lie was satisfied in every way with the selection made. He was also impressed by the beauties of the park and the work that had been done in the erection of some of the main buildings, particularly the Palace of Industry. The main buildings will be as large as those at Wembley, which gives some idea of tlie immense proportions of the exhibition. Incidentally, Xew Zealand will be looking for ideas for its Centennial Exhibition to be held in Wellington in 1940. The Bellahouston Park is about two miles from the centre of Glasgow.

Tis a Small World, My Masters. This little world was strikingly demonstrated a day or two ago by an incident, that happened to Mr. W. A. Woodger, assistantdistrict railway manager at Auckland. He was driving home in his car, and on arrival at his pate found it partially closed, and asked a passing pedestrian to push it open, which the gentleman did. Mr. Woodger drove in after thanking his benefactor, but the latter waited, and the motorist went back to emphasise his thanks. The man said, "I could not go away without pleasure it was to push the gate open for you, for I was one of a big crowd at Duiiedin 20 years ago which saw you win the hundred yards championship of Xew Zealand, and wanted to shake hands with you. "Bill" Woodger was several times sprint champion, and also represented the Dominion in the Empire Games in Great Britain. He had never met his willing helper before.

Ships and Meteorology. In forecasting the Dominion's weather, meteorologists are frequently at a disadvantage in that they hove no reports coming in from the vast expanses of ocean which surround the country. Reports, of course, come regularly from Australia, but nothing is known about what is happening over the sea unless a vessel happens to send in a report. But it may happen, and frequently does, that' a disturbance develops over the ocean and approaches these shores unheralded and perhaps unsuspected, simply because no vessel has happened to be in its vicinity. Yesterday morning, however, the Meteorological Office was the recipient of valuable information, not otherwise obtainable, about an intense and extensive cyclonic disturbance operating some 700 miles awav to the north-east of Xew Zealand. This information was supplied by the Cumberland, which was able to give the location. depth and course of this disturbance, which is one which will materially affect the forecasts in the immediate future. Farmer's Gloomy Prediction. An eight months' tour of Great Britain and tlie Continent, which facilitated a comprehensive survey of the Dominion's overseas markets and general economic conditions, has convinced Mr. A. M. Carpenter, of Fernside, North Canterbury, that Xew Zealand producers would do well to prepare for a "rainy day." In saying this he was in jio sense pessimistic. Mr. Carpenter said on his return to Christchurch. His views were shared by New Zealand members of the farmers' touring party. The general opinion in wool, meat and dairy produce circles in Great Britain was that prices for all lines of Xew Zealand produce would be maintained only while the armament boom lasted. It would be folly for the Dominion to look for a continuation of the present-day prices once Great Britain had completed her rearmament programme. The authorities in Great Britain held, proceeded Mr. Carpenter, that in anticipation of this inevitable fall in prices the producers of the Dominion should guard against the evermounting costs of production. If the Dominion's market slipped and the costs of production remained at the present high ratio, Xew Zealand would be landed in the throes of another depression.

Christening New Ships. In hitinching two new ships, the Kakapo and H.M.S. Maori, at Glasgow recently, Mrs. W. J. Jordan, wife of the High Commissioner, used Maori phrases which caught the imagination of English Press representatives, and were published in most of the Glasgow newspapers and in some of the London dailies. As the Kakapo moved slowly down the skids, Mrs. Jordan said: "Tuia Kakapo tapotu ki to moana" ("Haul away Kakapo to float upon the ocean"). In launching H.M.S. Maori she said, as the stocky destroyer began to move towards the Clyde: "Haere rate moana pai waka" ("Go in peace over the ocean, good ship"). The launching ceremonies were conducted in different ways. Mrs. Jordan christened the Kakapo according to the timehonoured custom of swinging the bottle of wine against the vessel's bow, then pulled a lever which released the ship from the stocks; but in the christening and launching of the H.M.S. Maori she had only to strike a very small block of wood with a mallet, which severed an electric wire, so breaking a bottle of wine against the bow and releasing the destroyer. "I christen this good ship Kakapo," said Mrs. Jordan, as she christened the merchant vessel, "and pray that she and her captain and crew will be blessed with safety from all danger." In launching the destroyer she said: "I christen this His Majesty's ship Maori. We trust that she will prove worthy of the iiiinin she bears and pray that God's blessing will be with her and with those serving on her at all times."