NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 282, 27 November 1937, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Freedom of the Press. 'I never thought I il live to see t lie day when it <;..\eminent threatened to interfere with the freedom and liberty of the Press," said Mr. L. Ho;,kins, the newly-elected president, at the annual meeting of the Te Aroha Chamber of Commerce. "I consider the Press has played n great part in making England the great nation she is to-day, and I think we should all resist the present move, which threatens the long-sta.iding privileges of a very old and honourable institution," he added. Travelling by " Clipper." The first year of passenger travel to the Orient by I'mi-America ii Airways' transpacific air route was completed on October 20 by the departure of the ••Philippine Clipper." It was exactly one year, less a day, earlier that the 'Hawaii Clipper" departed from the same terminal. Alme.la. carrying the rirnt regular passengers to fly by "air liner across the world's largest ocean. The "Paa-American Airways Magazine" records that since its inauguration the service has carried ISI.'W passengers over 7.401.30.-. passenger miles. In addition, :.iiii.iioo tons ~f air express and other cargo, exclusive of mail, have been carried Included in the passenger li-t were 'isti women and ;t7 children. Bang! Goes the Gong. The jjung steward at the recent Katikali wrestling toiirua in.-nt. Mr. .1. !■'. Kolicrls.ui, of Waihi, worked under unusual eon.lit ions. Failing the orthodox instrument, he was provided with a tin tray, together with a large wooden spoon. Holding the watch in his left hand, he poised the spoon high in the other hand. Then, at the right moment, down came the spoon, with a dull, woody thud. At one. time the spoon misled the gong altogether and hit the floor, and nt another the tray fell to the floor with a noiny clatter, to the great amusement of ail present. The official, however, had the best of the exchanges, for it was noticeable at the end of th.- bouts that the true had received several deep dents on its otherwise placid and attractive face. The Isles of the " Blest." Xew Zealanders may hold various opinions on the' political situation in the Dominion, hut the "Weekly Dispatch" (London) gives a new' point of view. Under the heading. "The Happy Islands." it records: "Horror enough there certainly in in the world, but it is not all horror by any means. There are countries wherein goodwill, wisdom and peace, men anil women are successfully creating islands of happiness. For example, the islands of New Zealand. There, under democratic Labour rule, wages have risen by almost 2/ in the £ in two yearn. Exports are up by 20 per cent, and big public works are being carried out without even addimr to the State's nominal debt. Economic inequality is being steadily reduced, and the wealth of Xew Zealand is being administered for the people of Xew Zealand. Or eat social and economic changes are being made, and being made democratically. The people go about in freedom and security. Xo arrests, no political detentions. no executions overshadow life. A happy little coiintr- with big lessons for bigger nations."

" Salvaging " Fish. Fish, it would seem, would he the last things on earth to be affected by drought, hut that is not the cane in Canterbury, with its snow-fed streams and rivers. Recently a prolonged spell of warm, dry weather threatened thousands of fish in Canterbury stie.in.s with extinction. During October the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society found it necessary to salvage 003fi fish, while during November the total was increased to 10.740. Points at which rivers and streams were showing signs of drying up were Pope's Ford. Selwyn Bridge, Hawkins, Hororata and South Road Bridge. It was reported to the last meeting of the society's council that all the salvaged fish had been removed to other streams where their existence would not be threatened. It was also reported that it was intended to stock such streams as Waipawa and both the north and south branches of the Styx with fish salvaged in the future. Fervent Plea.

Speaking with some emotion, a man who appeared before Mr. C.R. Orr Walker, S.M.. in the Police Court yesterday to admit a summons charge of making a false statement to obtain benefit under the Employment Promotion Act, apologised to the magistrate for his appearance in Court. The defendant, said Mr. W. A. Black, prosecuting for the Department of Labour, had made 22 false declarations and obtained £18 to which he was not entitled. "I am sorry to have to face such a disgraceful charge as this," said the man, "but I had to do something to get enough money to keep my wife and child and myself. Out of my sustenance of £1 19/ per week I have to pay rent and buy food. There is nothing left to buy clothing—we must have clothes, so I was forced to do something. I earned my sustenance." The magistrate told defendant that he obtained an excess of £18 dishonestly. This was equal to theft. "But I would never steal," replied the sustenance man with vehemence. He was fined £20. "But I cannot pay, and can only ask for leniency," he said. He w«s told he could make an application to the clerk of Court for time to pay.

Masonic Service. The final ceremony in connection with the annual Grand Loriire of (■omiii'unieation under the New Zealand Constitution of Freemasons, will lie a combined church nor vice in St. Mary's Cathedral to-morrow night. The service is being held at the invitation of Dean Faiicourt, who will give the address. The mail' meetings of the Grand Lodge in Auckland were completed last Thursday, and some of the delegate* have returned to their homes. Morrinsville Gooseberries. Although gooseberries do not flourish in some parts of- the Auckland Province, the climate of the Waikato seems specially suited to the growth of this fruit. Mr. D. Wills, of Allen Street. Morrinsville, has half an acre of gooseberries, with 400 four-year-old bushes in full hearing, and lie estimates that he will put her a ton and a half of gooseberries this season. The first of the season's berries were [licked on Labour Day, and the last will not he gathered until N>\v Year. Although nearly 70 years old, Mr. Wills spends all day in his garden. Level Crossing to Go. The latest level crossing on a main highway to receive the attention of the Public Works Department is the Motumaoho crossing on the Morrinsville-Hamilton Road, two miles from Morrinsville. Material for the construction of an o\ eiluidgc to earjy the road is. arriving on the site. About 2"> trains a day pass over tlr crossing, which has always been regarded as one requiring caution by motorists, as trains leaving Morrinsville for Hamilton are yoimr at full speed when they cross the road. On holidays there is particularly heavy motor traffic on this stivt'-h of highway, which forms the connecting link between the Thames Valley ami Waikato. Artists' Holiday. A proposal which should have attractions for many of Auckland''- arti-ts has been me,,ted by Mrs. S. Hill on. of Judge's Bay, I'arnell. who is interested in setting together a party for the purpose of holdili" a school of drawing and painting during February at a large country house at Mahurangi Heads. near Warkwortii. The landscape of this part of New Zealand ha* been made notable subjects of th.' brush by Mr. Lamorna Birch. R.A.. and the prospect of indulging o favourite hobby with congenial companions in sin ' environment should appeal widely as an ideal holiday. Mrs. Hilton hopes that'a sufficient number of artists will apply within the next fortnight to enable her to finalise arrangements. Eggs by Electricity. From an ail-electric egg factory owned by Mr. ('. E. McMiinus, of Baltimore, 1'..5..\'.. eg"- (low during laying periods at the rate of, (MM) dozen an hour. Hens are fertilised artifi-l cially. ami their maternal duties entrusted to] electric incubators. Stimulants to intensive! laying are provided by tin air-conditioned 1 plant; ( leetric radiators maintain a uniform temperature of (Ml degrees, and photo-electric cells installed in the factory's roof automatically switch on artilicial light whenever dull weather blots out the sun. South Pacific Weather. The meteorological conference convened by the New Zealand Government to discuss services in the South Pacific, which commences in Wellington on Monday, foreshadows the early commencement of aviation services in the South Pacific. New Zealand's representatives will be Dr. E. Kidson. Director of Meteorological Services, and Dr. W. A. Macky, Government meteorologist at the Hobsonvifle air base. Pan-American Airways' delecntes will be Mr. Harold Hatty and Mr. E. B Buxton, the company's meteorologist in" Xew Zealand, and Fiji will he represented by Captain (!. V. Xasmyth, harbourmaster at Suva, and Mr. L. V. O. Osborne, of the Fiji meteorological service. Mr. F. Kntwistle. of London. superintendent of meteorological services for Empfre Airways, arrived in Wellington on Wednesday. Australia is to be represented by Mr. W. S. Watt. Commonwealth meteorologist, Mr. E. W. Timpcke. of the meteorological bureau, and Wing-Commander A. H. Cobby, controller of operations, Civil Aviation Board.

The New Word Fashion. "Grammarian" writes:—Not all of the now words which are finding their way into the English language are of transatlantic orijrin. In "Zoo Cavalcade." a book recently written by Mr. E C. Boulenger, director of the nqtiarium in the Zoological Gardens, London, there appear "nectary" and "prosectorium." The first is a word, obviously newly coined, which tlie author uses to describe a small drinking bottle provided for the humming birds in the zoo. It contains a mixture of honey and condensed milk, and has a tiny curved spout through which the bird sips the artificial nectar while flying, just as it sips the real nectar from flowers in its native habitat. The formidable word "prosectorium" has nothing to do with prosecutions, but is the latest title for that department of the zoo in which the bodies of birds, animals and reptiles which have died are dissected and examined. It is certainly better than "dissectory," but it is questionable whether it conveys the meaning of a post-mortem examination department with sufficient clearness to merit inclusion in the dictionary. However, it has the official recognition of the British Broadcast ins Corporation, so, with "nectary," it may be here to stay.