NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 299, 17 December 1937, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Increase in Permits. i-i e lu,ildin S P err nits issued in the Mount i(> n borouprh lust month numbered 20 against 1.l for November last year. The value of last month s permits was £7008, against £0180 in November, 1036. School Holidays. Primary schools and district high schools in the Auckland Education Board's district closed to-day for the Christmas and New lent- holidays. The vacation will extend down to February 1. Many secondary schools have already broken up, and others completed their yew to-day with prizegiving ceremonies. Enterprising Cattle. Twenty-seven steers left Onewhero for YVestneld this week, on the first stage of a trip to England. Seven of them, after travelling on the hoof alonj« the hot, dustv road an w -i a \ «- kaU ' rcvoltfid - They took to the •1, Rlvi ' r > a "d swam across to a little i*land near the Tuakau Bridge, where as yet they have defied all efforts to shift them. Iho other twenty were trucked at Tuakau and duly arrived at Westfield. Waiheke's Growing Population. With the increase in population on WniIsland, particularly during the holiday eeaeon, there has been a demand for additional telephone facilities to Auckland, and the Post and Telegraph Department has met the position by providing a new circuit, which will he opened next week. The work of laying the cable across the channel was completed yesterday. At the same time the Department has reconstructed and extended the system on the island. Fine Opportunities. "What is better than to see the parents of a bright boy or girl take advantage of the nne opportunities offering at the Seddon Memorial Technical College," remarked the Hon. W. E. Parry at the prize-giving ceremony of the college yesterday afternoon. It was at institutions of the kind, continued the Alinister, that young people obtained a sound knowledge of the different arts and crafts, and their craftsmanship not only helped them through life's battles, but aided the nation in competing with other nations of the world. Decimation of Fleet. The presence in Auckland of the sister ships Harmanteh and Harbledown recalls one ot the greatest battles against adversity in the shipping world in recent voars. During the war- enemy torpedoes aml'minee claimed id ot the lo vessels owned by J. and C. Harnson Ltd., one of the best-known and oldest British tramp lines. After the war, and during the depression even, a progressive building programme was followed, and to-day the fleet includes 27 modern craft. Both the' Harmanteh and Harbledown are dischannnir Australian wheat. Telephone to Kawau. In preparation for the linking up of Kawau Island with Auckland bv direct telephone, members of the Post and Telegraph Department's staff have been engaged this week in completing the laying of two and a half miles of cable from the western side of the island to the mainland about seven miles from Warkworth. The ncrvice will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with provision for opening the line at other hours under special conditions. The new connection will provide a much-heeded service, especially during the holiday season. A trial was made with a lowpowered radio set some time ago, but this had its limitations, and recently the island was out of communication with Auckland. Ideals of a Statesman. Paying tribute to the work of the late Rt. Hon. R. J. Se(Jdon as an early Minister of Education in New Zealand, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. E. Purry. in an address at the prizegiving ceremony of the Seddon Memorial Technical College vesterdav afternoon, said it was the revolutionary plan and ideals of the deceased statesman that paved the way for the children of oil, no matter their circumstances, to receive the benefits of higher education. "Mr. Seddon's work," the Minister added, "has, since his death, been carried still further with creditable advantage, and the more than 4000 students attending the various classes of the Auckland Technical College to-day is testimony to the statesman's vision. * Well and honourably does the college carry Mr. Seddon's name." Noise and the Child Mind. "I must say I blame the wireless a good deal for a type of mind which seems common among children to-day; that is the one that simply does not take in, and very often does not even hear, what is said to it in perfectly plain English," eaid Miss A. E. Satchell, headmistress of the Waikato Diocesan School for Girls, speaking at the school break-up". "The present generation is so used to the wireless blaring forth all day with everybody talking through it' and nobody really listening, that they grow up with a background of noise, and, suppose by way of self-protection, they simply close that part of their brain which listens attentively," Miss Satchell said. "I think ihat this accounts for the fact that very few children can take home a messajre absolutely correctly, and for the extraordinarily incorrect and unreliable accounts happenings which they often give. I should" be grateful if parents of day pupils would see that their children have some quiet place away from the wireless in which to do their homework. I am sure it would be done in half the time."

Museum Members. The number of members of the Auckland Institute and Museum was the subject of comment at this week's meeting of the institute council. The president, Sir Carrick Robertson, suggested that an effort might be made to increase the number of mclubers, which at present was about 550. With a little canvassing, this number could be doubled without much difficulty. Sir Carrick pointed out that membership was by no means confined to people who had an advanced scientific knowledge. Patron of Yuletide Fun. Father Christmas was early upon tin? Yuletide scene when lie attended the Christmas party given last night by the St. James' Helping Hand Mission to a 'large number of children in the Presbyterian Hall, Wellington Street. A plentiful and varied number of tovs were distributed to the little ones, and the evening was made all the more enjoyable by a fine programme presented by Beacham's concert party. During supper the Rev. R. Ferguson Fish extended his thanks to all who had assisted in the work of the mission during the year. Children on Streets. The dangerous practice of children playing on roads was mentioned in a report presented to the Mount Eden Borough Council by the borough traffic inspector, Mr. C. H. Harper, last evening. He stated that despite the fact that the danger had been pointed out to the children, the practice continued, and motorists were complaining daily. Mr. Harper suggested that the council should advertise in the newspapers and at local picture theatres the playing grounds provided for children. 1/ie report was adopted, and the inspector asked to-visit the schools in the borough and address the children. Holidays for Shops. Definite arrangements in some cases have not been made by various shopkeepers' organisations for the closing of their premiscs°over the Christmas and Xew Year holidays, but the indications are that in most cases the shops will close at 10 p.m. on Friday, Christmas Eve, and will not reopen till the following Tuesday. The same length of holiday is planned for the New Year period, although s°me_ shopkeepers are considering closing their premises at 9 p.m. on New Year's Eve. Butchers shops will be closed from the Friday evening until the Tuesday morning, but the dosing hour on the Friday will probably be 4.30 p.m No bread will be baked " kfter triday, Christmas Eve, until the following Monday for the Tuesday supply. "Making Whoopee** at Vauxhall. "Everybody in Vauxhall ought to make whoopee to-night," said the chairman at the reopening social of the Vauxhall Ilall last evening. "The local Ratepayers' Association has got what it wanted, plus six nice scats on the waterfront; the Wakatere Canoe CI lib has now a fine clubroom, workshop and dinghy locker*; the Borough Council is possessed" o'f a good building asset instead of a dilapidated liability, and the residents, hitherto divided in opposing factions, have a community centre of which they may well be proud."' This happy state of affairs was due to the enterprise and energy of the executive of the Canoe Club, who '-ad by voluntary labour pulled down and re-erected the old hall on the Narrow Neck Reserve, completely transforming the building. The function Inst evening took the form of a concert, supper and dance. Mr. H. F. W.' Meikle, Mavor of Devonport, declared the building open" and presented Mr. Jack Brook, the organiser of the renovation, with a gold pencil as a mark of esteem from the borough council. Mr. Brook stated that the job had taken nearly 2800 working hours, and he expressed the gratitude of the club for much generous assistance received. The hall was crowded, and all present thoroughly enjoyed the concert programme presented by Mr. Bulkhead. Portrait for City. An original portrait or the first Earl of Auckland, after whom the city was named by its founder, Captain William Hobson. in 1840, will shortly be presented to the City of Auckland by the present earl. The Mavor, Sir Krncst Davis, recently received a suggestion that, in view of the approach of the centenary of Auckland, an endeavour should be made to obtain a portrait of the Celebrated statesman whose name it bears, and that the picture should be hung with other historical ones in the Town llall. Sir Ernest promptly had inquiries made. He learned that at least tw'o portraits of the earl were known-to exist, so he wrote to the present holder of the title, who iesides in London, asking his advice as to the best means of acquiring a reproduction of one of them, [minted by an artist named Simon Hochard. By air mail has come a reply intimating that the earl will be only too pleased to help in any possible way. In his letter to the Mayor, the earl states that he has a fine portrait of (ieorge, Karl of Auckland t ( 1784-1849), in his robes, but it is unsigned. If this was the portrait to which Sir Ernest referred, or if it would answer the purpose, the earl said he would be delighted to present it to the city and ship it from London. The Mayor has replied thanking the earl for his exceedingly generous offer, and assuring him that the portrait .will have an honoured place for ever among the city's possessions. The first Earl of Auckland was the second son of the first Baron Auckland, and succeeded to ?he title in 1814. ,It was in his capacity as First Lord of the Admiralty that he earned the gratitude of Captain Hobson bv appointing the latter to the command of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, in which he visited New Zealand.