NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 65, 18 March 1938, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Save that Tree! It is considered a crime to cut down a tree in Japan.' said Miss Crichton Jnirie, speaking at a Wauganui Rotary Club luncheon. In that country there existed a veneration of Mature which was deep-seated in the people, -and they did all in their power to protect trees in their land. '"It is a tragic thing to destroy the forests of Xew Zealand," said Miss Imrie. She stated that she could not understand the short-sighted policies of people that must result in the country being desolate in many parts in 50 years. Once Was Enough. There are some people who boast that they will try anything—once. This was the attitude of tfne man who visited a Japanese vessel at Bluff the other day. He was received most courteously by the officers and treated with great hospitality. When asked what he would have to drink he was uncertain of his choice, so said, "Just what the others are having." It only required a little of the warmed, oily liquid so enjoyed by his hosts to convince him that "sake" might be all very well for, Orientals, but it did not suit the palate or head of a Southlander. " Safety Razor " Vogue. According to the employers, the tobacco shop and haircutting saloon combined are not the paving proposition they used to be. When employers and employees "were attempting to reach an agreement in the conciliation council in Christchurch the employers were trying to impress on the employees the changed conditions under whicr employers workei their shops. "Safety razor blades, for instance, have cut into our saloon business and reduced it by half," said Mr. W. Woodward, one of the employere' assessors. "When the blades came in any novice found that he was able to use one without any trouble." Restriction on Flying. A decision to ask the by-laws committee to frame a by-law prohibiting aeroplanes flying at Rongotai aerodrome before seven o'clock in the morning was made by the Wellington City Council this week. The Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hitslop, said a letter had been received on the question of noise at the aerodrome caused by aeroplanes leaving early in the morning. If machines were operating early in the morning, then it would be most disturbing. He had had the matter investigated. The council some time ago had come to an arrangement with the aero club that there would be no flying by its machines before seven o'clock in the morning, and the club had observed that arrangement. He suggested that the matter should be referred to the by-laws committee to have a by-law passed to prohibit flying before seven o'clock. The council could not control State flying, and there might be cases of emergency that could be met as they arose. The Mayor's suggestion was adopted. Can Ratepayers Subscribe Loan? A novel method of saving £4000 on a .£OOOO sewerage loan for Xolantown. a suburb of Hawera, was suggested to the Hawcra Borough Council by Mr. A. H. Larkman. His proposal was that the ratepayers, instead of paying interest on the loan in the ordinary way, should make a single contribution of the whole amount required. The council passed formal resolutions applying for sanction to raise the loan. It thanked Mr. Larkman for his suggestion, and decided to forward his letter to the Local Government Loans Board as the only "objection." "When the poll is taken," said Mr. Ixirkman in his letter, "provision should f>e made to enable ratepayers to vote for either £0000 to be raised by a single payment rate, a £0000 loan, plus £4000 interest charges, or no loan. Xo importance should be attached to the fact that such «i thing had never been tried before by a borough council." The scheme was not feasible because of the limitation in the amount that could l>e levied per £1 in rates, said Mr. H. S. Elliott, the town clerk. The proposal could not be put to the ratepayers in the form suggested, and the only way Mr. Larkman could set his scheme in operation would be for him to arrange for ratepayers to bring the money in lump sums to the council. Education Bill Effects. In a brief explanation of the provisions of the new education bill at a meeting of the Seddon- Memorial Technical College board of managers 'yesterday, the principal. Mr. G. J. Park, said that it provided for the abolition of the college's board of managers and the appointment of a school council of 11 member*, which would have the power given at present 1 ' to primary school committees. The powers of the present board of managers would be transferred to a new education board, which would control all primary and post-primary schools in the counties of Waitcmata. Eden. Manukau. Franklin, Great Barrier, Coromandel and Thames. It was difficult to gather whether the bill would bring greater centralisation, said Mr. Park. If all the powers of the board were taken away, the school would be given only an much attention as any other school in the district. Tt had been recommended that, the college should be joined to the University College, and it would be a good plan for the board to urge separate representation. Mr. Park and Miss B. E. Carnachan. the chairman, were appointed representatives to attend the joint conference of secondary and technical boards to be held in Wellington on April 5 to consider the provisions of the bill. Tlley were instructed to press for direct representation.

Aborigine Humour. A story of the sense of .humour of the Australian aborigine was related by the Rev. E. L. 11. Gribble to Xew Plymouth Rotaiians. A number of aborigines came rushing to his father stating that the tribal king and queen were fighting. When his father arrived on the scene ho saw the queen on the ground with ' her face bleeding. He promptly tspoke to the : king of the enormity of his offence. The king, looking very innocent, said: "I just throw a bucket and the queen she get in the way." Sub-Antarctic Sheep "ftun. Reference in last Saturday's Supplement in the article, "Forgotten Islands," to "the Campbell Island group" brings a protest from Mrs. Nancy Donne, of Mount Eden. She "Campbell Island is one island. Having visited it and lived on it for several days. I can vouch for this. My sister and myself are the only two women alive to-day who have ever stayed or slept on this island. My laic father managed the sheep run there for manyears." Poisoned by Fly Bite. Recently on the occasion of the visit of a team, of Gonville bowlers to Pateti they were surprised at the attention bestowed on them and the Patea players by cow flies, of which there are a great number in that district this season. These inseets caused much annoyance to the bowlers, as they settled on their bare arms, and had to be brushed off. As a result of a bite from one of these pests, Mr. L. Hunwick, a Gonville player, suffered from a badly poisoned arm. Chinese Suspicion. The curious suspicions of the Chinese were explained by the Rev. L. Watkins. who wa« for several years a chaplain in Hongkong, to a Pftlmerston audience. It was very intriguing, he said, to watch the funeral procession of a Chinese, which would wind on devious routes for some time before arriving at the cemetery. He understood that the reason for their peculiar action was that the Chinese believed that evil spirits were following the body. Only by the procession turning at right angles could' they be sidetracked. Finally, a high official decided that the spirits had gone, and the cortege then proceeded to the cemetery. Air-Conditioning on Railways. Finality has not yet been reached by the Railway Department in the trials of the new air-conditioning system for sleeping cars on the Main Trunk expresses, according to a statement made by Mr. G. H. Mackley, general manager of railways, during his Auckland visit this week. He eaid that up to the present the tests carried out had been on the old type of sleeper, and some improvements in the method of operation still had to be made. It was expected, however, that when the installation was fitted on the newly constructed passenger coaches it would function with considerable improvement on the present conditions of the temporary installation. Modifications of the system in operation in Australia and some other countries have been necessary to meet Xew Zealand's requirements, the demand here being mainly for the worming of the air, combined, of course, with the removal of dust. In the more tropical climate of Australia. where inland temperatures are frequently high, cooling, apparatus is the greatest need. State Houses in Auckland. A return showing the progress of State housing activities in Auckland since the contract for the first Orakei block was let a year ago lias been prepared by the State Advances Corporation. According to this summary of the position, the number of houses completed, under construction or included in current or proposed contra?** is 848, spread over 15 localities. Of these 310 are at Orakei; 127 at the Casey Estate. Grey Lynn; 53 at Sturges Estate, Otahuhu; 28 at Buekland Road, Mount Roskill; 9 on the Pegler Estate. Mount Roskill; 24 on the Hankin Estate, Point Chevalier; 18 on the Tramway Estate. Point Chevalier; 22 on the Prince of -Wales Estate, Mount Albert; 43 on the Sunshine Estate, Mount Albert; 12 on the Kniglitville Estate, Mount Albert; 30 in Henlev and Nicol Avenues, Devonport; 32 on the West End Estate. Westmere; and 03 in the vicinity of the Iltirp of Erin, One Tree Hill. So far 87 houses have been completed, S3 being nt Orakei and four at Otaliuhu. ( Racing Club Tribute. The new members' stand, which has recently been completed by the Ohinemuri ' Jockey Club on their racecourse at I'aeroa. I was officially opened by the Minister of Inter- < nal Affairs, the Hon. W. E. Parry, during the i races yesterday. Mr. Parry paid a tribute to < the late Mr. Hugh Poland, who had been secretary of the club for 30 yean-. Mr. Poland had 'been a national voice on behalf of tlio miners, ' always pleading for an improvement in the ( law with regard to their conditions. He was sorry that Mr. Poland did not live to see the , completion of the stand, but it was a liionu-j] ment to his great work. When Mr. Poland . became secretary the club gave £050 in stakes ] and the totalisator turnover was £5528. Last . year the stakes amounted to £4000 and totalisator figurcn to over £03.000, while tlieL capital value of the club's property was ap-L proximately £28.000. Like its sister clubs.j ] Te Aroha and Waikato. Ohinemuri deserved | its success. He had recently attended big metropolitan meetings in Australia, and he had returned satisfied that nowhere was racing ] in a more healthy position than in Xew Zealand. ■ The complete alienee of proprietary ] racing clubs makes the sport unique. He did < not claim that the sport was perfect in Xew ] Zealand, but what was lacking could easily . be remedied.