NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 139, 15 June 1938, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

This Looks Like Prosperity.** ''This looks lfke prosperity."' commented the Mayor of Mount Albert. .Mr. IT. A. Anderson. at tlie borough council lust night. He was referring to the report of the town clerk. -Mr. 1". R. Congalton. who stated, inter alia, that an increase of .">OO was recorded in the issue of motor drivers' licenses. The number is.-ued to date was l?7S.">. Pharmacy Committee. Contrary to the general \iew. the memhers of the Pharmacy Industrial Committer, set up early this yoar by the < .'overnment. do 1 ' represent the bodies from which 1 hey ha . e been chosen. "Although they have he, n nominated or appointed from different sotir-es namely, the Pharmacy Hoard. the United friendly Societ iet-' Dispcnsa l ies, the employees and the Covernment." >ay< Mr. 1". I*. Myers. Director of Pharmacy, "it should l<e clearly understood that they do not individually represent these bodies. Their nominations were obtained in order to gain a pood balance of pharmaceutical, business and administrative e\]ierience. so that the members could bring their individual knowledge and experience together for the common good of all; and 'his, in fact, is the basis on which the committee is working." Our National Parks. The Tfon. F. Langstone. Minister in charge of the Tourist and Publicity Department, lias just had prepared and printed an interesting booklet dealing with the national parks and important scenic reserves of New Zealand. The publication contains a number of striking illustrations showing Koine of the major features of these parks and reserves, and opens with a colour plate of a tui sipping honey from the yellow kowhai blossom. The booklet should prove very useful in providing the public generally with a better appreciation of the great potential value of our notional parks, and will also give overseas people some idea of the wide range of attractions. apart from those of purely tourist interest. awaiting them in New Zealand. This production and the recently-issued "Fun Map of New Zealand"' should help to interest people overseas in the Dominion. New School Dental Clinics. Proposals for more than a dozen new dental clinics at schools in the Auckland province are at present before the health and education authorities in Auckland, but propress in the majority of cases is held up until the local committees appointed have raised one-third of the cost. Among the towns involved are Putaruru. Rawene, Whakatane. Waiuku and Taupo. At Takapuna and Kawakawa the committees have provided their quota of the finance, and the work will be commenced in the near future. Four clinics under construction, at Beresford Street (City). Tahuna. Opotiki and Tuakati. are nearing completion. In most instances the clinics planned or in hand are of the 1? type, with a one-chair surgery, but a two-cliair A class surgery is to be provided under the plane for Ttikapuna. Built of timber, with a pleasing light preen enamel finish in the surgery, the clinics are of standardised design, including a nurses' room and a waiting room under the same roof.

Maori's Sword of Honour. I Damaged in a fire last year and later re- j conditioned in England, a sword of honour presented by Queen Victoria to Mokena Kohere, one of the four great tribal leaders on the Kast Coast during the Maori Wars, was returned to a descendant of Mokena Kohere by the acting-Minister of Native Affairs, the Hon. F. Langstone. The ceremony, reports a Gisborne correspondent, took place at a Xgatiporou hui on the Waiomatntini marae following the official opening of the Porourangi meeting house. The sword, handsomely reconditioned, was accepted by Mr. R. T. Kohere, who' last year petitioned the Governor-General during Viscount Gnlwav's visit to the East Coast to use his influence to have the gift of Queen Victoria replaced. In making the presentation, Mr. Langstone referred to the work of Mokena Kohere for Queen Victoria and for the Government of his day, services which had been recognised by the presentation of a sword of honour by the Queen. Ir the post the sword had been the symbol of authority, said Mr. Langstone. and lie hopod there would be no occasion for drawing it from its elieath. Ferry Complaints. A suggestion that a joint deputation should wait upon the Devon port Ferry Company in reference to the conditions of the ferry steamers on the Xortheote-Birkcnhcad run was made in a letter from the Birkenhead Borough Council read at the meeting of the Xorthcote Borough Council last night. Xorthcote members seemed nonplussed as to what they were expected to take exception to. The Mayor. Mr. R. Martin, said he had no knowledge or experience of the grounds of complaint. Mr. G. H. Lyon: "There i« very little cause for complaint. The Xgoiro is on the run again, and it is rather small—thntV all." Mr. E. C. Fowler: "That is an emergency." Mr. Lyon added that there were not sufficient cargo boats on the service. On the suggestion of Mr. F. M. Pearn. it was agreed to ask Birkenhead for specific details. Mr. Fowler said it was true at times that the cabins were littered with peanut shells, but that was the action of passengers, and the council could hardly send a deputation to the company regarding such thoughtless practices by those travelling. A suggestion by Mr. Lyon that better lights should be provided to enable passengers to read met with the approval of the other members.