NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 192, 16 August 1938, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Many Measles Cases. -** t There are still many cases of measles in Auckland, adults and children being alike affected. The staffs of city firms are depleted, and the position has not improved -to any great extent during the past few weeks, while school attendances are not yet back to normal. The Wrong Number. Diplomacy and quick thinking are the attributes of at least one Hokitika resident. At the time the Grand National Hurdles was being run at Christchurch, police raided premises at Hokitika suspected of being used for bookmaking. While the police were there the telephone rang, an officer answering the call and saying, "Police here." A puzzled but astute voice et the other end replied, "Sorry, wrong number." Trolling on Lake Arapuni. There was a lengthy discussion on trolling at Arapuni when the council of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society met at Cambridge on' Saturday evening. Jt was to recommend to the Minister of Marine'that similar conditions be adopted as pertained last year. These are that trolling be allowed on the lake from a point one mile f above the dam, but that boats plying for hire be not permitted. High Cost" of Building. "With the high cost of building to-day there 'is such a marked shortage of houses that it eeems to me estate agents could profit;; ablv push the sale of building contracts on a commission basis," writes Mr. L. J. T. Ireland, president of the Otago branch of the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand, in the firet issue of the institute's journal, which appeared thie month. "Apart from Government and municipal house-building there are veryfew homes being built to-day," he states. • , For Peace and Quietness.

One of the largest single orders placed in Wellington for one claee of vehicle has been given by the Municipal Milk Department, for the replacing of the full fleet of milk wagons by 52 new wagons running on pneumatic tyres. The new wagons will be horse-drawn, and the horses will run on rubber, too, at any rate on hill roads, for rubber pads have been used for some time now to give a better grip on bitumen surface on the steeper grades, with some reduction in noise.

New Poker Game. The taking of the numbere of motor care! as they pass was the subject of investigation j durinjr the hearing of an indictable charge in' the Magistrate's Court at Inglewood. One' witness gave a novel turn to the inquiry when he said he was accustomed to taking the numbers of cars, and could do so if a car wae 50 yarde away. "We often take the numbers of cars, when we are on holidays, for the purpose of playing poker," said witnees, to the amusement of those in Court. Are They Drowned? An anniversary of some moment to gardeners has passed, perhaps leaving;many of them with a false eense of security, writes ,« Chrietchurch correspondent. On August 5 lilt year white butterflies, which subsequently did much damage to vegetables, were reported in the Christchurch district. So far none have been reported this year, possibly because the excessive wet weather has disposed of them. However, it is too early for gardeners to be sure, ae° the pest was not reported until August 17 in 1936, and a spell of Warm ■weather might bring theu\ out. Embarrassing Moments. There were some embarrassing momenta in the ehop of a city clothing firm recently. to' the polite inquiry, "Yes, eir, what size, eir?" a customer gave the disconcerting reply, "Well, I don't know, but well soon, find out." Off came his coat. Waistcoat, collar and tie followed in quick order. Hie shirt was unbuttoned and the neck band turned back to be triumphantly exhibited to the dumbfounded assistant. "There you are! There's the eize," he calmly remarked. A fellow customer could not suppress a feeling that it was perhaps fortunate that the reflourceful one required only a shirt, particularly in vfew of the fact that the shop' was open to ladies.

Primitive Canterbury. ' V I The days before the railway line went vpaet the Selwyn River were recalled by Mr. C. Wood, who was the second student enrolled at Canterbury Agricultural College when it opened in 1880, at the annual reunion of old students of the college. Mr. Wood eaid that he could remember when it was necessary to go by coach to Temuka. The road was merely a track over the tussocks, and when it got into too bad a condition for vehicles they merely moved a little to one side and began a new route over the open plain. He had seen the first plantations on the plains—unexpected green patches in a brown waste. People nowadays did not realise how much the plantations did to control the fury of the nor'westers. A Liking for Pige. The incident which had caused him to foster s liking for pigs was related by Mr. Gregory Koshnitsky, New South Wales chees champion) during an addrese to the Christchurch Business Men's Club. Mr. Koshnitsky eaid that" Russian: peasants took : chickens, pig» and calve* and other small animals into their houses durjng, the winter to. protect them from the cold: While he'was Bleeping en the floor of a hut -ene-aight . lie had been 1 suddenly disturbed, and found - that a young pig was "making friende" with Aim. *Ever> since I have had quite- an attraction for pigs," said the speaker, amid laughter.. In moving a vote of thanks to the visitor, Mr. R. V. Hughes eaid he did not think Lord Bledisloe would adopt- the same means a* Mr. Koshnitsky to inculcate in them a love, for pigs. Weather Forecasters. Whatever the- official forecasters may say about the* weather, Mr. J. Roy Smith, secretary of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, 1 relies implicitly on the seagulls ae prognostic caters. When seagulls perch on the Chamber of. Commerce building, he avers, that foretells a change of weather in the next twelve hours; he has never known the birds —or his deduction from their behaviour—to be wrong. The Chamber of Commerce is unique in its-baro-meter, inasmuch as that is the only building in the city on which the gulls alight, although, particularly, when etormy weatheT drives them from the beaches, scores of the birds forage for worms and scrape in the parks. Possibly the nearness of the building , to the river, where the gujle often cruise up and down in company with the ducks, persuades them that it is only some old stranded hulk, after all. Students* Terms.

With the object of faclEt«ting the work of both the Auckland Training College and the Auckland Ufnitereity College, whose terms do not coincide, the dates of the latter'e terms have been slightly changed. The education committee reported to the college council yesterday that the first term would begin on the first Wednesday after February 25; and would end on the Saturday preceding the nineteenth Monday of the calendar year. The second term would 'bejrin on the twenty-second Monday of the calendar year and end on the Saturday of the eleventh week after that. The final term would begin on the thirty-sixth Monday of the* calendar year and end on October 31. The Eaeter recess would extend from Good Friday to the Saturdav of Easter week. During the second term, the mid-term break would consist of Thursday, Friday and Satnrday of the sixth week. Mr. D. M. Rae. principal of the Traininsr College and member of the council, expressed his appreciation. . J

Tauber Wants to Become British. "I want to become British, because British countries have the roost justice," Said Mr. Richard Tauber, the famous tenor, in Sydnejr, when. questioned concerning the cabled report that he had sought British nationality. He admitted that he had made the application, but refused to comment. Films on Leper Island. On the leper island of Makogai there is now a motion picture ehow, and, thanks to the generosity of some American film-produc-ing companies, no fewer than 50 full-length filme, Mr. F. W. Browne, who recently returned from an Islands tour, told the Napier Rotary Club. Of course, the films are never sent away from the island. He added that another American donor had sent over a fiveseater car and a three-ton truck, having heard of the transport difficulties on the island. All But the Light Effects. Quite a lot of money Iβ to bespent upon an electric fountain for the Centennial one night recently some Wellington people going home had a fountain show for nothing, though the changing lights were missing. Shortly before midnight a hydrant from a large main opposite Bethune and Company's building failed, and the water, at maximum pressure through the cessation of the dcaw-off, shot up to a great height, well above the buildings, for half an hour until the turncocks had shut off that portion of the main. Repairs were put in hand at once. Collection of Moriori Articles. A small but very interesting collection of Moriori articles from the Chatham Islands has been presented to the Canterbury Museum by Mr. J. McCallum, of Beckenham, states the "Press." The collection consists mostly of bone and whale ivory articles, which, according to Mr. R. S. Duff, ethnologist at the museum, are now rare and difficult to obtain. Among the objects are eight bone fish hooks, three bone awls or skewers, a large fishthreader of albatross bone, seven ivory shawl pins,. and a small stone chisel. An interesting item is a whalebone skin scraper, apparently made by a whaler before the Chatham Islands were conquered by the Maoris in 1838. It bears , the inscription "R.C.W., 1838." Mr. Duff said that it was becoming very difficult to obtain Moriori articles from the Chathams, and the collection was very valuable to the museum.

Chassis for New Trolley Buses. The chassis and electrical equipment for the four trolley buses to be operated in the Auckland Transport Board's proposed service between Queen Street and the Farmers' Trading Company premises will arrive from England by the Wairangi, which ie due at. Auckland on August 30. It is expected that from six weeks to two months will be required for the assembling'of the bodies, fitting on the chaesis and completing the construction. It is, therefore, probable that the trolley buses will be ready for operation in the latter part of October or early November. The ; route will be up Wyndham Street, up Hobson Street to Victoria Street West, down Victoria Street, and down 'Queen Street to Wyndham Street. A large waitinsr room for the use of those who travel on the buses will be provided in Hobson Street. The overhead equipment required is almost complete, and alterations? are ; being made at the foot of Wyndham Street to' enable the buses to turn close to the lefthand kerb. • V University Staff's Work. "These reporte show that the staff is still overworked, that the number of lectures given ie too great," said the president of the Auckland University College, Mr. W. H. Cocker, yesterday, at the council meetinir, when congratulating the staff on the successful work of the college, evidenced in the annual reports of the departments. The president referred to the value of a course of lectures given by the Professor of Mathematics, Professor H. G. Forder, which correlated 4 the ground which mathematics had in common with philosophy and physics. The department of music, Mr. Cocker added, had shown a great increase in the number of to 70. Professor H. Hollinrake had tried to make an appeal to students of the college, other than those In hie own subject. The music club had an attendance of 80, which was more than the number ip the echool. In architecture, too, the establishment qf a course in interior decoration, under Professor C. R. Knight, had the same conception of wider appeal. The Poisonous Rhus Tree. 'Inquiries made by Mr. A. W. Anderson, curator of Timaru parks and reeeryeg, revealed that the only specimen of the rhns tree the park has contained in recent years, a rhus toxicodendron, or poison ivy, had .■ been destroyed by burning last May. • been anxious to remove the plant ■ .eiver. I since I came," said Mr. Anderson, "and a good opportunity to do the job with impunity oame in the late autumn, when we made a big fire of pine needles on top of the tree, and completely and safely destroyed it." An extrart from a horticultural authority, Mr. W. J. Bean, was quoted by Mr. Anderson. It stated that the poison ivy, which came from Japan, had a yellowish, milky sap, which turned black on exposure, and whose poisonous properties" were known as long ago as 1623. On contact with the skin of many people, though not all, it caused painful blisters and eczema-like eruptions, which were often persistent, and Sometimes were reported to recur seasonally for two or three years.