NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 21 September 1938, Page 10

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Municipal Band's Exit. With the expiry of the month's notice given to the bundnmster, Mr. T. J. O'Connor, and 33 members, the Auckland Municipal Hand has now ceased to exist, and instruments and uniforms have Keen handed in to the Auckland City Council. When disbandment «a« decided upon by the City Council, a special committee was set up to innkc recommendations, but it lias not yet reported to the council. Merchants In Trouble. Resentment at the action of the Wellington City Council in permitting the erection in Wellington street* of seats carrying advertising patie.V was voiced at a meeting of the council of the Wellington Chamber .of Com-

ineree. The meeting decided to write to the council strongly protecting jit the disfiguren:ent of the city. Mr. A. L. Wall said that it seemed to him the City Council had put up a few scuts to see what would happen. Sonicthin™ had happened, but not enough, and accordingly the council had felt emboldened to p> on with tlte scheme. "We stand for the ideals of commerce and not for mete moneysrmhhing." said Mr. M. P.. C. McCanl. "As Wellington mrn we are proud of our city, and we do not want to see it disfigured. Wp cannot do better than recommend citizens to institute n boycott ngniust those wlm ndvnrt ise on seat*. Tf tlio-e tw>i>>;lo who advertis"

"ml their shops emiit.v. tlicv will soon tnend their way." Ciiptiiiii S. Holm ui'id n Imvcott was nlrcndy in opcrntion. mid lie bii-w of one Hrm that wnii withrirn-.. mg nil its ndverti*injr, tin matter what it cost. Hamilton Maori Hostel Plan.

The proposal to e*tablii<]i a M;iori liostcl nt Hamilton whs not. taken up piitlmsin»tiftilly hy Hit- Pinko County Council at its monthly mct'tinjr. Following tlio rpa<Tiiifr of a lettor from the Health Department asking the council to send a delojriiio to a meeting. councillors expressed the opinion that the respon«iliility was one for fho Native Department or Hospital Board. Om- roiricillor said he would be ready to support the proposal if oil his ridinjr native accounts were paid, while another suggested they might niiiko a donation of the overdue Maori n-.tes account*. Waipa County Council members, too. were not at all well inclined to the proposal he'nrr the subject of contributions from local bodies. The nttitudp taken was that it w«s onr> for the Native Department iind the Government primarily, ami for the TTninilton Boronjrli Council secondarily. One member commented: "Tf the (Jovcrninetit can build scores of State houses fi.r rent.il. it surely can provide the ho«tel in Hamilton." A delegate wo« anpointed to attend thn conference of local body reprenentntives. but he was not authorised to commit the council to any expenditure. Mount Roshill Baths in View. The proposal to construct swimming baths nt Mount Roakill was advanced a «ta;rc- when a report wan presented lust to the. Mount Koskill Koad Hoard on tlie question. This stated that after a general discussion 011 ways and means, prospective revenue and annual charges by the committee set up to consider the proi>osal, the question arose «s to the extent to which the proposal would receive the Hiipport of the ratepayers at a poll. It would Ik- necessary, continued the report. to lay down a routine to be followed in proceeding with the preliminary and the collection of all information necessary to procure reliable figures as to building costs, prospects of necurinjr sanction for the neceesary loan authority, revenue estimates, etc. For this purpose the committee will sit again next Tuesday, and regularly thereafter, on committee e-venings, whenever progress can be reported. Reporting on the financial result* of the recent jubilee celebrations of the Mount Roskill School, the committee said there wan a credit balance of £200, which had been banked an the nucleus of a fund for the construction of the swimming baths. Prosperity In Australia. A review of Australian conditions wan made by the Auetralien Government Trade Commissioner, Mr. C. K. Critchley, in an addres« to members of the Wellington Rotary Club yesterday. He said that factory production laet year in Australia had been higher than ever before, and internal trade reports were very satisfactory. There had been record profits, and increased dividends continued to rule. One firm last year had made £1.000.000 net profit. :ind another hnd exceeded that amount. Mr. Critchley snid that employment in Australia to-day was higher than ever before, and unemployment. which hnd been represented by about 30 per cent of the trade unions, had now dropped to under 8 per c nt. About 4000 houses had been built in New South Wales this year, and building was progressing at the rate of about 1000 honse-s a month. "The budgetary position is eatisfactory," continued Mr. Critchley. "Taxation has been reduced considerably, ar- 1 that reduction has been of great assistance to industry.* It is known, however, that taxation will be increased, but that will be for defence purposes." Mr. Critchley eaid thflt one of the present-day factors that one could say militated against the prosperity of Australia was the export trade position. This had been brought about owing to falling prices and e decline in world trade. Another adverse factor had been the recent drought, and as a resnU of that the wool clip would be 200,000 bale* short.

Homer Tunnel Resumption. Work on the construction of the Homer tunnel to form a link between Te Aiiau and Mil ford Sound has not been resumed since operations were suspended for tlie winter months. However, preparations are being made for a start. There is -.till a fair amount of enow on the high country, and this will hove to disappear before the district is regarded as Hjife for workmen. It is hoped that both the contractor and the Public Works Department will have their full complements of men back on the job in a few weeks.

Anglican Synod Postponed. An alteration in the arrangements for the annual session of the Auckland Diocesan Synod has been made in view of the fact that the general election is to be held earlier than was anticipated. It is now announced that Synod will open on October 17. instead of on October 13. Evensong will be held ill St. Mary's Cathedra] on the opening d«iy, and on the inornimr of tlie following day Archbishop Averill will deliver his charge. The business i-ittings will open in St. Mary's Hall on the afternoon of October 18. and will continue until October 20 or 21. When the fixtures for Synod were originally made, the indications were for a general election nt the end of October or early November, which would have involved no cl«sh' in the arrangements. Copper by the Ton. Were all the copper coins that go through the htamp vending machines and slot telephones in the course of a year, collected, it would make a heap many tons in weight and valued nt approximately" £(JO.OOO. It would also result, probably, in a copper shortage in this country. Many hundreds of telephone

-t'-eet en billets are distributed at convenient points, and the extent of public service thev render ts well evidenced by the annual

■■o)lection of over £.">O.OOO in penny calls. Stamp •selling mnehinen. designed by a New Zetilunder and made in the Post Office workshops, arc equally popular. The public buy* through these automatic machines stamps to the value of nearly £40.000 per annum, which again involves a great expenditure in coppers. "String Along . . . "

It was a ease of "string along with me" — literally. For the purpose of checking levels thin morning workern on the new Post Office building in Jean Batten Place had stretched a length of surveyors' line along one ode of the building. parallel with the ground. For greater accuracy the line was continued across Fort Street, where it was held, another worker being on duty to warn traffic. For n time all went well, cars slowing down in response to the signal and passing safely beneath the line. Then a small van. with its spare wheel mounted on the roof, camo along flt a bri«k pace. There was a ttirobbing hum a« the line carried away, running as though on a reel, on the shiny hub cap of the wheel. Tt was stretched Hke a bow string from .Teiin Hattrn Place almost as far as Queen Street. Fortunately when fllmost at breaking point it slipped off the hub cap with a sharp twang. And tlie job had to be begun again.

Film of Mission Work. To obtain a complete pictorial record of activities in the island* of the Melanesia!! Mission field. 3000 ft of film and a movie camera, purchased by an English donor. Mr. T. Ogden, of Holland Park, London, will be carried on the eoming voyage of the Southern Cross, end a member of the ship's company will undertake the duties of cameraman. It in proposed to include every mission station and every island in Melanesia. The makin;: of the film is expected to occupy about nine months. When complete, it will bo sent to England and will be used for educational purposes as a record of nntivo life, the work of the hospitals, schools and colleges for nrdinands. and the work of the ship. In addition. ! a spare ciunera for the taking of filrr* in natural eolotor hue been given to the mission by an anonymous donor. A further trift include* equipment to tnke about 1000 still photographs, of which 100 will be in natural colour. Mr. and Mra. T. Ogdrn, who have been generous benefactors in the past, gave the nurses' home which has been established on the New Britain eoant, in the mandated territory, near Xew Guinea. Historic Maori Pα. "This pa should be preserved for all time." remarked the Minister of Public Works, tlte Hon. R. Semple. in the course of a visit with the Mayor of Hawera, Mr. J. K. Campliell. to the historic pa at Turutiirn-Mok.ii. near Hawera, yesterday. He agreed that, in its restored state, the pa would be a national ns«et. The massive nature of the trenches and riimjwrt*, which are in an excellent state of preservation, caused Air. Semple to remark upon the dexterity of the Maoris as engineers, in consideration of the verv primitive nature of the tools with which they worked. The Minister was particularly interested in the entrnnce to a tunnel, which, completely timbered, passes under a stream running below the pa to emerge in the outpost fortifications on the far side. He expressed the hope that i'>' tunnel would eventually be opened up. and asked to be notified when that stage was reached so that he could be present at any ceremony arranged. "I thoroughly approve of the policy of encouraging interest among Maori people in the arts of their ancestors in this way." Mr. Semple said, "and I hope you will continue the policy of restoring the pa in a manner symbolic of Taranaki traditions and without the introduction of anything pakeha. Work of this nature is a national asset, and T shall he greatly interested in the progress of the restoration."