NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 16, 20 January 1939, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Taxis Slack. Several taxi drivers in Auckland stated to-day flint business was unusually slack. Although they reeiionise. Thur-day as tin- day generally producing least business, they found that A\ ednesdiiy ot tlii* \v cck was also a bud day. One nt tliem said. "We're barely making o\pen-i'- t hi.- week. It men lis that besides ■ a Ulink Thur.-day vvo have had a Black Wednesda;. . 'I lie.v are at a loss to explain the ■cause ot what appears to lie one of the slackest periods for many months. Ocean Bed at Mayor Island. -M. Ilovell and party, who arc rmikin-j an survey of Mayor 1-iaiid untei"-.. near In ;i iii a eoliieal iii rd-e. report serin in-- nt depths Up to i.iilioins an int ere.-tin- roller; ion of marine liie. i/ieluuinp- rare lish. sea worms and delicate isea shells ot every eoneei va hie shape and CO.our. A larjre sulimer;. , ecl reef was tliseoverid to the m>rth-cu.-t of the i-land. and from it beautiful speeimens of jiink. brown and yellow eoral v. ere c.erured, reports tlie '"StarV" local eorr«sjJondejit. Tragedy in Class. Pedestrian* in -Ww K"ortb Road, near tlie top ot Svuionds Slreet. <lurinir tho week wore startler! to Jifar a Imiil lincst Ration reveaied that a truck driver had dropjrd a l»o>; of at-ratcd v.'nlcrs and was i'! horror at a ina-s of liroken t nlaM. on tin- mad. Not one o! t !i" hot ( h»s v. as undamaged. 7>«*i»i•; a con-cum;t ion- man who «Su;\ 1" other drivi » on tin* highways, the rari'ier Lratiii'i rd all tbe l>i okrn «:la.-s up. Imh iow «•<! a I'l'ooin and >\s <• pt the road clear of any fi abluents that puiieture tyres. it is a >urpri- :njr eorn menta ry on iiuman nature that, though the audience was nobody offered to assist Involuntary Fast Averted. A youiiL' lady to work about nine o'rlork this moniiiiLT suffered a harrowin- experience when rro--iii._' Victoria Street West, at ils jinirt ioji with (,)iiei-ii Street. Sic had seiiual pai.-r|s in In-r arms. and. in her hast e. one tell to the ground—her lunch. With an c\cla ni.i fion of a nnm a inc. she turned to pick it Up- when, to her horror, she t>n\v a >edan car Illinium into the street. She started back in the nick ot time, but could liol retrieve her packet of t-amlw i. lies. Hcfore her horrified -raze, the ear. which travelling too fur-t to pull up at ome. completely over the bafr. With of a daylonir fast already before her "yes. she pave a heart-felt cry of delight wlcii -lie r-nw that the driver had skilfully a\oid"d touching the hap' with his wheels, 'i'lie sandwiches none the wo r«e. apparently, for (lie mishap, she tucked the packet under her arm and hurried on. rejoicing at her escape from a midday fa.st. Soath Islander's Lament. Returning to New Zealand hv the Otranto. Mr. K. Hay. of Pi-eon Bay.' Banks Peniiit-uln, has as fellow <iti the last stape pf the trip some sou Australian tourists who joined the ship at various Australian ports to make a holiday cruise to Ihe Dominion. Not one of tho-'e still tourists came to the South Inland, and Mr. Hay said iin an interview in ( hristchinvh that, an a South Islander, he wished that when such tours were heinjr arranged -omr attempt mi.'.'ht be made to have the South Island included in the cruise itinerary. He had spoken to the captain of the \c -el about the position, and had been told that the captain had some doubt whether he could f:et the Otranto into L.vttelton. If that were so. Mr. Hay said, t-urelv «some attempt should be made to improve the port to divert to the South Island some of this valuable traffic. As it was, the tourists had only from the Friday to the Monday in Xew Zealand, and all they had a hurried chance to sec were the bestknown places in the north. Caravan Trip in North. After alt months' tour of New Zealand in a single-unit caravan. Mr., and Mrs. R. W. D. C'nhill have returned to Diinedin tilled with enthusiasm for the wealth of .seeaery in the Dominion, and convinced that anyone wishing to Hpend an enjoyable and healthy holiday i could not do better than tollow 1 heir example. They left Dunediu in November. 10:57. and during their lonj; tour covered 7300 miles. There was practically no place of interest in the North Island that thv couple did not, vi-it. Not content with this trip. Mr. and Mrs. Cahill intend leaving for a brief visit t < > Bluff and Rivertoii. after which they will make a tour embracing Mi I ford Sound, the southern ; lakes and Central Otago. The beauties of North Auckland deeply impressed the tour- i ists. Mr. Cahill was full of praise for such i scenery as that offered by the Bay of Islands. ,i Ninety Mile Beach, the fjian t kauri forests. < and the seascapes of tlie northern coasts. They were both amazed at the climate of this part of the country, he said, for it teemed 1 almost sub-tropical. Modesty of Surf Life-savers. [ Since surf clubs were established in Canterbury hundreds of bathers have been eared ' by club member* from drowning, but the ■ modesty of the average life-aver has pre- t wilted the compilation of a li-t of rescues, < giving details. *ucli as is desired by the 1 Canterbury Surf Association. "For many i years surf club* kept what they called a j re-scue book, in which records of rescues with t line and reel were recorded." the president of ( the Canterbury Surf Association. Mr. H. S. « Fcaj->t, declared to an interviewer. "It was j found, however, that individual members of t clubs who carried out rescues usually did not j record them, uwuallv owing to the dislike of c writing up their own performances, and. con- a sequentlv, rescue books fell into disuse. Front t time to time club officials hear indirectly of outstanding rescues performed by club liiem- \ hers, but they are not reported by the indi- a viduals .effecting them. Clubs are now being < urged by the association to record accurately v details of rescues carried out by their mem- e hers, for the advantages of having this infor- a mation are obvious." g

Bananas for Poultry.

The average New Zealand poultry farmer would be appalled at the idea of feeding his birds on bananas. This fruit, however, forms a considerable proportion of the mash fed to his flock by a farmer in Central America. 1 Tliis farmer grows his own soya beans, too. d "We have bananas galore on the farm," he writes, "and these and yams, a root crop V rather like potatoes, make a splendid mash fi for fattening purposes." a 'Possum's Slide. ".Little rascals, and remarkably intelligent," is the considered opinion of opossums held by a lady camper who returned to the city this morning after a holiday mi the West Coast. "I woke one night to hear a regular 'swisssh-plup. swisssh-plop' from somewhere near at band. I couldn't make it out for a c a while, and then I discovered that some half 1 - a dozen opossums were using the roof of my 1 lent tor a sort of toboggan slide."' she said. ~i "They would climb along the ridge pole and e 'lie after the other go glissading down the slope of the canvas into the fern alongside. 1 waited until one was in the middle of a slide then heaved at the canvas with both 1 hands. The little fellow sailed through the air to 1 Land a dozen yards away —swearing- like a :■ trooper." Campaign for Fitness. Local bodies in areas surrounding the city r are to have a share in the administration of ; physical welfare. This was emphasised by - Mr. C. K. Bach, physical welfare officer 1 attached to the Internal Affairs Department. i when he addressed a meeting of sports and local body representatives at the Town Hall : la-l night. Mr. Ba<h. who announced the pcii-onnel of the permanent committee set up under the Physical Welfare and Recreation 1 \'l. emphasised that bodies interested in the coining physical fitness campaign and in physical weifa ■ generally should not feel piqued because they had no representative on 1 the com 111 it tee. The committee was merely to operate in the central area, he explained; otheiv would be formed in suburban areas, and these would be asked to organise local activities. Tobacco Research. The intensive scientific research being carried out in New Zealand for the benefit of the tobacco industry is shown in the review of work done in 1937-3H by the Cawthioii Institute. Tlie institute worked in co-operation with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. One and a quarter million tobacco seedlings were grown under carefully controlled conditions at the institute and distributed to growers. Throughout the season observations were made on these plants, and it was possible to state that the seed-bed stage of tobacco culture was ihc most important in the dissemination of mosaic disease. Arrangements have been made this season for continuation of mosaic investigations, for the conduct of soil survey* of Nelson tobacco lands and for the prosecution of chemical studies relative to tobacco quality. Live Wire Risks on Farms. " 1 he board has issued numerous warnings to farmers to exercise care when moving haystackers and to see that the" do not come into contact with electric wires, and yet accidents still occur." sai.i Mr. H. J. Beeche. secretary of the Central Waikato Electric-Power Board, at a meeting of the board. Mr. Beeche explained that during haymaking operations on the farm of Mr. D. Sainsbury, at Puketaha. near Hamilton, a stacker | touched overhead electric wires. Contact was established and the stacker became electrified and two horses which were drawing the implement were electrocuted. The board decided to circularise all farmers in its district, advising them of their responsibility concerning the maintenance and safety of their electrical equipment and to take particular care that hay stackers and other farm implements did not come into contact with electrical wires. The Tumhall Library. The past year has been a busy one for the Alexander Turnliull Library, Wellington, because of increased interest in Xew Zealand history stimulated by the approach of the Centennial. Though compared with Public Library attendances, those of the Turnhull may appear comparatively small: they represent a more inquiring and erudite type of reader—scholars, students, research workers, author*, and journalists, and those conducting : historical studies concerned with centennial 1 publications and pageantry. In all they number perhaps .10 or lit.) a week, but nearly every one is necking elucidation of some ' ob.-eiire question or is preparing notes upon 1 some more or less profound subject. Here are a few typical subjects of inquiry, taken • troni the rough diary of an assistant librarian ! during a recent week: —< oildniiiiing. history < of the British Navv. settlement of the Bay : .of Islands, history of Scandinavia, railway I development, and early voyages in the Pacific 1 Inlands. " I Flats for Pensioners. The greatest interest is being taken in the Cluistchurch City Council's experiment in the 3 construction of homes for old-age pensioners. I lie three blocks of these flats are now well advanced in construction (the "Press" •savs) and their building has so enhanced > the interest in (he scheme that so far the 1 council has had applications for them total- * ling 3IHJ. The scheme, at its present stage. 1 involves the construction of homes for .">0 t aged pony. so that it appears that already ' the extension of the scheme might have to ( be envisaged. The first block of flats is being 1 erected in Johnson Street, immediately behind !■ Sydenham Park, and the row of flats has - s the advantage-of an outlook right on fo the t peaceful view of the park, through a row of i oak trees. Three blocks of four flats each i are being constructed, and it is expected that 1 the average cost it, flat will work out at about, t £490. Each flat is entirely self-contained, r with a living room measuring 14ft by 10ft. i a bcdroo.m capable of holding two sinirie beds 'I or one double bed, a kitchenette, with hot i; water and seriery. u\separate bathroom for v each flat, and a small coal and wood room f at the reur. The rent of each flat will be s S/6 a week. jj