NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 32, 8 February 1939, Page 10

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Not Superstitious. The t\in jiciiciK-ks in the aviary at Cornwall Park. Hastings, are somewhat sorrowlul bird-. '.I lic\ iiri- moult injr. During li«»t week the pen haw lii-iMi strewn with large and brilliant tail iVn thers, and the. hints, shorn of their former glory, were moping in a corner of tlie Several people, wlio apparently disregard the superstition concerning the illluck which is reputed to attach to peacock feathers, have been noticed carrying the plumes from the park. Hiking With Donkey. A young Knglii-h couple who arrived in 111<" Dominion a few months ago, and who are visiting li'ishoriie iii the course of a hiking! trip. Mr. and .Mr*. A. Allt'rey, have attracted I much interest, through tlieir novel idea of using a donkey to curv their pack. Avoiding niiiiii ruaili and centres, they have journeyed from Au-khinil, via TlmmiH, Tauranga and Waikaremojuia to (iUbm-ne. and here they inteiul I■ <.;11.1 illlt >hip for Lytieltoii in order to sec MUiiclhing of the South Island. Two months have pin-.-cd since Mr. and Mrs. AII- - coiiiinenced their journey south from Auckland. They [propose eventually to settle in New Zealand. Concession Granted. 11l view of Npeciii] circumstances as a re *n It of Ihe import I ice us i nj; svstcm, the Auckland Harbour I'.imnl. at the ' suggestion of the llurcaii nf Importers and Cliiiuiher of Comnierce, agiccd ;i I it- meeting \estenlay to extend the tree demurrage period on the wharf from ime ni.jjht to two nights for a] limited period in respect to poods ordered from oveixcMs ].rior to December ."> last. The. extra, demnrrujje period, it was explained, would only apply for a limited period to good" held up pending the i«sue of a permit. Mr. Harvey Turner said that; importers had been placed in a difficult position and hud appealed to the board for some help, which should lie extended. Mr. ,f. Hfiyeph said the rc(pie-t. was reasonable. He suggested that all rei|ile«t« of n similar character should be ninde in future through the Chamber of Commerce. High-priced Batter Boxes. Referring to the complaint made by dniry companies in the Manawatti district concerning the price of 2/2|, delivered, charged /or hutter boxes, the Bureau of Importers, in a statement isniieil yesterday, so ye that it is glsid to learn that the primary producers nrp waking ii|i to the "terrible penalty" which they are paying to the monopolies which have been created by the Labour (iorcrnment. The statement points out that tlie (iovernnient has refused to allow the importation of Canadian hutter boxes for some considerable time. Primary producers would l>e very interested, it suys, to know that Canadian butter boxes had been quoted at from a fraction over O.UI to 11 1-Hd. c.i.f. Xew Zealand main ports, the price depending on the quality of the timber lined, "What a penalty the primary producers have to pay to protect Xew Zealand secondary industries!" comments the statement. Building in Mount Albert. liuilding of an aggregate capital value of £204,000 was carried out in Hie .Mount Albert borough during 111.18, according to a statement madn to the borough council last evening by the Mayor. Mr. IT. A. Anderson. A good deal of construction work, he said, Imd been carried out by the Government Housing Department, and as a result the aggregate was the highest Mount Albeit had known for a long time. The value of building permits issued (luring the year totalled £tlK,on3, as compared witih £uT>.n7f> in 1!).T". CJovernment dwellings constructed during the year or in course of construction were of a total value of £135.730. That sum represented 100 single-unit houses and 14 double-unit dwellings. Included in the private permits Were 71 gnrages, f>B dwellings, and one factory. KrnVctiug the position revealed in the permits for garage construction, it was reported also that there had been a big increase in the number ..of motor drivers' licensee, 4010 being issued in 1938,' as compared with 3503 in 1937. Radium in England?

The suggestion that there may l>e radium in certain deserted mine** in Cornwall is supported by a Cornisliwoman resident in Auckland, whcL brought to the "Star" office to-day n small piece of pitchblende obtained from a mine at her home town. St. Ivco. She stated (hat the pitchblende, which has the appearance of a piece of dull road metal, glown brightly in the dark, such emanations, it is thought, being evidence of radio-activity. Tn n recent, mcflnngc from Tjondon it was stated that a fJerman firm had been buying, over a long period, largo quantities of rock from the Serpentine works. The Lizard. Cornwall. What they did with it no one knew, but'lt was said in Cornwall that Serpentine rock, which for centuries had been used for ornamental works, contained pitchblende, from which radium could be extracted. Tf every ton of rock contained as little as ono-fiftcen-part of an ounce of radium, the Germans were making a handsome profit. The rock cost them only £i> a ton, while radium was now worth £1.10,000 an ounce. Drink and Driving. Pointed' comment on the relation of fermented liquors to motor driving and citizenship, apart altogether from the crime of intoxication in charge of a motor car. was made by the Chief Justice, Sir Michael Myers, in the course of his summing up in a case before the Supreme Court in Dunedin. "A motorist who drives a car on a long journey, be it over good roads or bad, after having consumed four glasses of stout and port wine mixed, Is liot showing himself to he a good citizen," said his Honor. "T make such a statement without the least hesitation, and I think that you will agree, with me," he said, adrlrcpsmp the jury, ''but T would not like you to be led away by that remark. Accused is not charged with not being a good citizen. Nevertheless, you may think., as T do, that it is most reprehensible conduct for a man to ewill—to use a colloquialism—four glasses of such a mixture. What you have to determine, however, is what hfc condition was at three o'clock in the morning, some hours after he had the drinks," concluded his Honor. Bicycle a Menace?

"Beware of the 'push bike,'" warns a correspondent. "Much has horn written and Baldwin repent months of road safety, with special reference to motor cars and pedestrians. The motor cycle ha« been declared in effect an 'outlaw,' owing to the ntini*bcr of accidents it lifts been responsible for, hut little attention hns been drnwn to the menace of tlie ordinary bicycle, which is becoming more and niore a vehicle of transport ih tine city, iwed by thousands of youths and many girls. Cycliets are' dreaded by pedestrians Who use the Xew North Rnnd between the Mount Eden Road intersection and a point just below the Dominion" Roiul junction. Here the cyclist is predominant between 4 p.m., and 0 p.m., and it is often difficult for pedestrians to cross this busy highway, for not only has he to dodjre motor vehicles of every description, hut he is in constant danprer of being run down by cycliets who make this particular aeetion of thn road a speedway in their hurry to get home for food and a change of raiment after the exertions of the day." Another correspondent en ys that she desired to cross the road on a recent occasion to board an oittpoinp tram, and was unable to do so until four trnms had pone by on account of motor cars and epeedinjr cyclists. "Can anything be done about it?" the letter concludes.

Home-made Inner Tube. An old model van limping down Crummer Road, yesterday afternoon aroused some interest, which a closer examination changed to amusement. The driver, caught with a blowout and no spare tube, had saved his rim from damage l>y stutling the tyre with grass. He n<l mit tod that every now" and again he had had to put in morn grass on the road home, the weight of the van making a sticky, compact mass of the home-made "Inner tube." But it served its temporary purpose. Mushrooms Appearing. Mushrooms are not as plentiful at the present time as they usually are at this time of the year, probably due to the comparatively low ground temperatures. The recent heavy rains, however, have been responsible for the appearance of mushrooms in quantities sufficient for the family breakfast in some districts. Parties report that they have hnd most success so far in. the Humia hills ami over towards Moumoiikai, at the back of Humid. Last year there was an abundance of mushrooms owing to the more favourable wcHilier. and it was not an infrequent experience for some residents at Orakei to walk into their backyards in the morning and gather their breakfast from their lawns. Like Drawing Teeth. Anyone with an appointment at the dentist'* might be excused for hurriedly cancelling it after viewing the latest efforts of the ■•ratio on the top of the new State building in Sliortlrtlid Street. In the early .stages of the evolution of the building a wooden casing \v;is driven deep into the old sea bed to pre-vi-iit seepage into the foundations. With Hie <iimplcti<ui of the work to ground level it has become necessary to remove these timbers, and the crane, mounted KMlft above, hap been called upon to do the job. The operation consists of coupling the wire rope round the top of one of the timbers, and setting the machinery going. Simultaneously a workman gets busy with a sledge hammer, and the combined onslaught results in the pile being jerked from its eocket, the method being a ; horrible parody of the torture of tooth extraction. Work of Supreme Court. Fees and 'flnee collected in the Supreme Court at Auckland during IJKW amounted to £l:i,iii>2, according to a statistical return which has just been completed. Civil actions tried by a judge alone numbered 20, while those which came before a judge and jury totalled 30. A total of 440 divorce petitions were tried by a jifflge alone, and five came before a judge and a jury. On behalf of mortgagees the registrar effected 87 sales, and :17 were made by him to provide payment for overdue rates. A record was reached in the number of motions for probate or letters of administration, the total being 1004. Bankruptcy petitions filed either by the debtor or by liis creditors mi in be red 40. Appeals against the decisions of lower courts numbered 12. Of the criminal trials, there were tiii convictions and 24 acquittals. One hundred and thirty-two persona were sentenced after having been Sent from a lower court. Centennial Winter Sports. The sporting events pub-committee of the Auckland Provincial Centennial Council has advised the Auckland Harbour Board that it proposes to hold the Centennial winter games in Auckland from August 17 to August 31, 1040, all branches of winter «port being included in the programme. In a letter to the board, the committee said it anticipated that there would be competitors from overseas, ami suitable accommodation for championships of the magnitude envisaged was not (lvailable in Auckland unices the use of one of the wharf sheds could be obtained. A request was made for one to be placed at the committe's disposal for the period. When the letter wan read at yesterday's meeting of the board, it was decided, without discussion, to inform the committee that in view of the demands of shipping it was most unlikely that a shed would be available, nhd it was recommended to the committed thut other arrangements should be made. £20,000 for Capital Work: A sum of £20,000 is to be made available by the Mount Albert Borough Council this year for a programme .of capital works. On the motion of the Mayor, Mr. H. A. Andereon, the works and lighting committee, at last night's meeting of the council, wae asked to give consideration to the compilation of a programme for 1030-40 Involving ah expenditure of £20,000. plus any subsidy which might be available. The legal and finance committee was also asked to report on the availability of funds for the purpose. Mr. Anderson said that the sum mentioned would maintain a standard progression on the works. Since the programme was commenced in 1033 a sum of £1.10,000 had been spent, and the council had built Up an excellent staff. Mr. V. A. Coyle eaid that he hoped a subsidy would be granted by the Government, as it would be most regrettable if the council had to dismiss any of the men, who -were now regarded as being on the eemi-permanent etaff, and who were doing splendid work. Oxontay and Taxi Drivers* An echo of the taxi trouble which developed when the cruise ship Oronsay berthed Inst week Was heard at the Auckland Harbour Hoard's meeting yesterday, when Mr. K. ,T. Phelan asked Why the liner had been forced to tie up at the Western wharf. The chairman. Mr. W. B. Darlow, said there had been no alternative) as all the other berths had been occupied. Mr. Harvey burner said the board should make some statement concerning the trouble which had arisen with the taxi drivers. The board had been named as one of the official bodies that had been concerned in the trouble. "As a member of the board T have been questioned concerning the cause of the dispute," he said. "I think it would be advisable to have a statement." The chairman: "I intend to have it referred to the board in committee next Tuesday." Mr. C. O. Maeindoe: "I think a report should be broucht down by the superintendent find traffic manager concerning the trouble." Mr. Phelan: "Will We al«o get a reply as to why the ship was sent to the Western wharf?" The chairman assured the meeting that the whole question would be dealt with.