NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 48, 27 February 1939, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Score Was Nil. There was a cricket curiosity at Eden Park on Saturday, when the Eden team, playing against Parnell, batted for a couple of minutes at the end of the day. The two batsmen who went in finished each with nil not but. extras were nil, and thy score was no wickets for nil. 1 The Parnell bowler who went on did not have a run scored off him. The Transport Problem. After the A. and P. Show was over 011 Saturday, the exhibits had to bo removed from the showgrounds. Some cattle were loaded on to trucks, some were led; sheep put into cosy lorries. The dogs were carefully carried by their owners. '1 he horses were rugged and handled with care. But the easiest transport plan of the lot was that which at least one pigeon breeder adopted. He took his birds to the outside of the shed in his coat, and then threw them into the air—and they made their own way home. ' New Link With Power Station. Workmen have been engaged for' several days in cutting away a strip of the thick concrete surface at the entrance to the Tamalci Drive, near Quay Street, where direct current cables will be laid to connect the Auckland Electric Power Board's sub-station with the electricity system in the tunnel 011 the city side of the road. When the excavation has been completed, ducts will be laid in the trench and covercd with fiend protection. The power which at present reaches the distribution system by other routes will then be j turned through the new channel. It is expected the construction of the direct link will occupy ten men for two or three weeks. Fruit-packing Record. The Teviot Orchard, Roxburgh, has established a new record for the amount of fruit picked and packed in one day. a total of 1032 cases, 101'tons,being harvested and dispatched. Previous to this, in 1 !).'!">. the same orchard established a record by consigning 1350 cases, the output for a week-end's harvesting. Messrs. George Brothers, of Roxburgh East, dispatched 1200 cases in the same time. These tallies are far and above any consignment which had been hitherto sent away in previous years, so that the new tally certainly sets a record. Apricots leaving the district this year in such heavy quantities, practically 70 tons a day. are well coloured, clean, well matured and of excellent quality.

Fishermen's Varying Lack. From Rangitoto Channel right across to the East Coast beaches the gulf was clotted yesterday by the dinghies of patient fishermen. Some, forced to row, stayed in near the shore; others, fortunate possessors of outboard motors, moved right out towards Tiri. The rewards of their patience were varied, but it seemed that best fortune came to those, who went well out from the shore. Thirty snapper were hauled in by two fishermen who anchored a short distance past the Rangitoto Beacon, and they alsn secured a sprinkling of kahawai and two kingfish. Vet others who tried for several - hours near Milford secured not even the suspicion of a nibble. General verdict amongst fishermen is that fish were much more plentiful last summer. jln An Emergency.

"When a serious accident occurs, to save time is frequently to save life," said Mr. S. E. Langs tone, secretary-manager of the St. John Ambulance Association at Auckland this morning. In a recent accident, in which a child was seriously injured, considerable time was wasted by those on the spot ringing the homes, of a number of medical men in an effort to get a doctor. In sucli a case, said Mr. Langstone, the St. John Ambulance Association should be called immediately. "You can tie certain of always finding the association ready. That is th§ purpose of its officers, to render first aid and to take emergency measures until a doctor can be obtained. It is far better to call an ambulance, which may not be needed, than to sacrifice a life for want of immediate attention," he said. Perfect Week-end. Whatever may have been said with truth about the summer, Auckland has at least had one perfect week-end. Saturday afternoon and yesterday were gloriously sunny, a blazing sun being tempered by a light wind. Most holiday resorts near the city were crowded, the people flocking particularly to the beaches. There must have been hundreds at Mission Bay, and at other bays on this and the other side of the harbour. Tents dotted tlve sand, and they, with. the various colours of the women's bathing costumes,, gave a gay appearance. Judging by the number of motor cars equipped with camping gear or with caravans, camping was also popular. With good roads, it is no .trouble to go a long distance in a week-end, particularly one like the one just passed. Though there was not rrally enougli wind to make yachting conditions ideal, there were many craft afloat on the harbour. The keel craft which entered for the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's race to Te Kouma found that they had a favourable wind going, ancl, owing to a change also one coming back as well.

Monarch Butterfly Seen. In the light of an article appearing in the "Week-end Pictorial" of last Saturday, suggesting that the Monarch butterfly, which was comparatively common last summer, had "abdicated," it is interesting to note that one was seen in a Mount Roskill garden' yesterday afternoon. Apparently brought out by the glorious sunshine, the beautiful creature was in the garden for several hours, but 110 mate could be found in the vicinity. Stole His Vest. i Though a heavy sleeper, a visitor to Auckland wakened on Sunday morning with the* uneasy feeling that he lijid heard someone in the room of his city boardinghoune some time during the night. It was not until he was getting dressed and found that the vest of his navy blue sjuit, was missing that he realised that he had been visited by a sneak thief. Fortunately, he had taken the precaution to put his money in a safe place before retiring. Later he was rclie\ed to find the vest lying in the front garden, where the thief had thrown it. after realising that he had "drawn a blank." Is It a Record?

With the -apple season in full swing, many suburban gardeners with a few trees in the' back yard are proudly showfhg the results of their spraying and pruning. From Mount ,E(Jen comes the most impressive claim of the (season, however. A cooking apple has been grown there that tips the scales at just on 19 ounces, and looks like a rosy, but otherwise healthy, young pumpkin. It was grown on a tree known as "the 20 ounce"—nobody seems to know its real name—but this is the first occasion on which it has produced an apple worthy of its. high-sounding name.

North's Power Progress. Further illustration of the progress of electric power development in the north is given by the fact that the North Auckland Kloetric Power Board has been granted, by Order-in-Council. permission to raise a loan of £10(1.000 for extensions and additions to reticulation, and particularly to meet increased demands for power in areas already served. In 1P3.1 the board obtained authority to borrow £300,000. and it was stated last year that the final instalment of this would be expended by about April of the present voar. The sanctioning last voar of a loan of £200.000 by the Bay of Islands Klectrie Power Board makes an aggregate of £HOO.OOO .expended, or to be expended, on power development by the two boards. Paying the Income Tex. Payments of income tax at all money order offices increased in volume to-day as large numbers of taxpayers queued up to meet their obligations before the penalty date arrives. At the Auckland Chief Post Office it was noticeable that the steady stream of payments began to increase this morning, and it is expected that to-morrow and Wednesday will be exceptionally busy days. After Wednesday the statutory penalty of 5 per cent will be added on all unpaid amounts. The sums paid in at the money order offices represent only a portion of the revenue, the largest proportion being sent by cheque direct to the Treasury in Wellington. Tn comparison with land taxation, which was paid in November, income tnx revenue represents a huge sum. Tn the Budget, the Government estimated that the land tax would yield £1.075.000 and the income tax £9,500.000. Dogs in Evidence Again. It seems impossible for a parade or any sort of public gathering to be held in Auckland without the attendance of one or more doc's of uncertain breed. The physical fitness parade at Carlaw Park on Saturday was no exception to tlie rule, and the usual two or three rather dirty-looking canines were racing round the ground. One of them, a little black fellow with an ungainly gait and floppy ears, seemed to think himself attached to one of the several bands that were marching past the grandstand. He dashed about energetically, always keeping in close contact with the bandsmen. The parade halted, for a few moments, and the dog took the opportunity to have a good scratch. When he had finished, the band he was patronising had moved across to the othef side of the ground. The dog gave' a shrill yelp, -«nd covered the hundred yards distance to the band in something under evens in a way that made the sprinters on the ground green with envy. Third Time Unlucky! An Aucklander who is a car driver of more than ordinary skill had his phlegmatic temperament seriously disturbed yesterday. Returning from How'iek, he took the sharp turn to the right off the main road to go down to Buck land's Beach. He was horrified when the car refused to "straighten out." travelled over two ditches and almost made a hole in a house before he could come to a standstill. He succeeded in getting back on to the road, and decided that the event was one of those things that happen onlv once in a lifetime. Back in the city later in the evening, he travelled down Upper Queen Street, stopped for a few moments, and then circled to go up to Karangaliape Road. The car circled—and would have been circling until now if he had not been alert. Once again it refused to "straighten out," and after making the complete turn came to rest with the front wheels on the kerb from which it had started. Only presence of mind on the part of the driver prevented it from travelling over the footpath and "collecting" a shop window as a souvenir. Later investigation revealed tbat the split pin in the ar"> which connects the driving rod with the wheel had bccome loose, and this occasionally jammed, causing the wheels to lock.