NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 144, 21 June 1939, Page 10

NEWS OF THE DAY.

More Drivers. In his report to tlic Mount Kden Borough Council tlic traffic inspector, Mr. C. Harper, mentioned that the number of drivers' licenses issued in tlio borough durinpr the ]o.'?rt-30 year was 301i2, an increase of Mlrt over the 1037-38 year, when the number licensed was 3f>46. Music in Travel. Passengers in a city tram recently were rather surprised at hearing strains of a military march simp in a deep male, voice, while they were travelling alonjr a city thoroughfare. At first it was thought that the sound was emerging from the wirelens of a car travelling alongside the tram, but on listening more attentively it was found to be the niotornian. who was evidently in high spirits and jrood voice. Birds Ravaging Gaava Trees. The guava berry, with its tender «kin and tasty seeds, is always the object of much unwelcome attention from birds, but this year the diimajje done seems worse than usual. Suburban gardeners are finding the berries on their t reps deeply eaten into, the little birds commonly known nn '"white eyes" being the worst offenders. The yellow berries are apparently more attractive to the birds, but the red berries also are being eaten. Military Reserve Recruits. Enrolments in the National Military Reserve to-day number T:>4. That total comprises !!.'? in Class T.. which is composed of ex-territorials. .'SSO in Class IT., former r?pulars and returned soldiers, and ISB in Clans lIT.. men between the ages of 30 and f>s, who would be a. reserve If or the other two clause*. It is noticeable that the older men are showing greater interest in defence than the younjrer men. an shown by the difference in enrolments between Class I. and the other two. Hospital Taxation. The opinion that the incidence of hospital taxation should lie reviewed was expressed by the Mount Kden Horough Council at last night's meeting, when it was decided to bring the matter before the Auckland Suburban Local bodies' Association. Tho> Mayor. Mr. R. Mills, said the Government was going to allow the Hospital Board fi/ per <lay for ench occupied bed, but he did not consider thin anything like sufficient, as the cost was about l"i/ per day. Tale of a Hat. Another person nearly paid the penalty for Jumping off the p.issenjrer ferry before the gangway was lowered recently. The man in ipiestion attempted to make the all too common leap. He succeeded, but in doing so caught liis hat on a projection, and it went spinning through the enp between the ferry and the wharf. The unfortunate one, looking somewhat nsliamecf. proceeded to climb down on to the piles and rescue his property, which had lodged on a pile. World Dairy Congress. Tt has been decided by the Bureau of the International Dairy Federation to hold the 1040 World Dairy" Congress in Austria, as originally planned. An official invitation to hold the congress in New Zealand was sent to the bureau, but the Dominion Ciovermnent was informed that the political situation did not affect the first decision. Last year's conference was held in Germany, po that, now Austria is part of the Reich, the conjrress will, in effect, lie held in the same country two years running, contrary to the rule. Valuation and Rents. An unusual feature of the objections to the new Government valuations in Auckland ie a move by a number of owners of rented houses and other rented property to have their assessments increased. This action is due to the operation of the Rent Restriction Act, under which the valuation of a property is one of the major factors governing the rent, and an increase in the valuation may result in the rent being raised. There is not. however, any general tendency to use valuations for this purpose, and the objections are fewer than the Department expected.

Need for Research. *""""'" In nnv form of education for fitting public servant* for the tasks ahead of them, research should play an important part, declared Mr. P. Martin-Smith, director of the Workers' Educational Association, in an address to members of the Auckland liranrh of the Xew Zealand Institute of Public Administration. There was a danger, he said, of social legislation being passed before adequate investigation had been undertaken into the results of tlrat. legislation. The politician was in danger of being engrossed with short-term policies and quick returns. If such dangers were to be avoided, it was essential that a Inrye part of the Public Service should be in the nature of research. Crime Does Not Pay. " ""' ""*" "*" When a call «oes out from the taxpayer for police action in consequence of the commission of a crime, the minions of the. law get. on the job regardless of expense. But when tlie hunt is up, and tlio criminal convicted. the Department assesses incidentals in the wny of travelling and witnouses' expenses, and places the result before the sentencinir jndj/e or magistrate under the heading "costs of prosecution." Prisoner* on probation have to pay the costs, but when th,; sentence is a prison term, the cost-; of prosecution are considered on beyond recovery. Haif n dozen prisoners came licfore a Supreme Court judge in Auckland la«t week for sentence, and the eost« of prosecution bill for the lot, was £14. The items showed 37/ for bringing to book two admitted burglars, while the incidental* for apprehending in the countrv a very old niiin who had committed a social crime ran to over £0. The burglars and four others of the list, went to gaol; the old man was prescribed probation in a home. Tie was senile and so poverty-stricken that he literally had not a shirt to his back, and th* repayment of £0 odd was out of the question. So the £14 no doubt goes on to the million sterling, or whatever sum it. is. that the taxpayer has to pny for kcepinpr the country policed. Crime does not pay in any respect. Circus Commissariat. The feeding of the wild animals attached to <a circus, which is camping for the winter recess at the ClandelamU showgrounds, Hamilton, is a task of some magnitude, and during the ten weeks the party anticipates staying in Hamilton the provisions bill alone will amount to between £.~>oo and £000. When n "Star" correspondent visited the camp to-day he found most of the members of tho company hard at, work, the trapeze artists practising new stunts, the animal trainers looking after their charges and others repnirinj the gear. Over IOOJb of meat Is reqtiired each day for the lions and tigers. The four elephants are fed with fiewt of hay each day, while the bear* and other animals consume vast quantities of vegetables and fruits. Over, ton I>ags of chaff nre required for the 18 horses and seven ponies. Apples and bananas nre Ihe chief diet of the monkeys. Already! «reat difficulty is being experienced in secur- , ing sufficient hay for the elephants. Beside* the four elephants at present at. Clautlelands three more are expected from Singapore, and as the winter progresses the feed problem will probably be acute. One of the biggest Home of expense in connection with the circus is transport cost*. During tho tour of the South Island the Railway Department bill amounted to £1803, while with the North Island tour not yet completed the bill for this section is already £1103. Over £200 is spent in crossing Cook Strait, while the Taeman crossing involves over y £.looQf

Cood Response. Thirty members of the inside and outside staffs of the Mount Albert Borough Council have signified their willingness to take instructions in civilian air raid precautions, and evening classes have been arranged. Big Increase. The building permits issued in the Mount Eden borough last month numbered 27, of a total value of £15,10(1. This represents a substantial increase over the month of May last year, when the total value of the 12 permits issued was only £2205. Last month's permits included six for new dwellings, valued at £5840. Rotes from State Houses. Erection of Government houses hae provided a new source of revenue for a number of Auckland local bodies. In the Mount Albert district the estimated value of State houses has been assessed at £100.000. and it is estimated that £1533 would be received in rates for the year. It is considered at Mount Albert thnt the effect of the Government housing scheme will be reflected in the council budgets in the future to a much greater degree. Wtdkato River Higher. Recent fairly steady rains have had a marked effect oil the lt»vel of the Waikato River. I\t the opening of the shooting season sportsmen erected makeshift shelters in pandbanks which had formed in the river consequent on the unusually low level. That was in tho beginning of May. Now. just over a month later, the four sticks of those shelters, which formerly stood on a substantial area of dry ground, are protruding from an expanse of water. N.Z. House Air Raid Shelters. By an expenditure of £500. Xew Zealand House, in The Strand, London, is being strengthened as a precaution against air raids. The ceilings in the basement have been timbered, and the space is being converted into a shelter, which could be used in the event of an attack. These simple measures, it is stated, are in marked contrast to the elaborate preparations beiug made to protect the London offices of the other Dominions and those of the British Government. Sections for State Houses. Large numbers of building sections in various parts of Auckland city, and particularly in the Point Chevalier district, have been acquired by the Government for State housing purposes during the past two years, at prices generally on a fairly low level. In the Point Chevalier district the total of the sections purchased would run into several hundreds, and the Government has found no difficulty in securing areas, often at bargain prices, from owners who, in numerous instances, had paid fire-deprossion prices and had since found the holding of undeveloped sections very coetly. Saving on Cream Cartage. A reduction of nearly £10.000 in milk and cream cartage expenses has resulted from the zoning of territory an<l arranging boundaries between different dairy companies, according to the annual report of the National Dairy Federation. Although a. few adjustments have yet to be made, the bulk of this big undertaking, begun by the Executive Commission of Agriculture and the Dairy Board, has been completed. The sharp fall in cartage costs, states the report, gives a very clear indication of the loss suffered year after year by the industry through lack of organisation and co-operation. Hulks Go To Shipbreahers. The hulk Eure. a former French naval ship, is to be beached at Shoal Bay and dismantled by shipbreakors for its teak and iron. The men engaged on this task will be "houecd ,, on board another derelict, (lie Taniwha. formerly the property of the Northern Steamship Company, and when the Eure has been stripped of everything of use the process of dismantling the Taniwha, will commence. The Auckland Harbour Board has given permission for the beaching of both hulls, the purchasers assuring the board that no litter would be left on tho beach, and that all health regulations would be olwerved. The Euro's last station was Xoumea, Xew Caledonia. After her service was completed, shortly before the Groat War. she was bought by the Northern Steamship Company for use as a hulk. Tho French Government sent her to Sydney, and in 1912 she was towed across the Tasman by the Joan Craig. Cars Batted by Bull. *~ While tho presence of wandering atoek on tho Rotorua-Paengaroa highway has boon a fairly constant occurrence in recent months, motorists passing over the route met with a new and nerve-racking experience lust Sunday evening and on Monday, when cars were rnfhed by a bull at a point alwmt 17 miles from Rotonia. In Ht least three of the cases extensive damage Mas done to tho ears by the enraged animal as it butted against the sides of the vehicles, while in another the driver had a thrilling race as his car was chased by the bull. On the way from Te Puke early on Monday morning h motorist encountered the bull coming out, of a deep cutting. and, in order to allow it to pass, he slackened speed and pulled his car over toward the bank. Xo sooner had he stopped the car than tho bull in a mad rush struck it on tho side. breaking a side window shield and partly pushing its head through the window. Tn spite of a search* by a main highways traffic inspector, the bull has not eince been soon.