NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 192, 16 August 1939, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Saucy "Successl"

1 assengers on the eight a.m. ferry from I Bays water yesterday were a little * bewildcied when the boat slowed down in midhat bour, for those on the eastern side of the ship could eee nothing except a tug, which was too far away to matter. Then the engines • started up again, and a scow chugged haughtily past, flaunting its name "Success." i Takapuna Memorial. According to a decision made at a representative meeting of citizens in the Takapuna Borough Council Chambers last evening. Takapuna will erect a public library next year as a Centennial memorial. The meeting was presided over by the Mayor. Mr. .T. fJuiniven, and a further meeting is to be held this month to elect the necessary committees to promote the memorial project. A subscription list has been opened at the town clerk's office. Dispatch of Kails. During the next few days a large number of dispatches of inward and outward Empire air mails and Australian mails will be handled in Auckland. The cargo steamer Kairanga brought a mail from Sydney yesterday, another mail arrived by the Wanganella to-day, and a third mail from Sydney is due at Wellington on Friday. Weather a Matter of Degree. As far as Aucklanders are concerned, today was relatively warm, but to the passengers who returned by the Maunganui after a cruise among the Pacific islands it was bitterly cold. Every pansencer was dressed in his wannest clothes, while comparisons between the sunshine of the Pacific and the climate of Xew Zealand in the winter were frequent and caustic. "It's amazing how the climate could change in the past three days on the vessel." remarked one passenger, who was wrapped in a fur coat. Young New Zealand's Teeth. j "The shocking state of the teeth in Xew i Zealand is hardly realised except by those J who, like school doctors and dental nurses, j see children in the bulk," says the annual | report of the Division of School Hygiene. ("How many young adults have lost all their teefh and been fitted with artificial dentures?" is a question asked. The officers of the division emphasise that parents should continue the good work done at school dental clinics after children have left school. In this way j much of the dental trouble with girls and youths in their later 'teens could be avoided. Bobby Calf Season. The killing of bobby calves is in full swing in the Auckland and South Auckland districts at the present time, operations at the Horotiu works being particularly busy. Such is the flow of stock at the Westfieid freezing works that it is stated that fully 100 men are engaged in killing and dressing the calves. "The bobby calf season is a bit late this year." said a man associated with the freezing industry to-day, "but they are certainly making up for lost time. At Horotiu, for instance, they have almost as many men ' on as during the height of the freezing season." Kahu Takes the Air. The Union Airways air liner Kahu, which was damaged when landing at the Xew Plymouth airport on July 23, was flown to! Palmerston Xorth yesterday, temporary re[Miirs made after the accident having been] approved by the Government aircraft inspec- j tor, Mr. A. P. Hunt. Since the mishap two j company engineers have been working on the aeroplane, temporary repairs to the damaged landing gear having been the chief undertaking, in addition to certain strengthening work. Both metal airscrews of the twin-engined aeroplane were replaced. The damaged airscrews, the tips of which were bent, have been sent to the Lockheed Corporation factory at Burbank, California. Grammar Football Jubilee. As a celebration of ,the 25th anniversary of the Auckland Grammar School Old Boys' Football Club, it has been decided to hold a jubilee function 'on Saturday, September 16, the date of the match between Auckland and Wellington provinces. A circular from the club states that old players will have the chance of meeting in the afternoon at Eden Park, after which thev will dine at the Hotel Auckland. They will subsequently be the guests of the club at a smoke concert. A small charge will lie levied, but any surplus funds will be used to provide appropriate jubilee souvenirs. It has been suggested that these should be a roll of honour for those who fell in the Great War. and some suitable recognition for club players who have gained All Black honours. Northland's Advantage. Regret that dairy companies operating in the Waikato had received very little by way of premiums during the year under the guaranteed price scheme was expressed by Mr. A. J. Sinclair, manager of the Te Awamutu Compnnv. at the annual meeting held yesterday. Mr. Sinclair congratulated those dairy companies in Xorth Auckland whose premiums for quality had averaged about £1 per ton of butter. The prolific growth of clover in the Waikato, he said, was detrimental to quaPtv. and the paspalum pastures of the north gave a much better cream. Clover, nevertheless, was the salvation of the Waikato farmer in the early months of the season when paspalum woidd be useless, and dairying in the Waikato without clover would be impossible. Native or Exotic Trees? "Whenever the subject of roadside planting is discussed, argument arises as to the relative values of natives and exotics." states the bulletin of tlie Royal Xew Zealand Institute of Horticulture. "Some would plant all natives, and others none but exotics. The 'native' pimpnrtcrs state that we should plan* our own Xew Zealand trees and shrubs, and that anything else is not in keeping with this country'.; landscape, exotics creating an unnatural effect. Those in favour of exotics argue that We should choose the best that is suitable from all over the world, thus ereatlv widening tlie range of beautiful subjects available. To the qualified but unprejudiced person, and also to the average intelligent member of the community, there is an obvious nlacc. for both types, but with a stronsr bias in fayour of natives, ' wherever suitable." Maori Dairy Farmers' Korero. One of the most noteworthy features of the annual meeting f suppliers of the Te [ Awamutu Co-operatiye Dairy Company, Ltd., on Tuesday, was an address in Maori to the native suppliers, by Mr. Umu McLean, of Parawera, the advisory native director. Mr. McLean urged all Maori suppliers to the com-, panv to concentrate upon supplying only best quality cream, and particularly was it necessary to observe scrupulous cleanliness in the milking shed. He also counselled them against leaving cream at the milking sheds overnight to be picked up by the cream lorries next morning. A far better plan was to remove the cream to a well-aired cool place away from the shed to avoid taints that lowered the grading. Proper attention to the cream separators was also an essential to successful dairying. Mr. McLean's address, an interprc- | tation of which was given immediately after- j wards by the secretary-manager (Mr. A. J. J Sinclair), was warmly applauded. 1

Water Board Wanted. The Xew Lynn Borough Council has decided to approach the Auckland Suburban Local Bodies' Association for support in the formation of a metropolitan water board with a view to securing a cheaper water supply. When the council's agreement with the City Council was being considered, it was stated that the borough .was paying 1/ per 1000 gallons for its water, and last months' consumption was 2,293,000 gallons. j Birds Nest in State Bmlding. The hiatus in construction activities at the new State building in Shortland Street lias apparently induced in city birds the belief that the gaunt rusted framework is a permanent institution. Choosing a sheltered spot at an angle in the lower girders, a pair of pigeons have started nest-building operations. Citizens_ who have observed the ambitious pair are wondering whether they will be permitted to rear a family. Albert Park Improvements. Improvements are being carried out at Albert Park in preparation for the coming spring. In spite of the heavy rain of the winter the lawns and edges there have been kept trimly cut, and to-day a rustic fence is being erected above the cactus rockery at the toj> of Victoria Street East. Another welcome improvement from the point of view of those visiting the park is the naming of the various varieties of trees. The botanical names clearly painted in black on a white board are being affiled to each of them in turn. Busy Thoroughfare. Perhaps one of the busiest minor thoroughfares in the city is Fort Street Lane, which joins Fort and Customs Streets. There always appears to be a congestion of trucks in this by-way, and owing to the restricted room it is remarkable that the vans and lorries using the lane preserve their mudguards whole and the paintwork in such a good condition as it is. The lane's use is not restricted to motor vehicles, however, and it is still a familiar sight to see horses and wagons parked alongside the walls of the warehouses. Membership Growth. Returns taken out by the Auckland Carpenters and Joiners' Union relating to its membership reflect the boom period in the building industry and the influx of tradesmen from overseas. Discussing the position today, the secretary of the union, Mr. J. G. Kennerley, said that the net increase in membership was 650. There had been just on 400 transfers from other unions, and about the same number of members of the Auckland union had moved to positions in other parts of the.Dominion. Of tlfc increase in membership, he estimated that over 200 men had come from overseas. Every Home a Health Camp. "Health camps now play a large part in the care of delicate and debilitated children," states the annual report of the Health Department, whicli records that last year over 2000 children received the benefits of treatment in the many camps held. The Department congratulates the various organisations responsible on their work, and urges the public to support them in their continued activities. Among the benefits of the camps arc not only an increase in height and weight, but also a happier and more sensible outlook. "Every Xew Zealand home could be a health camp." adds the report. "The children get in the camps nothing that the average home in Xew Zealand cannot provide —rest, sunshine, good food, plenty of milk and long hours of sleep at nijrht in well-ventilated and quiet rooms." I Fall of Live Wire. Several cyclists narrowly missed electro-, cution in an unusual mishap at Cobden Bridge shortly after noon yesterday. Owing to a Public Works Department bulldozer proceeding across the bridge toward Greymouth, -here was a hold-up of lunch-hour traffic on the town side of the bridge, and half a dozen cyclists were leaning against the approach railing. As the bulldozer approached the end of the bridge it set up such a vibration that one of the 11,000-volt high-tension electric wires carried on brackets above the bridge suddenly snapped and fell among the cyclists. By a fortunate chance it missed them, although in several cases only by inches, and fell on the roadway, burning the asphalt and the paint of the bridge railing. Realising the danger of live wire on the road, several Public Works Department employees stood guard j until the Power Board was advised. Planning in Bmlding. Questioned concerning conditions in the building trade this morning, the secretary of the Auckland Carpenters and Joiners' Union, Mr. .T. O. Kennerley. estimated that at the present rate of progress in building it would take live or six years for Xew Zealand to overtake the housing shortage. Conditions in the trade were booming, and they could >oontinue to boom .at the same rate for another three or four years. There was a need in the Dominion, however, for a policy of long-range planning in building, spread over from 15 to 20 years, and suggestions in this direction had been made to the Government by representatives of the Auckland and Wellington unions. Under such a plan it would be possible to ease up on any house building when the occasion demanded and transfer principal activity to Government and commercial buildings or slum clearance. Operations on this basis were visualised in the Wheatley Report, presented to the first Labour Government in England, and representatives of the Government in Xew Zealand had promised to give consideration to the unions' suggestions.