NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 305, 27 December 1939, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Building Operations in N.Z. Building activity in the Dominion is

reviewed in the "Abstract of Statistics," which records that in November building permits wore issued in the larger centres of a value of, £084,879, compared with £SK>.r>37 for the eaine month of ]'XiH. There were 525 permit's for new dwellings, compared with 607 for November of 1038.

Forty Years Ago. "Fopakura had the honour of sending

one trooper to the Boer War," said Mr. S. Evans, Mayor of l'apakura, laet evening, when speaking at the civic farewell to the Pa pa k lira boys of the first echelon. Mr. Kvans said things were different in those days, for the district then provided the outfit for the trooper, including a horse. The trooper was T. McKwen. and lie returned safely but without his horse.

Left the Church on a Stretcher. Bride and bridegroom left the church

on a stretcher, but only because it is the A.R.P. way of paying tribute to Miss Patricia Hunt, a nurse, and Mr. Keith Radford, a New Zealand ambulance worker. They were married early in December at St. Patrick's, Soho Square, London, and provided metropolitan newspapers with a picture that tickled Londoners. Mr. Kadford's friends in the Holborn A.H.P. saw they were "tied up' , properly before being carried through the street on a stretcher instead of in a motor car.

Mission to Lepers.

A letter has been received in Dunedin from the Rev. K. B. Sharpe, the superintendent of the Purulia Leper Home and Hospital, India, in which he expresses thanks for the parcels of useful gifts sent to the home by Xew Zealand persons. "We have now 912 in residence, including our healthy children," he states. "Many are being prepared for baptism in 1940." The superintendent also says that a brand of New Zealand skimmed milk is used extensively in the work of the home, the cost being met by a Melbourne benefactress. The Xew Zealand milk is stated to be of better quality and cheaper than any obtainable in the locality of the home.

'Tiny , ' Freyberg at Taihape. The visit of Major-General B. C. Freyberg, V.C., who has been appointed commander of the Xew Zealand Expeditionary Force overseas, to Taihape in 1912 Mas recalled by Mr. H. Dashwood at a social gathering held in honour of Mr. J. Guilliard, a rnemuer of the Special Force. Mr. Dashwood said that the visit of "Tiny" Freyberg to Taihape took place on the occasion of the opening of the municipal swimming baths, he being a member of an Auckland team of five swimmers. Mr. Dashwood added that lie had met the present leader of the New Zealand Forces on the occasion of his visit to Taihape, and had been greatly impressed with him.

South Island Stock. "Throughout the South Island the

stock position appears to be excellent," remarked the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. W. Lee Martin, on his return to Ghristchurch after a week's tour as far a* ,Inrercargill. The Minister said lie was impressed l»y the really excellent conditions in Southland, both from the,stock and feed standpoints, especially as he had understood that winter conditions had been more than unduly severe. The Royal Show at Invercargill was described by the Minister as bein<* a magnificent display of all kinds of stock. He doubted whether the equal of the stock had ever been brought together at any of the previous Royal Shows.

A Model Old-Timer. _ The oldest applicant for a Centenary ribbon in Canterbury so far is Mr. George William Andrews, of Chalmers Street, Ashburton. He is 90 vears of age. Born at Brightwater, Ne'lson, on March 4, 1849, he told his own story in submitting his application for a ribbon to Mr. H. S. Feast, the assistant-town clerk, who is recorder under the Government Centenary ribbon scheme. Mr. Andrews says he has never taken an intoxicating drink in his life, nor has he smoked or used bad language. Going one further, he says he has never used a razor on his fate. He has been a Sunday school teacher for 70 years, and has learned three trades as well as farming. He writes in a clear, steady hand, and does not need the aid of spectacles. Mr. Andrews has been a resident of Ashburton since 1875.

The Smoker's Mite.

Smokers of cigarettes and tobacco—

cigars are almost a memory—have the doubtful satisfaction of knowing that j they not only contribute the 1 Government revenue, but incidentally give assistance to the tobaeco-growimr industry and trade. The non" smoker does not contribute. Points of interest emerging from the third annual report and statement of accounts of the Tobacco Board to July 31 show- that "further substantial progress has been made during the year towards stabilisation of the industry on a sound basis, and those engaged in the industry can now look forward with confidence to the future." Touching on the question of the controlled prices for local tobacco, the report says: "Growers cannot expect prices to be raised by the Government or the board beyond the present figures, because any further increase would cause injustice either to manufacturers or the public, or to both, and it is the desire both of the Government and of the board to stabilise the industry, and this, it ia confidently hoj>ed, has been done through the plan now put into effect."

Self-Expression Theories. Crankiness in education and eelfexpression theories for children were condemned by the headmaster of Christ's College, Mr. R. J. Richards, speaking at the annual prizegiving. He admitted that some cranks were responsible for real progress, so it might not be a bad idea, he said, if there were a few cranky schools in the world. "But crankiness can be overdone. Last year in England I heard of a parent who went down to inspect one of these schools which boast of their originality," continued Mr. Richards. "He knocked for a long time at the front door. At last a email boy appeared and said, 'What the do you want?' 'Oood God,' said the man, 'what sort of place is this?' 'There isn't any God,' was the reply, 'and you had better get to out of it.' Which he did. Don't think that is an extreme ease. I have quoted it not because I think that all self-expression is bad, but to allow a boy or girl to grow up giving a free rein to every impulse is, to my mind, disastrous. I do believe in self-expres-sion, but I do believe also that it can go hand in hand with a sane discipline."

Falling Production. Two representatives of dairy companies who were present at a "meeting of the Wanganui Primary Production Council said that dairy production in the Wanganui district has been falling steadily. The cause, they said, is a shortage of labour. Both agreed that top-dressing of more land is essential, but pointed out that labour problems must be overcome before the value of that top-dressing can be realised.

Zoo Sanctuary Offered. The Auckland Zoo has offered to provide sanctuary for some of the valuable exhibits at Regent's Park Zoo, London, for the duration of the war. The London Zoo authorities have already taken

action to dispose of a quantity "of their exhibits, and the Auckland curator, Lieutenant-Colonel Sawyer, stated that the Auckland offer might save eome animals that might otherwise be killed or disposed of. To avoid obvious dangers, all poisonous snakes had been killed and the reptile house closed. The Auckland City Council hae made the condition that it should not be involved in any freight or other costs of transport.

Soldiers Into Citizens. Speaking at the civic farewell to the soldiers from the Papakura district last evening, Mr. H. de Grut, secretary of the Papakura Returned Soldiers' Asso-

ciation, said all had been surprised at the efiieieney and speed with which the boys had been turned from citizens into soldiers, and the district was proud of them. He wanted them to remember always that they were citizen soldiers and to prepare for the day when they would lie turned back into plain citizens. He hoped they would try to i;nprove themselves. He had to remind them, in particular, that there would not be the same efficient organisation to turn them back into citizens as had made them soldiers, but the R.S.A. would do all in its power to help them.

Hotels Booked Out. In spite of the Centennial Exhibition attraction in Wellington, inquiries from public and private hotels in Auckland show that the influx of visitors to the city for this holiday season has been particularly heavy. Though the stay in most cases has been short, the accommodation houses state that they aie not likely to notice any falling off for the next fortnight because the bookings are heavy, and as soon as one leaves another guest takes his place. The better-known hotels, with up to 200 bedrooms, were packed out during the week-end. The traffic is nearly all internal, as, owing to war conditions, there are few tourist visitors. The hotel dining rooms are also being severely taxed, and the demand for Christmas dinners, except in the case of the most expensive hotels, compared favourably with last Christmas.

The Liner Columbus. When Mr. T. Ritchie, of Dunedin, was returning from England on board the Kimutaka some weeks ago he saw the German liner Columbus, which was later scuttled by her crew, while his ship was in Curacao harbour. The Columbus had 800 American tourists aboard at the time, and was on a cruise round the West Indies. When she left Curacao, Mr. Ritchie said, a British destroyer was met, and the liner hurriedly returned to port, although war, at that time, had not been declared. The Columbus left all her tourist passengers at Curacao and sailed again for an unknown destination, which subsequent reports proved to be Vera Cruz in Mexico. The plight of the stranded tourists, who were finding it difficult to procure suitable accommodation in the small city, was recognised by the Dollar Steamship Line, which sent a special ship to Curacao to pick them up

The Greeks Had a Flag for It! Perhaps the dull grey camouflage ot British ships depressed their crews too much, or perhaps the crews were not to be found on Christmas Evewhatever the reason, a Greek steamer the Mount Helmos, was the only vessel m the Auckland Harbour over the weekend to give any sign that Yuletide re-

joicing was in order. The Mount Helmos was decorated with coloured fla<r S from stem to stern. First at the wharf, then at the Queen's wharf, her celebrations were the subject for much public notice. Greek songs were by the crew at various times on Christ" mas Day. The ship, which arrived on Saturday morninpr from Galveston iexas. with a load of sulphur, is not camouflaged, but carries her national flap painted on the sides and deckhouse roofs, also the word "Greece" in English and Greek her side*. She is the first Greek vessel to arrive in the port since the outbreak of war.