NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 23, 27 January 1940, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

V/inter Milk Supplies. Ail assurance that the position was being closely watched was given by the chairman of the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Council, Mr. I. J. Goldstine, ■ yesterday, when a letter was received from the Milk-in-Schools Committee expressing concern regarding supplies of * milk for the coming winter. The committee requested the council to investigate possiblo sources that would ensure adequate supply for this year. "It is hoped," stated the committee, "to overcome to a large extent the shortage experienced last year, and we will be pleased to rcceivc the co-operation of >* the council in this connection." i i Albatrosses Mate. Five of the Royal albatrosses in the , protected colony at the Taiaroa Heads liglithou.se grounds, Dunedin. have ' mated, and if the eggs are satisfactorily hatched the number of feathered residents of this type will no doubt be - augmented considerably about the end 1 of this' month or early in February. ; With these new arrivals coming back at maturity to mate once again, it 5 seems likely that the colony will grow - to impressive proportions with the r years, fully demonstrating the wisdom . of the move that gave these *hy birds the peace and seclusion they require at 1 the mating season and other times. 1 War Zone Incident. ' As she sat knitting in her Surrey home, a. woman listened to a. young j New Zealand air pilot broadcasting the j story of an experience which he and his crew had had while on a. flight over , the North Sea (says the London "Evening Standard"). He related how they! had been attacked in their bomber, how they had apparently been struck by lightning, and how, going aft to prepare the rubber dinghy for use, the navigator had discovered that both 1 wings were badly damaged. The young ! Xcw Zcalander has now received a , Christmas present of a navy blue scarf from the woman who was knitting and listening. She wrote: —"Being a New Zcalander, and having many relations * there, T was intensely interested in your , broadcast and want to thank you and so many others unknown who arc so 1 bravely and courageously helping dear ! old England. Will you kindly accept this scarf, which I was knitting when you were broadcasting? God bless and 1 keep vou." [ Feud Among Sideshows. New Zealand appears to be harbouring an enthusiastic feud at the present time, according to the members of a trapeze troupe which is at present J appearing at the St. Hilda carnival, j Dunedin. A determined move is being made to "clean up" the sideshow business in this country. In consequence 1 it is said that a bitter war is being i waged between "legitimate*' showmen, who wish to get the business on to an ' honest footing, and those who specialise J in trashy, cheap shows, together with t the type of outsider who uses some form j of dishonest or wrongly billed show s more or less to rob his customers. These * factions, it was stated, had had several > tussles, even to the extent of burning » a rival's tent and gear. In more than , one instance the undesirable element has gone so far as to "beat up" oppon- ! ents who have been offering strenuous , opposition. The Royal Show Associa- , tion had taken a strong stand in the matter, the leader of the troupe said, and was allowing only licensed men ; with good reputations to present their attractions at shows. It was to be ' hoped that other bodies responsible for 1 shows and carnivals on a large scale would back up the association in this L matter. , Farmers Favour Conscription. Alarm at the probable effect on the volume of production of the flow of , enlistments of farmers and farmhands . was expressed at a meeting at Puke- ' kohe of the Franklin sub-provincial executive of the Farmers' Union. After a debate occupying a considerable time, the remit, which was as follows, was carried, by a good majority:—"That owing to the number of experienced farm workers who have already left country districts to enlist and the consequent increased difficulty in obtaining satisfactory labour, this meeting considers it urgently necessary that conscription should be adopted and with it a stricter system of selection of recruits, otherwise the maintenance of normal production on farms will be seriously jeopardised and any increase made possible." It was also decided to press for the publication of the list of occupations from which the Government considered men could not be spared for military service. One member said lie understood postmen were among those who were included in such occupations. It was difficult to understand why a postman's duties should be more vital to the nation than those of a farmer or farnihand. High and Dry. Strangely enough, the Sumner Pier. Christehureh, once the reliable resort of yachts, motor launches, fishermen and high divers, is now the outstanding curiosity of the borough. To-day, dry sand covers most of the decking to a depth of nearly 3ft, and the landing steps lie buried under a beach that cuts them off from the navigable channel by a distance of fully 200 yards. Some 25 years ago, a lad dived from the end into deep water and was never seen again; while so recently as January, 1<»29, high diving was enjoyed from the top of the rails quite close to the tearooms. Alarming changes developed in May, 1925, when the whole weight of the estuary waters at ebb tide concentrated a devastating attack on the beach near the pier. In a few days the lifeboat house, its supporting piles gone, was a sagging wreck, and by July, IS new piles were driven to support a tottering pier, while 14 of the old piles had been dragged ashore. Repair work costing over £-100, occupied the next live months, during which the channel left the end of the pier and flowed with a depth of nearly 30ft right under the middle of the decking. Before the end of that year, 102S, this dangerous channel gradually closed at each end leaving a deep lagoon which became the electrically-lit night bathing pool of January, 1920. Eventually it became a dry beach. Many residents have looked for a return of the navigable channel to the end of the pier, but drifted sand, 40ft deep, still smothers the piles ap-i decking of Sumner pier.

Damage Caused to Fruit. Auckland's production of poaches tiny be seriously affected unless the prevailing warm and rainy conditions change. Early cropping varieties of peaches were harvested without material loss, but in the ease of the rapidly-ripening main crop the position is stated to be critical. The main crop will be ready for picking within a week, and unless there is a speedy change in conditions the fruit is bound to suffer. Plums also have been damaged. The fruit has split badly as a result of the heavy rain following the dry spell, and several growers have found it necessary to discard considerable quantities as unmarketable. Trade with Estonia. Interesting in .view of the recent news bulletin, when strained political relations existed between Russia and Estonia, is the fact, probably little known, that until the time of the import restrictions, Estonia, had a limited trade with New Zealand. Varied kinds of sweets, mafic in a factory in Tallinn, were then regularly obtainable in the Dominion, but supplies have now all but run out. One line still soiling has a wrapper with a large red lobster on it. Printed on the wrapper is: "Lobster, 'Kiola,' Tallinn, made in Estonia," and, for those, who ran read the language, "Vahjakesed." 'J'he sweets taste all right, anyway. Petrol Restrictions. The petrol restrictions which are to come into force on February 1 were discussed at the annual meeting of the Auckland Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen's Association and Club la.-t night. A. motion was carried urging the Government to give further consideration lo the petrol rationing system with a view to making a reasonable allocation to those vitally dependent upon petrol fur their livelihood. While appreciating the. endeavour of the Government in restricting consumption, the association viewed with concern the suggestion Hint the special allowance for commercial travellers would provide, n maximum of only BO gallons a month, plus coupon allowance, the motion added. Surveying Sea Currents. A bottle, covered ill barnacle?, was recently found on the Tirolinnga Beach, Opotiki, by .Mr. J. 1). Clark.' It. contained a paper from the U.S. Hydrographic Ofllee, Washington, sta'ting: "Thrown overboard by Captain Jolia'nsen of the Monterey on February Iti, 1030. Latitude :« degrees .10 minutes south, longitude 17.". degrees 30 minutes east. If tlic finder of this paper will return it to the Hydrographic Oflicc, Navy Department. Washington, he will thereby assist in the verification of ocean current?. His service will be very much appreciated by nil mariners." The bottle was thrown into the sea a few hundred miles directly north of Auckland. Another bottle thrown into the sea off Sydney was recently found at Gi.-borne. Indian's £100 Donation. A note of allegiance to the British Crown and appreciation of the privileges British citizens enjoy accompanied a Sift of j;i00 received recently by the National Patriotic Fund Board from Mr. •t. K. Natali. of Wnimiha, near Ongarue. Mr. Xatali b president of the New Zealand Indian Association, but he made it clear in his letter that he made his contribution in his private capacity. His letter reads:—"As an Indian, who has settled in this country for tlie Inst 'JO years, who enjoys the benefits of freedom and liberty" under the British Constitution, who is proud of being a British Indian subject, who is conscious of the privileges enjoyed by full citizenship in this country, and at the same time realising th.it the privileges also must carry the responsibilities of a citizenship, I herewith enclose my cheque for £100 toward the patriotic fund." Snowbound on Otago Plateau. A party of To Arolia residents were snowbound in the heart of Central Olago for over 24 hours during a recent holiday tour of the South Island. They were Mr. and Mrs. F. Montague and their family, and Mrs. Xolnn. After travelling by motor car through the Lindis Pass, the party encountered heavy falls of snow, in which they were unable to proceed. With the approach of a horse float the travellers were in hopes of obtaining assistance, but it was carrying a racehorse, and, in any case, had only proceeded a further 100 yards when it, too. was completely blocked in. It, was .Midnight when the members of (he parly, hungry and cold, arrived at the house of Mr. J. A. Hannah, some distance down the load. It was i/..t. until noon the next dav that Mr. Montague was able lo free his ear from the snow and get it on to "ood roads again. When he' arrived at the scene there were a further 20 cars snowbound and covered with a mantle of white.