NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 69, 21 March 1940, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Scientist and Farmer. -I would just l'ke tu make this CoiniiH'iii nil the general inference that the scientist is necessarily au impractical theorist," said Professor C. P. McMnkaii, of Canterbury Agricultural College, in speaking to members of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association. "I have had to listen to more hare-brained and theoretical scheme* advanced by practical farmers tlian I have ever had in flit-ted on me by the scientist."' East Coast Earthquake. Earthquakes more than usually severe were experienced in Givborne and Hustings yesterday, the first shock occurring at ;> a.m.. followed by two lighter ones about an hour later. The Hist shock, it is reported, was of a swaying nature, which awakened sleepers and caused them some concern by the breaking of domestic crockery shaken from shelves. The later shocks were in the nature of lijrlit jolts. >>'o major damage is reported to have been caused in cither town. Brains and Brawn. "On (lie average, size, weight and intelligence are correlated—that is to saw that the hijjfrcr boy is the most intelligent. - ' said Mr. 11. Boyes at a meeting of the Dunediu Vocational Guidance Association. Some symptoms of disbelief must have showed, for he repeated rather hastily: "But only on the average."' "It has never struck me that the biggest fellow was the most intelligent," commented the president, Mr. J. L. Salniond —but ho smilingly ignored a request to stand up.

Hospital Benefits. At a meeting of the Auckland School Committees' Association last night a suggestion was made that operations on school children for tonsilitis and minor ailments should be free of charge under the Social Security Act. It was said that children who received this type of treatment at the general hospital were classed as out-patients, and as such did not come within the scope of hospital benefits. It was decided to take' the necessary action to bring the suggestion under the notice of the Government. Wellington Rail Works. Track duplication on the Manawatu line, between Plimmertou and Paekakariki, was completed last month, and all outward and inward Wellington trains over this portion of the Main Trunk have been running under a new system of centralised traffic control. Because of the five tunnels on the Paekakariki "bank." it was not possible to duplicate the line for the full length of the Plinmierton-Paekakariki section. The double line extends from Plimmerton to a point just over a mile north of Pukerua Bay, and for slightly more than two miles on the Wellington side of Paekakariki, the single track being less than two miles long. Electrification of the line from Wellington to, Paekakariki, a distance of 24J miles, is understood to be well advanced. Overhead equipment and transmission linee have been erected, and six of the eight "Ed" class electric locomotives, intended for use on this section, have been completed at the Hutt Valley railway workshops. Wtdroa Road "Goat Track." Wairoa Road came in for a lot of disparaging criticism at the meeting of the Devonport Borough Council last evening. A petition signed by 24 residents requested improvements to the footpath and stormwater facilities of the area, describing the footway as a "precarious balance between two deep ditches." This was supported by a letter from another resident, who enumerated "mud puddles," "paspalum jungles" and "slithery elopes" as being some of the minor discomforts attending Wairoa Road pedestrianism. The footpath was roundly cendemned ae being "nothing but a goat track," and the council was requested to remove this reproach from the Vauxhall area. The engineer, Mr. A. T. Griffiths, explained the difficulties of draining the watershed to the tide level of the Vauxhall Reserve, and the council agreed that a complete scheme of reconstruction would be beyond its present finance. It was decided, however, to clear and regrade the existing footpath, with a view to its permanent surfacing at an early date. Need for Quality in Stock. The hope that efforts to maintain the highest possible quality in stock in the Dominion would not slacken because of the war was expressed by Mr. TV. 0. Reunie, retiring president of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, in his address to the association's annual meeting. Referring to the display of stock at the association's last show, which was probably a record one, Mr. Rennie eaid that apparently stock breeders are determined to do their utmost to maintain the highest possibly quality throughout, and he trusted there would be no slackening in this because of the war. It was true, he eaid, that shipping difficulties had tapered off the more lucrative market for stud eheep, but a. resumption of normal conditions would mean a bip demand for class stock, which Dominion breeders were able to supply. In this connection (lit , association had framed new conditions for the entry of sheep at the annual ram fair to ensure as far as possible that only good quality should be sold. A general extension of the system, he said, would doubtless do much to raise the level of quality in sheep flocks of the Dominion. "Spite , ' Fences. The powers of local governing bodies to control "spite" fences came up for discussion at the meeting of the Devonport Borough Council last evening. The matter was introduced by a letter from a resident of , Tainui Road, who complained that his neighbour was erecting a fence of used corrugated iron 9ft high, which blocked out the light from adjacent windows. The complainant asked for intervention by the borough authorities. The council agreed that this might be an example of "spite -, fencing, to be deplored in these allegedly civilised days. The town clerk stated that the borough by-laws did not control the erection of dividing fences, which were the subject of legislation under the Fencing Act. The Mavor. Mr. H. F. W. Meikle, was of the"opinion that Court proceedings would favour any complaint which robbed a citizen of sunlight and air. The council decided to assure the complainant of support in any endeavour to mitigate the nuisance, and the town clerk was instructed to explore the possibilities of practical action. Meantime, in the .interests of the amenities of the suburb, ATbe fence builder is to be requested to Snodify his desire for seclusion.

Speech Training. '•(iood speech, like good manners, is not. absolutely essential to life. In fact, a »reat many of us get by with a sort of nnmi'liling talk which sulliciently, but very inefficiently, serves its purpose of crude communication of thought." says an editorial in ''National Education," the teachers' journal. "Putting this state of affairs right is especially the province of the primary school teacher, a task to which many of them have applied much skill, patience and energy." The Philosophic Attitude. Intelligent testing of the child had brought some definite results in the ascertaining of fundamental traits as a guide to vocational selection, said Mr. Hunter Boyes in the course of an address to the Dunedin Vocational Guidance Association, but the examination of temperament and disposition were >till in the philosophical stage. "That is." he said, "people are saying a lot uliout both without knowing very much what they are talking about." When temperament and disposition could be measured, he added, children could be placed in the right careers. At Quarter of Usual Rent. '"The gallery has been let to the Welcome Club for the entertainment of soldiers, and as its week-end functions have been so popular your council decided not to interrupt them," said Mr. Geoffrey Wood, president of the Canterbury Society of Arts, when opening the annual exhibition. "Any meiulicre who are inconvenienced by this will realise that we have only done what we thought you would all wish. I might also add that we have kept our charges to the Welcome Club as low as \vp possibly can. their rent being about one-quarter of our iwual charge." New Hot Springs Area.

The discovery of a new thermal area four and a half miles from Rotorua, on tho Taupo highway at Waiotapu, was made by engineers engaged on the new Waikiti Valley road from Waiotapu to Xgakuru. There are a number of springs apparently of an a him nature, and two of these feed a stream which flows for some distance along , the valley at a. temperature not far below boiling point. At one point in its course it is bridged by a .natural silica formation, which lends an unusual touch to the valley. When completed, this road will open up a new trip for visitors to the district, providing a link between the Atiamuri and Taupo main highways. Auckland Province Revaluation. Revaluation on a fairly extensive scale is being conducted by the Valuation Department in Auckland Province, an Order-in-Couiicil having directed that the district valuation rolle shall be revised by the Valuer-General cm March 31 in the following areas:—Kaitaia town district, Dar«aville borough, Whangarei county (including Onerahi town district), Rodney county. Warkworth town district. Auckland city (city portion), l'apatoetoe town district, Orapiu road district, Waiheke Island (outlying portion), Hauraki Plains county, Te Awamutu borough, Otorohanga town district, Otorohanga county and Kaitieke county. Comforts for the Troops. A largo quantity of aocks, gloves and balaclavas for the troops, made by the ladies of Mount Roskill, have been lodged at the office of the Mount Roekill Road Board. The attention of the members of the board was directed to these articles at the board meeting last night by the chairman, Mr. C. M. McCullough, who said praise was due to the ladies of the district for both the quality and quantity of goods supplied, which were all hand-made. On his motion c. vote of thanks was accorded to the ladies for their voluntary efforts on behalf of the soldiers. The nuirterous parcels of clothing will be forwarded to the metropolitan centre in due course. liquor "Cargo" Seized. The "long arm of the law ,, reaches out sometimes with rather disconcerting results for some folk, writes a Te Awamutu correspondent. A few nights ago Inspector Lopdell, of Hamilton, telephoned to the Te Awamutu police to investigate a car that had departed quietly from near Hatniltcn with, it was believed, a considerable cargo of liquor destined for the King Country— a proclaimed area. Sergeant Clist, with a traffic inspector, kept watch, and within a few minutes :\ car such as described ran past him, and by a devious route made its way into the King Country. A few minutes later it was overtaken and stopped, and Sergeant Clist discovered that it contained a veritable "feast" of liquor, for there wero 25 dozen bottles of beer and three unlabelled bottles of whisky. The cargo -was seized, and the driver of the car is to bo asked to explain his association with it to a magistrate at an early date.