NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 87, 12 April 1940, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Fruit From Islands. A ship which arrived in Auckland from the Islands this morning brought a large cargo of fruit. In this there wore 10,000 cases of bananas, 1000 cases of oranges. 1300 cases of mandarins and 2ii."i cases of pawpaws.

Wedding in Camp. The first wedding to lie held in camp was that of Corporal L. M. Wipiti, formerly a well-known New Plymouth Rugby League player now serving in the Maori Battalion, who was married at Palnierston North this week. Being in the Second Kclielon. Corporal Wipiti was anxious to marry before going overseas, and although he could not secure leave, permission was given for the ceremony to take place in camp. In honour of the occasion there was a, guard of honour of several hundred men.

Untidy Tram Stops. "We have been on this for years, but we don't seem to Ihj making much progress,"' remarked the president of the Dunedin Amenities Society. Mr. Crosby Morris, when the meeting of the society was deploring the litter of tram ticket* at various spots about the city. pajrticnlarly on the hill routes. It was decided to ask the City Council if additional rubbish receptacles could be placed at much-used stops on the hill services, and also if bus and car operators could be dissuaded from sweeping tickets and other papers on to the roadway. Members of the society expressed dissatisfaction with the litter of tram tickets at certain stops, and also with the litter of coupons and wrappings in front of some of the shops in the city. Ship Bombay Passengers.

That there are still Jiving at least six of the passengers who came to Xew Zealand in the ship Bombay in 1805 is evident from letters forwarded to the "Star." In Monday's issne it was stated in the obituary of Mr. Robert Bilkey, of Pukekohe, that he was believed to lie the la*t surviving passenger. Mrs. W. J. D. Sharp, of Ramarnma, states that other survivors are Mr. (ieorgo Woottett. of Ramarama, and Mrs. A. Ralme, of Paparata, while Mr. V. M. Howarth. of Birkenliead. forwards the name of Mr. Richard Preece, of Waiotahi Creek, Thames. The names of Mr. Will Ballard, of Onehunga. Mrs. George Kern, of Ramarama, and Mrs. Grace Cunningham, of Onehunjra, who are other surivivors, were published in Tuesday's "Star." Too Hot.

"It certainly is pleasant to be back to a place where you can put on a complete suit and not be over-hot," remarked a Dunedin man who returned last week from a four months' visit to Australia. "I'm not used to real heat, and the tcmpeiatures over there turned me into a wilted rag—l think I must have been surrounded by a halo of steam most of the time." Light linen suits—coloured ones are coining into fashion now in place of the commonplace white—were worn everywhere, and were usually changed two or three times a day. "The trouble with the white ones is that they get so dirty, - ' he said. "I had to go all the way home and change once because a garage mechanic had spilt a drop of oil on the seat of my car and it had not been noticed."

Unexpected Trailer. Left sitting in a small car in Oeorge Street, Dunedin. a young woman was somewhat surprised "to find that the vehicle was apparently taking- it into its own head to follow in the wake of a large American model. The bumrors had become locked, and the power of the large car's engine was sufficient to overcome the rosis'ance of its diminutive trailer. Frantic liorn blowing from tlie occupant of the small jar did not improve i;uU>:i.-j for a moment, as the other driver merely extended His arm and courteously waved the other carpast. When the "honking"' continued he looked back, and to his surprise found that he was the first unit of a small profession. A bumper jack solved matters, but it is extremely unlikely that the driver of the small car will park so close up in future.

Penny for a Fire Ring. Whether it was possible to rinjr the fire station from a. public telephone without paying the foe of a penny in the slot exercised the minds of members of the (iicvmouth Fire Board at the animal meeting , . The superintendent, Mr. P. Deere, when informed that there was a public telephone adjacent to the Tainui Street bell tower, said that it would not always be possible to ring the station unless one had the necessary penny. He had asked the Post and Telegraph Department if they would accept a certain amount from the board, so that people would be able to ring the station and report fires without having to put the penny in the slot, but the Department had refused to accept such a proposal. After discussion, the board members decided to call for a report on the cost of removing the tower from Tainui Street.

The Helping Hand. The attitude of men who went bond for two prisoners appearing for sentence in the Supreme Court. Wellington, was praised by Mr. Justice Johnston. In each ease his Honor released the prisoner on probation. When the second prisoner was before him his Honor remarked that he was fortunate in having an employer who had offered to go bond for him. "The offers of men in such positions can only l>e regarded by this Court with the greatest approbation," he said, recalling the previous case. That men should be prepared to help others who had committed what, after all. were serious- crimes was evidence of good understanding and an attempt to help that was a worthy feature of their lives. He was grateful to them, for the. Court did not wish to act for revenge, but to protect the public interests, and, so far as was possible, allow prisoners to reform.

Young War "Veteran. ,, Believed to be Xew Zealand's youngest Great War veteran, Mr. R. V. R. (Dick) Hovell, of Coromandel, has enlisted again for service overseas. During , the Cireat War Hovell enlisted at 13 I years of age, was posted to the j Specialists Company, and trained as a machine-gunner. He sailed with the I 28th reinforcement, and in France be- | came a Lewis gun section commander 'in the 6th Haurakis. He was wounded •in action and invalided home after ■ almost three years' service. He has just celebrated his 3ftth birthday.

"Heart on Sleeves/ , "Wearing your heart on your >leeve," as the old saying had ir, would not seem to be in keeping with the popular idea of modern youth, but since the war began it has become a common practice. Bachelors with an eye for youth and beauty have a much easier task in ascertaining whether the objects of their curiosity are ••attached,"' for many girls are wearing regimental badges from the units in which their boys are serving. In some cases they are worn as tie-pins, and in others as lapel ornaments, but their meaning is the same in either i-asf.

Slippery Paint. The danger of the freshly painted pedestrian lanes to people crossing {he street was mentioned at the meeting of the Dunedin City Council by Mr. Gibsou, who said that the paint when fresh was very slippery. He had seen a young woman slip, on the new paint and fall heavily. A cyclist had been able to pull up only just in time to avoid running over her. He had been told by taxi drivers at the Bank of New Zealand corner that people frequently slipped on the newly painted lines. He suggested that the paint should be mixed with line sand. On behalf of the general committee, Mr. Henderson said that the whole question of painting crossings was under review, but he pointed out that the cost of painting the lanes at night was extremely high. "Lived For the People. ,,

When sneaking of the death of the late Prime -Minister at a meeting of the Waihi Borough Council last evening, the Mayor. Mr. \V. M. Wullnutt, said that in his opinion no more appropriate panegyric could be ascribed to the life and work of Mr. Savage than was conlained in the following words: "When thon niakest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbours, lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense he made thee. Hut. when thoti makot a fea.»t, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And tliuii shult lie blessed; for they cannot recompense thee. For thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." "No man," he added,

"vould have a nobler mission in life than the uplifting and emancipation of the masses. Mr. Savage had lived for the people, and he died in the service of the people."

Eden Without a Serpent. Jocular allusion was made in this column the other day to an apparent contradiction in terms presented by a house in an Auckland suburb bearing the name "The Haven" on the wall and a notice, "Beware of the dog," along the garden path, with a suggestion that the latter notice would indicate the presence of a serpent in Eden. This has brought a retort from the resident concerned to the effect that the dog was really a guardian that kept undesirables from entering her haven, a guardian of which honest folk were not afraid. The writer adds the information that "The Haven" is. and always has been, a resting place for the honest, weary wavfarer, wherein cases of distress have often been relieved to the best of her ability. In the circumstances she aptly retorts that her home is an Eden without a serpent, but that in view of the opposition she has encountered in circulating a petition there may be a serpent in the Eden which is beyond the confines of her home, and that any haven in this wicked world is apt to need a barbed wire fence as protection. Time Flies.

The wristlet watch has its advantages. An Auckland business man was having a busy day, and placed hie valuable pocket watch on his, desk while sorting out a pile of correspondence that augured a lively day getting away for the mail. Soon he wae immersed in roughing out suitable replies, to be reminded by a glimpse of the watch that time was flying, and he hurried to the typistc's "room with a pile of work. Back to his office he hastened to clean up the mail, and was shocked to find that his watch was no longer where he had put it on his desk. Hurried search failed to locate the watch, a cherished possession. As he had left his office door open and his olliee was one that was readily accessible to people using the ■ building, he thought he might have been the victim of a snatch theft. When the police were put in possession of the facts, they made the official comment that the quest offered little hope unless the number of the lost watch could be obtained. He wrote to a southern city to obtain the number from the vendor. At home that night, the, bereft owner was puzzling over the problem when subconsciously his right hand strayed to his top vest pocket, where such rare oddments as laundry tickets were sometimes put—and there was the watch itself. In his post haste of the morning his subconscious mind had pocketed the watch in an unusual place.