NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 154, 1 July 1940, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Arbor Day. Stressing the national importance of tree planting, the Government has requested local bodies to organise suitable celebrations on Arbor Day, ■which will be observed this year on Wednesday, August 7. Where climatic conditions make that day unsuitable, local bodies are invited to observe some other suitable day in Augu3t. Gambling Among Bowlers. That he had noticed that gambling took place among visitors on the green with reference to games ill progress was mentioned by Mr. T. L. Arnott at the annual meeting of the Palmerston North Bowling Club. Mr. Arnott deprecated this taking place, and suggested that members should co-operate in stamping out nny tendency to introduce such a practice into their pastime. Child Christened at Camp. The christening of a baiby girl at the Hopiihopu military camp yesterday attracted a great deal of interest from visitors and men in the camp. The child was (!ail Ethel Coxhead, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. D. E. Coxhead, of Auckland. Mr. Coxhead is a member of one of the railway units in camp at Hopuhopu. The ceremony was performed in the Y.M.C.A. marquee by Captain H. G. H. Kyan, of the Church Army. Cripple Cured. Mentioned in the annual report of the Wellington branch of the Crippled Children's Society is the case of a parent who applied to the society for financia' aid to meet tho erst of a su peal boot for a crippled daughter. T!iw welfare officer suggested that an orthopaedic specialist should be consulted before the boot wua ordered, and as a rcbult of treatment, the child is no longer deformed and is able to wear a normal shoe. Cargen as Nurses* Home. The preparation of Hofel Cargen as a nursee' home will be "oogun within a few days. Arrangements have been made to close the hotel this week in pursuance of the offer made by Sir Ernest Davis and the Hon. Eliot Davis, M.L.C., to the Auckland Hospital Board. Mr. Allan J. Moody, chairman of the board, states that no etructural alterations will be required at the hotel. It is not, however, possible to say yet when the first nurses will go into residence.

Thefts in Stanley Bay. "Milk billy" thieves are again operating in the Stanley Bay district, and a number of householders are complaining of the loss of small gums of money. Two years ago there were constant raids on billies and bottles containing money in payment of the weekly milk account, and many householders adopted a new system wherehy the milkman called at re«mlar intervals for the monoy. Householders who have been robbed in recent nights will no doubt be following suit. Oldest Airway Passenger. An Oamaru resident, Mr. R. L. Banke, who travelled to Sydney to-day by the Tasman flying-boat Awarua, has the honour of being the oldest passenger to make the trip to date. He is older than the 72-year-old Aucklander, Mre. E. L. Tappenden, who arrived back from Sydney last week. "I'm just going across for the trip," he said before he left. Among the nine passengers in the Awarua this trip is Mr. R. W. Beatty, one of the visiting artists for the recent New Zealand Centennial music festival. A One Man Party. "There is a one man political party in Australia," Mr. A. M. Jenkina told New Plymouth Rotarians. "Its one member is Tony; Tony what I cannot tell you, but he holds a meeting in the Domain every Sunday. He speaks by a long pole with one of those spherical maps of the world on top. This exemplifies his contention that the world ie 'lip the pole.' The main plank in hie platform is that every man should have two houses, one for himself and another to let. He once staged a march on Canberra, but did not achieve any results." What a Ship! The commander of a British patrol vessel flattered himself on his French. When ordered to take over escort from a French patrol vessel lie decided, on making contact, to use that language. Slowly his semaphore message to the French commander wa.s spelt out. There was no answer. It was rej>cated. Again no answer. Finally the commander signalled in English, 'What ship?' and was immediately informed. His previous messages had been ignored because the French commander, conscious that his vessel was email and lacked distinction, • 'etected irony in the. previous signals. These ran: "Quel vaisseau" (what a ship!). First Battle of Somme. Twenty-four years ago to-day the first battle of the Somme was fought, and although Allied progress was small compared witli tlie high hopes that had been held, arid tlie campaign closed in November amid an atmosphere of disappointment, the battle has been called the turn of the tide which in the end led to victory. The great attack on the opening day, July 1, 1910, was tragic in many respects for the British and French troops. On more than threequarters of the front the attack failed and there were nearly 60,000 casualties. Yet a footing was gained in the fortress the Germans had created along the Somme, and their confidence in their invincibility was shaken for the first time. Salvation Army Escape. Following the French decision to capitulate, a total of 140 Knglish Salvation Army war workers were evacuated from France last month without loss of life, according to a cablegram received by Lieutenant-Commissioner J. Evan Smith, head of the movement in New Zealand, from the organisation's international headquarters in London. All the workers had perilous crossings, and there were many narrow escapes from death. All their personal belongings were lost. Tlie Salvation Army canteens were active until the moment of embarkation and again on landing. Material losses suffered by the organisation included 17 newly built huts and 2fi other buildings, 18 canteen anils;;lances and equipment and stores, the total value being £05,000. An increase in Salvation Army war work in Britain has bc«n made necessary through the adlitional troops now there. Seven new eenties have been opened, and 50 more huts, each valued at £1000, are required immediately.