NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 178, 29 July 1940, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Temporary Hotel Demolished.

The large building in Marjoribanks Street, Wellington, which took the place of the City Hotel during the construction of the new building, has been demolished. It was the largest temporary bar ever erected in Wellington. Mogt of the material will be made available for other building activities. Women on Hospital Board. Five women are now members of the North Canterbury Hospital Board. Mrs. W. Maekay was welcomed at a meeting of the board last week, when she took the seat left vacant by the resignation of Mr. 1\ Stanley Foster, who is now a member of the staff. She has been a member in former years, and headed the list of unsuccessful candidates at the last election. The other four women members are Mrs. T. Green, chairman of, the benevolent committee, Mrs. L. E. Mai'farlane (Mayoress), Mrs. I. Parlane and Mrs. W. S.Boan. People Not Panicky. Interesting comment on how the people of Scotland are taking the war is contained in a letter which arrived in Timaru. It was written on June 2, and contains the following: "I can assure you we are wanting for nothing (thanks to our navy), and nobody is going hungry. The picture houses aro packed every night. If it were not for the black-out and the men going about in khaki you would not know there was a war on. I have never had my mask out. I assure you the people are not a bit panicky. It is only we who have sona away who really worry." Enlistment of Teachers. The enlistment of teachers in the Canterbury district has not «o far caused any staffing difficulties to the Canterbury Education Board, according to the secretary of the board, Mr. L. E. Rowley. Twenty-three'teachers have now been called up for service, comprising Jβ permanent teachers, three relieving teachers, three, supernumerary teachers and two probationary assistants. Ten others have advised tho board that they ure waiting to be called up or for medical examination. Mr. Rowley said the board had sufficient supernumerary and relieving teachers to meet its present needs. Norwegian Jewellery People -vho visited Norway in the old happy days remember the great shopping street, the Carl Johann Gate, with it* wealth of jewel settings and its gold and silver ware. Norwegian enamel is world famous, having had no peer, it is said, since the days of St. Petersburg, when the Russian Court jewellers aleo ! knew the secret of deep, glowing colour. Norwegian women love flat necklaces and bracelets made of round enamel discs, in their favourite shade of deep red, linked by smaller cream, black or jade green discs. They will not trouble much about jewellery these days, but the gaiety of their little bits of frivolity may cheer them. Railway* Staff. The average number of persons employed in the Railways Department last financial year was 25,710, compared with an average of 24,342 for the previous year, state* the general manager, Mr. E. Casey, in the Railways Statement. The actual number on the staff at March 31, 1040, was slightly over the average, the figure not including 424 permanent and 434 casual employees who" were serving with the armed forces. A total of £58,085 was paid under the Workers. Compensation Act during the year to members of the second division of the service who suffered injury in the course of their employment. Back to Childhood. Tossing coins, playing cards and backing racehorses are well-known methods of winning—and losing— money, but three adults who should have known better spent yesterday afternoon playing a game of marbles they called "spans." The general idea was that the first player threw his marble against the wall *at the back of the house, and when it bounced into the tramped down back garden his opponents attempted to bounce their shots close enough to span the distance between thuni'b and little finger. It was a variation of an old and highly respectable schoolboy game, but much bright silver changed hands during the afternoon. Wanted to See Ships. Quite unperturbed W a barrage of questions he had to face after an absence of seven hours from his home at Mount Roskill, during which time he had examined the waterfront, fallen into the harbour and been rescued by the crew of a New Zealand Coastguard Division launch—later receiving a hot bath and light refreshment at the St. John Ambulance wharf station—a four-year-old boy who wandered away from his home shortly after eight o'clock yesterday morning naively remarked in explanation that he "just walked in to see the ships." A little over a week ago the same lad left his homo and walked as far as Onehunga before he was returned to his home. He was little affected by his adventures yesterday. Tale of a Rat. "You will see a little parcel lying near our front door when you go out," up id an executive on the staff of a city office, when a reporter called the other day. "Don't pick it up," he added. In reply to a question, the executive explained that it was the caretaker's way of getting rid of a dead rat. It was his practice to tie the rodent up in a neat little brown paper parcel, leave it at the front door, and invariably some curious person took it away. The reporter arrived at the front door in time to see an elderly man pick up the parcel. The finder of the parcel did what an honest man should do. He carried the little parcel up two flights of stairs, handed it in at the office, and explained that he had found it at the front door. Protection of Magpies. "In the present state of the law it is possible to obtain permits for the destruction of certain birds if the applicant can convince the Department of Internal Affairs that local damage is being done," etaites a circular issued by the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Soceity in relation to the protection of Australian magpies in Canterbury. "In practice this does not work out, because a great deal of conspicuous damage has -to be done before a Departmental officer in Wellington can be convinced of it by correspondence. Usually, common sense prevails and the situation is doalt wii!i illegally." The circular "adds that if ever magpies were greatly reduced and harmful results proved, they could be re-established easily. For the native birds, driven back by the magpies, nothing could be done except to attempt to control the factors that were destroying them.