NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 188, 11 August 1941, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Magistrate "Stumped" When a Maori was before the Palmerston North Magistrate's Court charged with failing to send his children to school, a letter from a headmaster was handed to Mr. J. H. Salmon, S.M. "The headmaster says" (long pause). "I cannot read the headmaster's handwriting," said the magistrate, much to the amusement of those in Court. Bird in Copper Grate When a housewife in Hamilton opened the grate of her copper fire the other morning she was amazed to see a large starling fly out, scattering ashes over the floor. The woman was preparing the washing when she heard a fluttering under the copper. When she opened the grate door the bird, which had apparently fallen past the flue while attempting to build a nest, flew out, none the worst for its imprisonment. Territorials Praised Praise for the 18 and 19-year-old territorials, called in recent ballots and are now carrying out training in camps at Avondale, Whangarei, Ngaruawahia, Cambridge and Rotorua was voiced to-day by Brigadier P. H. Bell, D.5.0., officer commanding the Northern Military District. "They are an especially good lot," said the brigadier, in mentioning that reports from the various camps were unanimous in this respect. He also stated that the lads were settling down to camp life, and it was expected that they would make good territorials. Fined Under Companies Ad Ten companies were prosecuted in Wellington for failing to make the annual return required by the Companies Act. # Mr. W. R. Berks, appearing for the Crown, said the purpose of the regulation was the protection of the public, so that persons proposing to deal with a company could know what they were putting their trust in, who the members were, what was the financial status of the company, and what were its commitments. The present defendants had had ample warning of their obligations, and prosecutions had been made only as a last resort. There was no suggestion of any ulterior motive in any of the cases, and default was due no doubt merely to neglect. Mr. W. F. Stilwell. S.M., imposed fines ranging from £2 10/ to £5. Appropriate Texts The appropriateness of some of the texts contained in his calendar during the period of the withdrawal of the New Zealand troops from Greece is mentioned in a letter from Chaplain-Captain Bicknell published in the "War-Cry." "What have you got for us to-day, padre?" asked a soldier one morning. The chaplain read: "My presence shall go with thee." The troops thought it was good, and then one asked, "What was yesterday's?" Despite the padre's protestations that yesterday had gone, the men pressed him until he replied: "All right. If you really wish to know, I'll give it to you, 'The wages of sin is death.' " ' Just as well you didn't tell me yesi ordav," smiled one of the soldiers. The troops had been, the previous dnv. subjected to a particularly jieavy strafing by the Luftwaffe."

Lead Discs for Pennies The jamming of the stamp vending machines at the Masterton Post Office recently put them out of action for a time. When the machines were opened up, it was found that someone had attempted to obtain stamps by using discs of sheet lead. The machines failed to disgorge stamps in return, but the discs dislocated the machinery. Altogether, half a dozen lead discs were found in the machines. "Marvellous" Men "There was marvellous material in that camp," said the Rev. H. \V. Newell, who has been acting as padre in the territorial camp at Foxton for the past month, in an address to the Wellington Rotary Club. "In these young men from all parts of the country I found high courage, a good sense of humour and a deep naturalness of spirit. They lost no time in endeavouring to understand one another; in learning to do the hard task afid liking to do it, and in submitting to the discipline that was so necessary even when it was unnatural. lam sure that this training will bear fruit in the days to come." Mr. Churchill's Salary In the Finance Bill debate, says the London "Sunday Times," Sir Frank Sanderson greatly interested members by a reference to the Prime Minister's salary. It is nominally £10,000, but more than twothirds of that go to the Exchequer in income tax and surtax, and the amount received by Mr. Churchill is £3160. To ensure the receipt by him of £10,000, the House, said Sir Frank Sanderson, would have to vote a salary of £266,960, and he went on to suggest that the salary should be subject to income tax only, not to surtax. This appears to be reasonable, comments "The Times." Our Prime Ministers should be free from financial worries, and a salary of £3160 net is entirely inadequate. "The Biggest Bombshell" "The biggest bombshell of all is' having to give coupons for our clothes," says a woman in Wales,] writing to a friend in Auckland. "It came so suddenly that no one had a chance to buy in a stock beforehand." Referring to food, the writer says such things as oranges, grapefruit, apples, currants, dates, raisins and sultanas had not been seen for months. Home-made cakes had disappeared, and tomatoes, which had dropped from the peak of over 8/6 a lb to 3/9 by the end of June, were still out of reach of all but a few. The diet of the majority of people was determined largely by the weekly ration of 2oz of butter, 4oz of margarine, Boz of sugar, 4oz of bacon, 2oz of cooking fats. 2oz of tea and one milkless day a week. No Court Order ] "Names, generally speaking, are ! suppressed in the public interest,'' said the Chief Justice, Sir Michael Myers, in declining to make an order suppressing the name of a witness in a case before the Supreme Court in Wellington. "If an innocent person, for instance, is named in proceedings it would be a monstrous thing in both the interests of that person and in the interests of the public that the name should be permitted abroad and that person scandalised, but I don't see any reason, where a person actually behaves against good manners, that his name should be suppressed." His Honor directed counsel to refer to the man by name during the proceedings, and not as Mr. X. Counsel I might ask the newspapers to supI press the name. The case was an 1 appeal in domestic proceedings.