NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 220, 17 September 1942, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

£50 for Mufti Allowance A motion that the Government increase the mufti allowance for returned service men from £12 10/ to £50 was passed at the monthly meeting of the executive of the Kaikoura branch of the Returned Services' Association. It was considered that, under existing conditions, the former amount was totally inadequate to fit a min" out with clothing upon his return to civilian life. It was decided to write to the Christchurch executive urging the Governmake the increase. Freedom from Noxious Weed* The latest issue of the Local Authorities Handbook gives striking evidence of the freedom of the district surrounding Paimerston North from serious trouble from noxious weeds, by comparison with the experience of some other areas. For Instance, the Otorohanga County Council in 1940-41 spent no less a sum than £13,116 on the eradication of noxious weeds alone. The Rangitikei County Council spent £993, but the Kiwitea, Pohangina, Oroua, Manawatu, Kairanga, Horowhenua and Woodville County Councils did not spend any money under this heading. Musicul Spiet On the strength of reports from Hitler's musical spies, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Gestapo "Abteilung Kunst" (Department of Art) arrested the well-known pianist Wilhelm Backhaus after his return from a concert in Budapest (reports "Cavalcade"). Remarks which he made concerning Hitler and the Nazi regime to Hungarian friends were repeated after the musical spies had returned from their concerts in the Hungarian capital. To prevent a public scandal Goebbels intervened and Backhaus was released from the prison at the Gestapo H.G. in the Prlna Albrech Strasse, Berlin. But he is no longer invited to play before Goerlng's guests at Karnhall Palace, as formerly. Famous conductors are reported to be among Hitler's musical spies. True and Magnetic North The question of the location of magnetic and true north arose at a meeting of the Peninsula County Council. Mr. Sturmer, who had brought a compass to the meeting in order to settle this difference of opinion which had arisen at a previous meeting, as to the direction in which the north lay, maintained that the council table pointed due north and south. The chairman, Mr. J. J. Nyhon, said that the compass indicated the magnetic north which he stated changed from time to time. Mr. Rutherford stated that true north was 17 degrees east of the magnetic north except in some parts of North Canada and the Malayan Peninsula, where true and magnetic north coincided. After further discussion, Mr. Harbrow moved that the council proceed with the business of the day, and his suggestion was adopted. Cost of Defaulters' Camps The cost of the upkeep of detention camps for military defaulters has been the subject of much public criticism. It is estimated that there are approximately 700 of these detainees. The amount the army allows for the rationing of a soldier Is 1/9 a day, and the cost of rationing the detainees at one of the camps is stated to be slightly higher, owing to transport costs. Taking the army allowance, however, this works out at £61 5/ a day, £428 15/ a week, or £22,295 a year. Additional to this is the cost of cartage of foodstuffs, the cost of erection and maintenance of the camps, and the wages bill of the patrolmen and supervisors. If the staff numbers only 40 and averaged £250 a year each, this would make the Wage bill £10,000 a year. At the best, these camps must cost at least £30,000 a year, taking into account on the credit side the value of the vegetables or other foodstuffs produced in the camps.

Whitebait in Waimahariri Although not yet plentiful, whitebait has already made an appearance in a few of the North Canterbury rivers. So far most of the supplies have been received from the Waimakariri, and only a small amount has been taken from the Ashley River. The Priceless Cow "A cow to a Nigerian native is of far more value than his wife or family," said Mr. J. S. Nicholson, a missionary from Nigeria, in addressing the Paimerston North Citizens' Lunch Club. "When his wife or child dies the man will show little concern, but if his cow dies he will mourn for weeks." Aid to Council Advice was received by the Takapuna Borough Council last evening that members of the Takapuna Volunteer Fire Brigade were prepared to organise a working party on Suns for the purpose or cleaning and Eiting fire plugs, as a shortage of ur had hindered the council from doing so. The council approved and agreed to supply the necessary equipment and material and to place a small truck at the disposal of the brigade. Pahiatua Anniversary . years ago on September 9, 1892, residents of Pahiatua elected their first borough council, there being 19 candidates for nine seats Mr. J,. Vile became the first Mayor when he won a straightout contest' by 70 votes to 48. A petition against the proposal to constitute the township a borough had been forwarded to the Governor of the colony early in August, but the Gazette of July 28, 1892, carried the proclamation of the new borough, to date from Sep tember 1. A Domesticated Parrot Whether a parrot was domesticated or wild was debated in the Christchurch Magistrate's Court, when Cyril Clarence Godwin, engineer, pleaded not guilty to importing a cockatoo into New Zealand without a permit. The point at issue was that if the parrot was "a domestic animal," it was within the law to import it without a permit from the Minister of Internal Affairs, and Mr. C. S. Thomas, who appeared for Godwin, satisfied the magistrate (Mr. F. F. Reid, S.M.), that it was thoroughly domesticated. As a result the charge was dismissed. The virtues of the parrot were extolled by Mr. Thomas, who said that the owner described it as "the arch-parrot of parrots." It took its meals at the table with the family and ate its meat and vegetables off a plate. The parrot was thoroughly domesticated, and as such was allowed to come into the country without a permit. In a statement to the police, Godwin said that he had had the parrot for 11 years, and had brought it up from a chicken. "Let Us Form a Club"

There are no people so gregarious as New Zealanders, declared Professor W. A. Sewell in the course of a talk yesterday to Auckland creditmen. New Zealanders, he said, were inveterate makers of clubs, which they formed for all purposes. When they wanted something done they rubbed their hands and said, "Let us form a club." For instance, he was a member of the Creditmen's Club, even had the privilege of being an honorary member, but he had to confess that he did not know why the club was formed. The point he made later was that by the formation of a multitude of clubs the people confined their thoughts to small loyalties and to some extent, weakened their capacity for a wider community loyalty. Subsequently, when thanking Mr. Sewell for an entertaining and stimulating talk, the chairman informed him that one of the services performed by the club was to give some professors the opportunity for saying things they might not say elsewhere.