NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 40, 17 February 1943, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

Careless Shooting Deer-stalkers are not always particular in their-choice of targets, and on Jack's Pass, Hanmer, recently, a thoroughbred horse was shot. This is by no means an isolated instance, as a few years ago 30 young horses were wantonly slaughtered on a back country run in the district. Run-holders realise that mistakes occur, but - some hold that stalkers will practise on anything in the way of livestock tnat presents a target. New Type of Stopbank A new system for the construction of river embankments is being employed along the Waimakariri River, v A timber pontoon measuring 30ft by 20ft has been built and is ready for floating into position to be sunk with shingle ballast.. This has to be adopted through the shortage of labour to cut willow rails and fas- . fines- The pontoons give every promise of being satisfactory and should result in a saving of time, labour ">.and wire. iare of Animals Y'lt is well known that in Europe ~*-~to.ere is much cruelty towards animals," said Mr. W. Downie Stewart, presiding at the annual meeting of the S.P.C.A. in Dunedin. "Dean Inge says the reason is that animals are regarded as having no souls, and are therefore beyond the pale of sympathy. It is a common experience in Italy for an English traveller to protest against the brutal treatment of a horse or dog, •and he is usually met by the surprised answer, 'But he is not a Christian.' The society is not allowed to work in Rome. The authorities said that animals had no . rights, as they were not persons, but mere chattels, like sticks and stones." City Water Supply Light rain yesterday eased the position in regard to the city water supply, as during the past few weeks large quantities have been drawn on daily by hoses and sprinklers for Auckland gardens. The four impounding dams in the Waitakere Ranges have a capacity of 1,569,000,000 gallons, but at the moment they are little more than half-filled. Without further rain it is estimated that the amount in storage will last for 46 days. At present the flow into the Nihotupu dam is about a million gallons a day. The average rainfall is heavier on the ranges than in the city, and it is estimated that one inch of rain there means an additional 150,000,000 gallons added to the "city water supply. ~ Salvaging a Tyre Anyone who has travelled along a smooth road in a motor car would be surprised what a dead weight a discarded rubber tyre can be after having been thrown into the harbour and filled with salt water. It floats, very often, just a few inches under the water. Any swimmer trying to rescue it finds it almost impossible to empty the water out of it to help take off some of its weight. Much interest was shown by passengers going to a ferry boat who watched a hoary-headed bather at Stanley Bay "dog paddling" and hanging on to a water-logged motor tyre, trying to get it to land. It was a good test of endurance, and shouts of encouragement were answered by the "old boy," who called back that it was his war effort, and that his grandchildren would be able to take it to school to-morrow, for that was the centre for gathering waste materials suitable for further use.

City Saves Water Since the Wellington City Council instituted at the beginning of December its free service for the rewashering of leaky taps, it is estimated that 1,250,000 gallons of water have thus been saved. Applications have been received for the use of the service for 1600 houses, and approximately 2300 taps have been rewashered. Tradesmen Going North General dissatisfaction with the conditions upon which South Island carpenters and allied tradesmen are being induced to accept employment in the North Island is voiced by leading contractors and builders in Dunedin. The managers of several firms have commented that while there is an obvious desire to secure the services of men for the North Island little consideration is being given to southern contractors who have volunteered to undertake work in the north under contract conditions. Other points upon which dissatisfaction is expressed are the manner in which the men are approached to go to Wellington and the lack of fulfilment of the promises once they have reached their destination. Cases are quoted where tradesmen have been almost obliged to accept employment in the North Island. Jury List of 1857 Jury service, which has been brought rather more under public notice by war conditions, was a matter of public interest in Wellington over 80 years ago. In the Wellington Independent at the beginning of 1857 there was published the full list, with addresses and occupations, of those eligible for jury service in the district. There were between 1200 and 1300 names. The purpose of justice was not the sole reason prompting the newspaper to republish the list from the Provincial Government Gazette, as it stated: "The Independent being filed in the Australian colonies and in England, we hope to-day's supplement will assure many relatives or acquaintances of the continued existence in the land of the living of some" here to whom many letters may have been sent without reaching their destination." Uncertainties about mails also strike a somewhat topical note. i Small Orders Not Wanted One of the minor irritations inflicted on the civilian population these days, but one which, in the main, is borne philosophically because it is only another symptom of wartime conditions, is the difficulty in getting small articles made or repaired. Cabinetmakers, for instance, are consistently refusing orders for minor pieces of furniture, chiefly because they are short staffed, and with ample work available they can afford to be selective and accept orders only for larger jobs on which there may be a greater profit. The same principle applies in other trades. Yesterday a bootmaker declined to patch a boot which, to him, would no doubt be a sheer waste of time when awaiting attention were soling and heeling jobs, including many army contracts.. At a number of motor garages mechanics have shown a disposition lately to turn away work of a minor character, and some motorists have found it almost impossible to get "check-ups" and similar testing work attended to. "It is all a sign of the times," commented a business man. "Annoying? Yes, very. But it all gets back to the labour problem."