NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 74, 29 March 1943, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

Day at Beaches Another week-end of hot sunshine drew thousands of Aucklanders yesterday to the city's many beaches. Various spots on the" Manukau and Waitemata Harbours were thronged. In spite of petrol restrictions there were a good many private cars in use for travelling purposes. Destroying Weevils in Rice Effective measures to deal with weevils in rice were taken by the army authorities in Auckland when it was discovered recently that some thousands of bags in storage were involved. The rice was promptly transferred to cold storage chambers, where it remained for a week, at the end of which time the weevils were all destroyed. Besides being a simple remedy it. was almost comparatively inexpensive. Onion Prices A price order just issued covers main crop onions and fixes the maximum price chargeable by growers and the margins of profit allowable to distributors, wholesalers and retailers. The maximum prices chargeable by growers range from £12 a ton in March and April to £30 a ton in 'November. Retail prices range from 21 d in March and April to 5Jd in November. These are qualified by quantity concessions for purchases of 51b and over. Toheroas Plentiful Toheroas on the west coast are : as thick now as ever they have been, except in those localities which the public can reach and dig all the time. Away from these areas the shellfish are well grown, and so thick in the beds that it is possible to take a dozen toheroas out of a square foot of beach. It is to be hoped, writes a correspondent, that the Beach will be so inspected that the danger of extinction will never occur again. If it does, the people on the Northern Wairoa will nave to accept a great deal of the blame because they are so used to a plentiful supply of toheroas that they do not fully realise their value. Peat and Scrub Fires Again -Accompanying, as they usually do, a long spell of dry weather in Auckland, grass and scrub fires have broken out in some districts, and in swampy areas in Ellerslie, Mount Roskill and Penrose peat fires are also burning. This morning smoke from the peat hung heavily over low-lying land, creating a strong, acrid odour. Even by nine o'clock • much of the smoke, suspended in a light fog, had not cleared away. Owners of vacant sections and householders eager to clean up their properties are taking full advantage of the dry conditions to burn off surplus growth, and warnings against the danger of these fires getting out of control have been issued by the authorities. World Record Shark . A Point Chevalier correspondent writes: "The IOOOIb mako shark caught by Leading-Aircraftman D. . Ross, of Hamilton, besides being claimed as a record mako, is also claimed as a world's record for any shark caught with rod and reel. I have a cutting from the Star of a few years ago which reads: 'Sydney, February 23. A member of Mr. Zane Grey's fishing party, Mr. Lionel Bagnard, ' caught a tiger shark weighing 13821b off Sydney Heads. It is the biggest ever caught in Australian waters, and probably in the \ world.' On this showing the New Zealand catch, cannot be a world's k record for all kinds of shark, but Ml it—is, I believe, the record mako HfefcCatch."

Firemen as Taxi-drivers Surprise was registered by members of the Wellington Fire Board when it was-revealed at a meeting of the board that it was the desire' of some members of the brigade to act as taxi-drivers on their off days. Each member of the brigade has one day off in four, and, in some cases, there was evidence that men wanted to "earn a bit on the side" as taxidrivers, using their own cars. Members of the board were unanimous in the view that they could not countenance such a practice, as it was not consonant with their duties as brigadesmen, who may be required in an emergency at any time. Crooners, 2 Per Cent A survey of reading preferences among men and women in all military camps and depots throughout Otago and Southland has been completed by officers of the Army Education and Welfare Service. Representative groups have revealed the following proportion of preferences, taken on a percentage basis:— Travel, 28; fiction, 21;. thriller, 11; historical, 10: scientific. 8; history, 7; Western, 5; biography, 4; useful arts, 3; fine art, 2; and translation, 1. An indication of the music preferences was also obtained during the survey, the proportions (as percentages) taken from a representative grouping being: Vocal, 27; instrumental, 24; dance, 16; orchestral, 14; swing, 10; choral, 7; crooning, 2. New Zealand Will Do Him The • voices of the two American servicemen were clear to the -crowded tramcar as they chaffed one another about the respective merits of their native States, and the big American three seats forward was following the cross-talk with amusement. "What you arguing about?" he called. "This place will do me." "Don't you want to see that beautiful Omaha of yours, again?" rejoined one. "Nope," he said. The other's voice was chiding: "Well, I always did say that Omaha wasn't what it is cracked up to be; now I know." "You got me wrong, Buddy," said the "Big Guy." "I always did, and I always will, say that Omaha is the best State in the Union . . . but I like New Zealand better. This Auckland will do me. They'll have a hard job keeping me away from it when the war is over." Size of Nurses' Bedrooms Once again, and this time apparently finally, the Wellington Hospital Board has discussed, sometimes with warmth amounting to straightout argument, what should be the size of bedrooms in the new nurses' home to be built at the main hospital. Mr. H. F. Toogoqd, chairman of the building committee, led the 90 square feet party, pointing out that the average bedroom in Wellington was about 72 square feet in area, but, he said, he would compromise with the 102 square feet party with an lift by Bft 6in bedroom. Mr. F. Castle, chairman of the board, upheld the standard adopted at Lower Hutt, 102 ft; to compare bedrooms in private homes with rooms to be used as study-bed sitting rooms was unfair. Mr. C. S. Cederholm said that a saving of at least £10,000 would be effected by adopting 90 square feet as the standard, upon which Mrs. Gilmer remarked that that was "just a lot of hooey." There were protests about unparliamentary terms, but Mrs. Gilmer did not alter her sentiments, and the chairman, giving a ruling that "hooey" was not particularly unparliamentary, indicated that he doubted whether the saving could be anything like £10,000. Then it was settled, 102 being favoured by eight votes to six.