NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 219, 15 September 1943, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

River Level Low The Waikato River is at a lower level now than at any time for months past, and in several places "downstream from the Hamilton ' traffic bridge there are shoals causing difficulty" for the river shipping service. ...

151b Trout from Grey River • One-of. the heaviest trout caught in the .Grey Acclimatisation Society's ~ district for many years was landed from the Grey River last week by .'. Mr. A. F. Brennan. The fish was a fine specimen of brown trout and -tipped- the scale at 1531b. It was • secured with a golden devon. The previous heaviest fish landed in the ■Grey River, and from the same -locality, was caught some years ago by Mr. E. G. Moss, and tipped the - scale at more than 201b. j New Zealand Coffee The difficulty of getting supplies of coffee from Mocha or Brazil does not worry some Havelock people, states the Marlborough Express. They grow their own, and although the raw material does not come from a coffee ti*ee, it is doubtful if one of the bovs who have fought from the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli could tell the difference. Actually the Havelock coffee crop is grown in the vegetable garden. It starts its career as a parsnip, but after it has been grated, the gratings baked in the oven till brown and crisp and these boiled in milk, the drink becomes cafe au lait of firstclass quality. The drink is closer to the real coffee than most New Zealand presentations of the national beverage of the land of the starspangled banner.

He Spoke Too Soon As his wife was Avith him, the pressman decided to sit among the audience at the political meeting. After a few minutes he observed there was no table for the Press, even though he had been expected. To his wife (who was well used to his patter) he poured off a stream of vitriolic invective concerning political parties, candidates, organisers and all their works. "Funny," he moaned, "how they pester a newspaper office if a comma is out of place, but when it comes to providing decent accommodation," and so on. Just then a party supporter appeared with a table for the Press, which he placed on the platform. He vanished and reappeared alternately with a chair, a nice tablecloth and finally capped all with a bowl of choice daffodils. Throughout the meeting the newspaperman squirmed. He could not desert his wife, and yet felt that something really should be done about the solicitude for his comfort. Apologies to' the candidate later set his mind #t rest.

Good at Figures

"I think we should protest against this. Here is a man graded 3 who Avill not be released when we have accountants graded 1 acting as supernumeraries to the Home Guard or something of the kind," said Mr. J. Patterson at a meeting of the Auckland Education Board, to-day, when advice was received from the manpower officer that the release of W. H. F. Mason, teacher, from Army service was not possible. There was a shortage of staff in the main ordnance depot where he was doing clerical work, it was stated. "Mr. Mason is a good man at figures and wouldn't be released if he were graded 10," said Mr. W. J. Bowyer.

Housing in Timaru ■ "The housing position in this country is a disgrace," seid Mr. Jack Satterthwaite at. Timaru.- "Living conditions are appalling. I knoAV of families confined to two rooms." Between 1936 and 1939 251 homes were built in Timaru by private enterprise compared with 64 by the Government, he said. Between 1939 and 1943 private enterprise was responsible for the erection of 124 homes and the Government for IS. For the year ending March 31, 1942, private enterprise built 30 homes compared with ..the State's four, and for the year ended March 31, 1943, only one home was built in Timaru and that by private. enterprise. Founder of Elam School A photograph of Dr. John Edward Elam. after whom the Elam School of Art was" named, is to be presented to the city by the .-board of managers of the. school. Dr. Elam, who died on June 25, 1888, at the age of 65, left £10,000 for the purpose of founding a school of art and design in Auckland. ' The'will-pro-vided "that in the selection or admission of pupils those shall be preferred who,-from poverty of circumstances, are unable at - their own charge to obtain for themselves the advantages furnished'by the school." For 25 vears Dr. Elam lived at West Tamaki, taking no interest in public affairs.. "Good Old Days"

An old elector who had been voting for about'six decades, and had cast his. first vote when-he was .a bushman at Pahiatua, where- there was a polling booth in a tent erected for the convenience of the bushmen, said he would never forget the beauty of the 40-mile bush in the Wairarapa before it was despoiled by the axe of the settler. Perhaps there was nothing • better in the world. The trees were alive with native birds. ' Towns and cities had grown up where dense bush once grew. Pahiatua then 'seeihed one of the most isolated "places in the colony. The bushmen carried their swags into the wilds and lived to Nature, where Leedom reigned supreme