NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 226, 23 September 1943, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Press Facilities at Meetings In the rush of business attendant upon conducting a short election campaign the needs of Pressmen are frequently overlooked by election committees. Consequently, on arriving at meeting places, reporters often have to make a search for a table and chair. Last night a reporter had to carry a table the length of a theatre, and at another meeting place, where no table could be found, a closed piano had to be used as a writing desk. Hot Water Bags Some months ago an attempt was made in New Zealand to manufacture hot water bags. Many people bought them. After a while it was fo.und, states a Wellington news-

paper, that they were unsatisfactory and,purchasers began to return the bags to the retail places where they had been purchased, being told, as a rule, that their money would be returned. At least some are still waiting for their money. It was stated in one shop in Wellington that the local manufacturers had given up making hot water bags for the time being. Egg Shortage Sequel As a sequel to the acute egg shortage, many Aucklanders are having tVio pvnpripnpp -Pnr the* first, timp of

raising poultry in their backyards. In some cases residents are eagerly awaiting the enlarging of their small flocks, for they have broody hens sitting on eggs, and within the next few weeks the eggs will be hatching out. Then housewives and families will learn the trials and, perhaps, disappointments of rearing chickens. Even with the helpful advice of neighbours it may not prove as simple as the raising of the usual household pets. The vagaries of the weather have to be encountered, and stray cats may find the chickens an easy prey.

Everybody's Argument In trams in the mornings, on street corners, in milk bars, there is evidence of more political consciousness in the people than is generally conceded by the various election candidates. Discussion seems to grow more intense as the momentous day approaches. In a city restaurant an argument started in the kitchen as to the pros and cons of the two main political parties. All hands stopped work to have their say. The argument was carried out, into the dining room by a waitress, and soon both dining room and kitchen clamoured in the discussions. A good-natured ending to proceedings came after a passionate appeal by the proprietor of the restaurant.

In a Quandary The monotony of the long journev from Wellington to Auckland was relieved for train passengers by an incident which occurred at Frankton Junction on a recent morning. A young Waaf, desiring to procure refreshments, found difficulty in putting a shoe on her left foot; in fact, it was a physical impossibility for her to do so. Noticing her dilemma, willing hands* turned on more lights, and she then realised that it wasn't her shoe, and, furthermore, that it was a size tdo small. In a trice eager helpers were on their knees searching under seats, but no other shoe was discovered. Then a wait ensued for passengers to return. Anxiety turned to consternation when the young woman realised that someone had left the train wearing her shoe—and, what •was more to the point, wearing two left shoes, leaving her with two right shoes, one of them a size too srmlll

Trams in Cairo Transportation of city, dwellers in Cairo out to the suburbs deeply interested the soldiers in the Middle East, said Major Hartley Wilson, E.D., Independent Group candidate for Eden, at a meeting of electors last evening. From the centre of the city the trams were loaded up, whisked away to the railway station, switched on to the railway line and out to one of the suburbs at 40 to 50 miles an hour. On arrival they were switched back on to the tram line and passengers landed at their homes from the centre of the city with the least possible trouble and inconvenience. The candidate said he thought Auckland could take a lesson from Cairo in this respect. Unexpected Patient Speculation ran riot in the Auckland Hospital when the news flew around that a baby had been born

uiidApeuicuij HI, ui dii piciueo, tut: orthopaedic ward! Members of the staff who were believed to have seen the infant were extremely reticent about its sex, but an event like this could hardly be kept dark. Before long the truth came out. The mother was described as a healthy young tabby cat, but instead of the usual large family expected of puss, she had presented the hospital with one solitary kitten. It is understood that she had been adopted with a view to keeping down rats and mice at the institution, but why she had chosen the orthopaedic ward as providing suitable accouchement surroundings remains a mystery. Designation of Council of Sport The question of the strictly amateur basis of the council was brought up by Mr. A. R. Blank at a recent meeting of the Canterbury Council of Amateur Sport. Mr. Blank, who is a delegate to the Dominion conference of sports councils to be held soon, said he would like an expression of opinion on the subject, as the council had not yet formally drawn up its constitution. "I understand other councils admit professionals to their ranks," he said. Mr. J. E. Jones said that as one of the primary objects of the organisation was to foster sport in the schools, he saw no reason why "professionals" should be debarred from this activity. He reminded Mr. Blank that when the council was , formed delegates were not unani- ( mous in their decision to include the word "amateur" in the name of the body. Another member appealed to the chairman, Mr. E. V. Phillips, to "stand by the constitution of the council."

Rowdyism on Decline Probably the outstanding impression of journalists whose profession associates them closely with political meetings has been the almost complete absence from the present election campaign of the rowdyism which in the past so often introduced a lively, if undesirable, element into electioneering. City and suburban meetings have been uniformly decorous, with only occasional interjections, and so far as can be ascertained no cases have been disclosed in_ which the candidate has not received a good hearing. This is, in striking contrast to conditions in some former campaigns, which saw bands of organised disrupters attend meetings for the express purpose of upsetting proceedings. It seems a far cry to the days when rotten eggs and tomatoes were hurled at candidates, and the emotions of electors became so intense that many a political meeting was turned into a riot. JLt has been suggested that war conditions, particularly the sensitive feelmgsc' of young men not in uniform, have been a dominating inil? ln t . he . impeccable behaviour of the public in this campaign.