NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 62, 14 March 1944, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

City Finances

The Auckland City Council, at a special meeting yesterday afternoon, received from the auditor-general the accounts for the year ended March 31, 1943, duly certified as correct. On the motion of the Mayor, Mr. Allum, the balance-sheet was adopted.

Pig Farming in Canada A resident of Walton, Canada, has written to a firm in Palmerston North regarding his piggery. He states that he has 200 pigs on half an acre and has to buy all the feed. "It keeps us busy to make much profit, as our grain in Ontario failed and we have to buy all our grain from the West, Saskatchewan and Manitoba," the writer adds. "I understand there is no winter in New Zealand, and I would be very grateful if you would be kind enough to give me some information on the climate and working conditions in your country." Biscuit Production Although the average civilian in the Dominion, during the financial year 1942-43, probably saw fewer biscuits than at any time in his life, production in that period rose by 35 per cent to 22,756 tons. In the previous year production at 16,801 tons represented a 76 per cent increase over the output in 1940-41. Most of the biscuit output was in fulfilment of orders by the New Zealand and Allied Governments. However, for 1942-43 the total value of all products of the biscuit and confectionery making industry increased by less than 6 per cent over the preceding year, there being a drop of 20 per cent in the value of confectionery produced. Tale of a Shirt For six months he had been searching the shops of Auckland and suburbs for a size three shirt without success. They had offered him purple shirts and plain white shirts without collars, and shirts which might have fitted King Kong or Tarzan. At long last he had found a men's outfitters where a few choice shirts his size miraculously appeared to be on sale. He had decided on one. "Thirty-five shillings, please," the assistant had intoned mechanically. Never, in his most profligate days, had he spent more than 17/6 on a first-class shirt. At home the same night he had opened an American magazine with an attractive advertisement of a similar shirt for "one dollar, fifty," or 9/H in New Zealand currency!

Request for 300 Frogs

A request has been made to Reefton District High School by the Cawthron Institute, Nelson, for 300 frogs to be used for the institute's work, and the school has undertaken to fill the order. Pupils will be paid for each frog added to the school collection, and the institute has placed a ban on the forwarding of frogs under a certain size. British Woman's Thanks Since delivering his broadcast address on March 5, in whicn he discussed the introduction of meat rationing in New Zealand, the Primate, Archbishop West-Watson, has received the following cablegram from England:—"Greetings to New Zealand. A housewife's thoughts are with you in your meatless days. Thank them for their splendid sacrifice." The cablegram is signed "British housewife, Mrs. Barr, Brookside, Ascot." Religion in Schools The contention that teachers at some schools had absolutely no interest in the religious training of children at school was made during a discussion on religious education in schools at a meeting of the Canterbury School Committees Association. Ministers did not deal with each child; they dealt with the class, he said. One member advocated the introduction of some measure of religious teaching as part of the school curriculum, but this view was opposed by another member, who held that education must remain secular or the way would be paved for subsidies for private schools. Members decided to approve a remit advocating that "religious instruction in schools should be placed on a definite footing." I Swinging the Classics j

The poaching by swing music arrangers on the great music of the old masters evoked a sharp protest at the annual meeting of the Dunedin Choral Society. From time to time lovers of established music have drawn attention to the paucity of imagination on the part of the swing music arrangers which leads them to massacre the works of great composers instead of writing new tunes in the swing form. Apparently no music is immune, as the Choral Society's protest was inspired by the broadcasting of excerpts from "Handel's "Messiah" set to swing time. It was decided to lodge the protest with the National Broadcasting Service as the body responsible for giving undue prominence to such a travesty, the original author of the crime being less accessible.