NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 178, 29 July 1944, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

A Juror's Excuse . "This won't do. You have got to make arrangements. "We cannot have the Court disregarded," said his Honor, Mr. Justice Blair, in the Supreme Court, Wellington, when a juror, who had failed to appear when called oh the previous day, explained that he was subject to attacks of ill-health and was prevented from attending Court because he was suffering from nervous debility. His Honor, remarking that the juror had admitted having got up and gone to work in the afternoon when he could have attended Court, said he was not entirely satisfied with the explanation, but reduced the customary fine for non-attendance from £2 to 10/. N.Z. Air Pioneers A glowing tribute to New Zealand's airmen and to the Dominion men in the R.A.F. was paid by Flight-Lieutenant R. D. Perkins, one of the British Parliamentary delegates, at the At Home in the Town Hall last night. "You have had your V.C.'s, Ward and Trigg, your Jean Batten, your Park (Air Vice-Marshal Sir Keith Park), who has probably never got the credit for winning the Battle of Britain, and, lastly, your Cobber Kain, who, I think, inspired the Spitfire pilots three months after his death, to win that battle. And there are all your other men who - have fought and died in the air. They have not only played their part, but much more than their fair share, and the fact that they have gained over 820 decorations for gallantry speaks for itself."

Poison Ity The staff of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens were responsible last autumn for the identification of 10 species of poison ivy, said Mr. J. A. McPherson, curator of the gardens. Mr. McPherson recently received a letter from a Dunedin resident expressing concern at the spread of this weed in New Zealand. An extract; from a Canadian newspaper reporting the effect of Poison ivy on Mr. Lawrence Tibbett, the Metropolitan Opera baritone, was contained in the letter. The swelling caused by the poison had almost closed the eyes of the singer, stated the report, and he had had to appear at a concert wearing dark glasses and an eye patch. Mr. Tibbett said he had contracted the poison while cutting timber at his country home. The correspondent urged that steps be taken to clear out the weed before it became a serious menace in .New Zealand.

"Skipping Season"

Kites, tops and marbles having had their hours of glory, the skipping season is now in full swing for Auckland children. On many suburban footpaths children can daily be observed passing away the recreation hours in what is probably the most strenuous of children's games. It would be interesting to know how many pairs of shoes are worn thin in the skipping season. Pilfering of Cargo The Auckland Chamber of Commerce has been advised that the Minister in Charge of the Police Department is looking into a suggestion made by the Associated Chambers that returned servicemen be appointed as security police on the wharves. The executive of the Associated Chambers is to press for a further reply from the Minister on the result of his investigations into the proposal.

"Terrible" Walk "It is a terrible thing to have to walk five miles," said Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., to a young man who, when he appeared in the Magistrate's Court yesterday for failing to comply with a direction of the manpower officer, explained that he lived in an outer suburb and had to walk five miles to the railway station. The young man imagined that he was receiving magisterial sympathy until Mr. Levien added, as he imposed a fine- of £2: "A lot of children in the country walk five miles to school." "Well Worth the Trouble"

Speaking last evening of the obvious drift of Maoris to the cities of. New Zealand, the Earl of Listowel, deputy-leader of the British Parliamentary delegation, observed that it was an inevitable tendency, due to the increase in the Maori birth rate and the fact that their lands were not sufficient to support them. It was inevitable, too, that they would drift to the worst paid jobs. New Zealand would be well advised to give serious consideration to the problem, to provide them with hostels and amenities, and to give them the leadership they needed to develop their natural talents. "They are a people well worth the trouble,' he added. He commented on the martial qualities and powers of endurance shown by members of the Maori battalion overseas, on their "marvellous handicrafts" and on their artistry as singers and dancers, as he had seen demonstrated at Rotorua. "They're born artists, he added.