NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 180, 1 August 1944, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Western Springs Milk Supply Arrangements had been made for a vendor with premises facing the Western Springs reserve to supply the requirements of people taking advantage of the City Council's temporary housing scheme, it was stated at yesterday's meeting of the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Council. The fhairtnan, Mr. I. J. Goldstine, said an amount of about 10 gallons daily was involved.

Friendly Sparrow - A friendly sparrow was the principal actor in a little drama enacted on a coping high above the level of one of "Wellington's busy streets the other day. He was seen to alight on a ledge and parade uncertainly up i and down, carrying a piece of bread ' nearly as big as himself. Finally he deposited it and hopped off to a few feet away. Out of a recess in the stonework appeared a weary and crippled pigeon. The injured bird, obviously unable to fly, accepted the titbit and went off to his resting place again. The sparrow then left. Visiting Sailor's Surprise To come face to face with a photograph of "his daughter in a shop window display in Dunedin was the unusual experience of a Scottish marine engineer who recently visited the city. While enjoying a few hours' leave, Mr. Peter Thomas, of Scotland, the chief engineer on an overseas vessel, was casually surveying the war publicity photographs in Messrs. Brown, Bwing*s window when he was astonished to see a portrait of his own daughter, whom ne had last seen as a Wren in Scotland. Mr. Thomas' daughter was in a prominent position in a group of Wrens, whose work was largely featured in the photographic series. Capping Milk Bottles The capping of milk bottles by shopkeepers was discussed at yesterday's meeting of the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Council, when a communication on the subject was received from the Department of Health. A regulation, since revoked, prohibited the sale of milk unless filled and closed on, premises licensed for such purposes, the Department stated. The amended regulations only permitted the sale of milk in a bottle which had been sufficiently sterilised, and tampering with a cap on such a bottle before it was delivered to a customer was prohibited. It had not been anticipated that capping would be done in milk shops. The regulations, however, did not specifically prohibit shopkeepers from capping a customer's bottle, and the Department would take no action if the council desired the practice to continue. It was decided to advise the Department that the council saw j no objection to plain caps being put i __ on bottles. 1

Woman Challenges Woman

A woman juror was sworn in for service in this week's Supreme Court criminal trials, and had the distinction of being the first person challenged when the first case was opened. The challenger was also a woman, who was standing trial. The latter took the business of challenging out of the hands of her counsel and exercised her privilege to the fullest extent allowable. Conscientious Objectors in Canada The position of conscientious objectors in Canada is referred to in the latest issue of the official publication "Canada At War," which says that up to March 31 this year deferments of military service were given to 8932 conscientious objectors, of whom 245 subsequently offered their services to the armed forces and 122 offered to serve as non-combatants in the medical and dental corps. Of the others 3188 were placed in agriculture and 1295 in other employment, many in hospitals. First Into Rome Perplexing are the ways of official censorship. A few weeks ago, when the New Zealanders were near Rome, the official correspondent with the N.Z.E.F. was permitted to send a cablegram which stated that the first New Zealander to enter the Eternal City was an Auckland captain. This was interesting, but it would have been much more so if the cablegram had stated the name of the captain, for it might be supposed that the officer would be known, at least by name, to a number of people. The veil of secrecy has now been withdrawn, and in a letter his parents, Mr. and Mrs. A. Respinger, of Grafton, Captain A. E. Respinger says he was one of the first to enter Rome at 4.30 a.m. on the day the city fell to the Allies, and he was certainly the first New Zealander.

Tennis Balls It was only through the endeavours of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association and its affiliated bodies that an allocation of rubber for the manufacture of tennis balls was made by the Government last year, said Mr. E. A. Lee, chairman, at a meeting of the managment committee of the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association. Some "staggering figures" had been supplied when a committee representing the association and the Provincial Council of Sport tried to ascertain the number of players catered for by unaffiliated clubs, private courts and school courts. A single court in one case was claimed to provide tennis for 500 players. In another instance balls were applied for in respect of two courts known to be overgrown with manuka and broom. Some schools gave their total roll numbers as their active tennis strength.