NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 247, 18 October 1944, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Cooked Meat At a recent meeting of the Mount Eden Borough Council the borough inspector, Mr. A. Paul, pointed out that under the borough by-laws cooked meats were not meat. Last night he presented an amendment to the by-laws, which was adopted, and from now on cooked meats will be meat,--at least, in Mount Eden, if nowhere else. Pheasants in Gardens Pheasants have been active for several weeks in their annual spring depredations on gardens in Auckland suburban areas. In some suburbs considerable damage and destruction are reported. The worst trouble appears to have occurred through attacks on young crops of peas, beans, potatoes and tender greens in early mornings and evenings. One Eheasant surprised in a crop of beans ew into a wire netting fence and was caught before it could escape. Destruction by Rabbits The rabbits released on Stewart Island last year are multiplying rapidly'and are beginning to do serious damage to trees and plants. When a party visited Native Island, in Paterson Inlet, recently it found that- the- rabbits had been nibbling the exposed roots of trees in the thicker parts of the bush where there was no grass. One sapling had been completely ring-barked and was dying as a result, and several other trees would soon be in the same state. Infections Americanisms That American colloquial expressions have not been without their influence in Auckland is frequently evident, especially among young folk. Use of certain phrases , conlmon to the Americans is now sometimes encountered in the business world. For instance, one girl telephone operator this morning informed an inquirer that "Mr. was not in right now," the "right now" being a typical Americanism. Another girl explained to a business man that her. employer had "stopped off" at Frankton en route from Wellington. Wharf Facilities Gratification at the Auckland Harbour;' Board's assurance that additional shelter would be provided on the Birkenhead wharf when materials and labour were available was expressed in a letter received at yesterday's board meeting from the Birkenhead Borough Council. The council also' mentioned the need for a stretcher on the wharf to provide for "accident victims. The letter was referred to the board in committee. Also referred to the board in committee was a request from the Devonport Borough Council for an opinion on a suggestion that present vehicular facilities should be duplicated on _ both sides of the harbour.

"Artists in Uniform" Advice that the recent "Artists in Uniform" exhibition had resulted in the collection of over £84 was received from the: Auckland librafian, Mr. J. Barr, at a meeting of the executive and finance sub-committee of the Auckland Metropolitan Patriotic Committee last night. Attendances totalled' , B4o6. ' Money in Trees Recently the Mount Eden Borough Council decided that certain pine trees on the mountain were dangerous and should be felled. The trees were sold and the work of felling has now been almost completed. An account for 85,000 ft of timber has been forwarded to one firm, and there will be a further account for approximately 40,000 ft. The "Foo" Craze A correspondent writes: "Just to clear up the matter of the mysterious 'Foo' for once and for all. Although it.may have been adopted •by certain members of the Navy, it was originally the brainchild of an American comic strip cartoonist. 'Foo,' when used in its true sense, is a versatile unknown which may be substituted for any normal word, as in such Confucian utterances as "A foo in time saves nine," ■ "When in Rome, foo as the Roman's foo." The writer signs himself Foology Expert (as in zoology). His Unlucky Day Coming to town on his annual leave last week-end, with the races at Ellerslie as the chief attraction, "Gus" from the waybacks invariably picked the wrong horse, and walked from the course feeling that it was his unlucky day. He had left home in his "Sunday best," which included a brand new three-guinea hat of world renowned make, and when this disappeared from a Karangahape Road restaurant and a time-worn and weather-battered hat was left in its place, he decided that it was undoubtedly his day of■ misfortunes. Women's Handbags "The envelope-shaped handbag will not be worth anything after the war," said a director of British Leathercrafts, Ltd., Mr. T. W. Perry, during a sitting of the Industrial Manpower Committee. Mr. Perry explained that the manufacture of a good handbag required the use of a frame. These frames were not available during the war, and practically the only type which could be manufactured- without a frame was the envelope-shaped bag. The liaison officer between the Factory Controller and the Department of Industries and Commerce, Mr. A. J. Cavanagh, said that his Department did not consider handbags essential. "They are essential to women," said Mr. Perry. "We think there are sufficient to meet present needs, and we don't think it would be any great hardship if there were no more made for some time," said Mr. Cavanagh.