NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 39, 15 February 1945, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Art Union Winner The winner of the first prize of £2000 in the My Lucky Year Art Union, which was drawn yesterday, is Mr. W. Inglis, a butcher in the R.N.ZA..F. at Harewood and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Inglis, of Cobden. A single man, aged 23, he has been in the Air Force for some time past and secured the ticket on his own behalf. An elder brother recently returned from the Middle East, while another brother is still overseas.

Job for the Police It is apparently impossible: to display bus time-tables on shelter shed notice boards in the Orakei district, Plate glass, even reinforced with steel mesh, has failed to provide adequate protection. Over a dozen panes of this type were deliberately smashed last year, the notices apparently being used as targets for stones. Every time-table since displayed in one shelter shed has become so defaced as to be illegible within a fortnight. Last month a new glass-protected notice board was screwed to the wall, but this has now been shattered.

Biscuit Wrappers With the object of conserving paper, wrappers for biscuits were abandoned some time ago by Government regulation, although the extent of conservation is difficult to determine, since large quantities of brown paper bags are used in lieu of the wrappers. Moreover, retailers have found that broken biscuits and consequent wastage of a commodity in short supply are far more common with the absence of wrappers. At the annual conference of the Master Grocers' Federation in Nelson recently it was decided to ask the Factory Controller to release sufficient stocks of paper to allow the wrapping of biscuits to be resumed. Black Swan Increase

One of the problems facing the Auckland Acclimatisation Society is the rapid increase in the numbers of black swan on the lakes in tho society's area, particularly on two of ' the largest lakes in the Lower Waikato, Waikare and Whangape. The society is now considering the organisation of drives to reduce the number of the birds. The black swan was introducted into New Zealand from Australia by the Nelson Acclimatisation Society in 1864, and about the same time the late Sir George Grey brought some to Kawau. They quickly spread throughout New Zealand. Not migratory birds to any extent, they fly at night when they do shift their quarters. New Plumbing Businesses An explanation of why 16 journeyman plumbers had set up in business in the city on their own account in less than six months was given by the secretary of the Christchurch Plumbers' and Gasfitters' Union (Mr. F. L. Langley) in response to an irvjuiry. He said the reason was that the men had considered thenwages of £5 10/ a week net were too low. As plumbing was an essential industry they had to get the permission of the National Service Department to leave their employment, and they had been able to do so because they were remaining in the industry and the service to the public would not be reduced. He said they were probably doing more work now than they had done when .i S ? ere on wages. Before these ■ v? 03111 ® master plumbers there Christ^wiLt 0 master plumbers in ; « stchurch and 140 journeymen.

A Mixed Blessing

Some farmers in the Pukekohe district recently took advantage of the surplus of cabbages from the local dehydration plant, using the outside leaves, which are thrown out as useless for dehydration purposes, to feed to their cows. Unfortunately for them, the cabbage leaves brought in their train a plague of flies. So bad did this become in some cases that the worried cows could not be milked until after dark, when most of the flies disappeared. Smarm of Copra Bugs A swarm of copra bugs, apparently brought to Auckland in a cargo of coconuts, is causing inconvenience to residents in the vicinity of Dickens Street, Millais Street and Rose Road, in the Richmond Road area. No case has been reported of anyone being bitten by the bugs, which appear to prefer cakes ana such sweet types of food. The insects are of a deep bluish-black colour and are about a quarter of an inch in length. They have a hard shell, which renders them difficult to kill at the first blow. City Council inspectors are investigating the nuisance.

Control of Small Craft The unnecessary risks taken by young and inexperienced persons sailing dinghies, canoes and other light craft on Bluff harbour have been' emphasised in a memorandum to the board by the engineer, Mr..D. E. S. Mason. He stated that persons had been seen taking the most appalling risks in the tide and weather at the entrance. As far as he knew, the board had no power to prohibit or control the use of canoes and unseaworthy craft using the harbour, but the attention of the public should he drawn to the matter. Quite apart from the cost of rescue and the risk to which the board's staff may be exposed, it would be a pity if a tragedy had to occur before active steps at prevention were taken.

"Tobacco Day" To-morrow will be a red-letter day for thousands of Auckland smokers. Deliveries of precious supplies of tobacco and cigarettes will be made to retailers, whose stocks have been exceptionally low, even for wartime, during the last week or so. Not only casuals, but also regular customers have been turned away emptyhanded at-* city and suburban shops, though some shops have eked out their quota longer than others. A variety of causes has been cited for the acute shortage this week—the aftermath of che railway strike, absenteeism in the factories and dispatch of larger quantities of tobacco and cigarettes to the forces overseas. Air Service from Hobart

The possibility of an air service between Hobart and Invercargill was discussed at a meeting of the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce as the result or tentative suggestions made by a visitor from Hobart while in Dunedin recently. It was decided to communicate with the Hobart Chamber of Commerce requesting their support for a service between Hobart and Invercargill and pointing out some of the advantages that the local airport possessed. It was also decided to communicate with the Invercargill City Council with a view to having preparations made for runways of sufficient size to accommodate planes as large as those that would probably be used in such a service. A meeting of the various bodies concerned with such a service, it was stated, should be heldi to discuss the matter when necessary. 1