General News.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18726, 24 June 1926, Page 8

General News.

The survey of the new traffic bridges over the Pareora and the Hurunui rivers has been completed and plans and specifications in respect of each are being prepared. A tender has been accepted for the new bridge over the Ashley.

Nearly all boys who appear in the Auckland Children's Court are asked by Mrs Ferner, associate member, if they belong to football teams. If they say no, she tells them they should join a team of some sort to keep them out of mischief.

Our London correspondent mentions that an unused block of eight of the first issue New Zealand 2d stamps was sold for £& at Messrs Harmer Rookes auction rooms on Saturday. They were purchased at their face value by the owner when issued.

"Every team going away from New Zealand should wear black with the fern leaf," said Mr R. R. C Spooner at last night's meeting of the Canterbury Rowing Association. "Black is the New Zealand colour and is a good advertisement for the country." 'Yes, when the colours win,'' said Mr H. Berry, with a smile. "Unless the circumstances are against it, I will always make an order for the endorsement of the driving license where a motorist is convicted," said Mr Wyvern Wilson, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court at Hamilton. The Magistrate remarked that local bodies would then know the class of_ driver to whom they were issuing a license when applications for renewals were being received.

Another bear was purchased on Tuesdav for the Newtown Zoo at a bargain price of £lO by the Zoological Society for formal presentation to the Council. When he first saw the new bear the secretary of the Society (Mr J. Castle) had no funds available for the purchase, but he undertook to pay for that bear before noon. Actually the full amount was subscribed or -promised within an hour. The animal is an Australian sun bear j a little chap, with a vegetarian appetite.

"It wasn't so in our day," said Mr C. W. Garrard, senior inspector of schools, at the annual dinner of the Auckland Headmasters' Association, "but it is a fact nowadays that children delight in going to school. I count it as almost a revolution in education —a miracle, one might say. And it is a great tribute to the headmasters and teachers of the country." Besides a good teaching service, he added, the improved system of education and better types of schools had helped in the metamorphosis of the schoolboy. The following paragraph (writes our London correspondent) appeared in "Tit-Bits" under the heading "The Difference": "At a recent dinner of the London Ayrshire Society I heard this new story of Sir Harry Lauder, told by Sir 'William Carruthers. On Sir Harry's recent visit to' New Zealand, a class in one of the schools was asked to name the world's richest man. A boy answered, 'Sir Harry Lauder.' 'But,' said the teacher, 'Eockfeller and other millionaires are much richer.' 'Yes,' was the boy's surprising reply, 'but they spend some of theirs.'" The tests in ' respect of pile-driv-ing at the site of the proposed traffic bridge over the Salwyn are proving a work of some difficulty. As announced some weeks ago, a four-ton monkey was obtained, and it has been, and still is, in use for the- tests. A ferro-con-crete pile is being used, and as the result of 1400 blows by the monkey, the drop varying from Ift to 4ft, the pile penetrated only about 6ft of ground. Prior to the use of the monkey a hole was excavated in the riverbed to a depth of Bft, this being sft below the bottom of the river. The net result is that the pile has been driven lift below the bottom of ''the river. The tests are being continued. The Canterbury Philosophical Institute is marking the seventy-fifth anniversary of its foundation with the publication of a complete Natural History of Canterbury. _ The . various phases of the natural history of the Province will be dealt with by authorities on the subjects, the preliminary volume to contain about 300 pages. It is hoped to later publish, in separate volumes, a complete natural history of Canterbury. The preliminary book will be offered for sale to the general public, but a subscription list is now being opened, those who subscribe one guinea or more towards meeting the cost of publication being given, free of charge, an edition do luxe copy of the work when it comes out. Don't hesitate a moment when considering moving your furniture. J. M. Heywood and Co., Ltd., are tEe people to do. it for you. —6