General News

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21197, 22 June 1934, Page 10

General News

Canterbury College Graduates With the object of assisting the Canterbury College library, of promoting research at the college, or of providing a scholarship for the college, the graduates' association recently decided to initiate an endowment fund. The association is now appealing to graduates to support this scheme. It is 60 years since the first student graduated from Canterbury College and since that time more than 1500 graduates have been added to the roll. It is stated that not many of these have done anything for their college, "though some have been generous in support and some in service." The association is hoping to bring graduates together, and to form a bond which will arouse their interest in the cause of education and encourage them to do something for it, particularly for their own college, "which is at present in considerable need of assistance." * An Expanding Service The Wheat Research Institute's laboratories will shortly be moved to more commodious'premises than those now occupied in the university grounds. At its meeting yesterday, the institute discussed the proposition of obtaining more,room, and after a discussion in committee it was announced that a movenvould be made. It was also announced that an extra mill would be bought which would allcw the laboratory to deal promptly with milling and baking samples sent in by farmers, merchants, and millers. Changing Prime Ministers In spite of all the publicity given to New Zealand in the last few years, and particularly since the socalled "free trade offer," examples of curious ignorance about the Dominion and its affairs regularly occur even in otherwise well-in-formed circles in England. The latest example appears in a leading article in the London "Daily Telegraph" of May 1, which begins: "Mr Lyons, Prime Minister of New Zealand. . . as if the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes had never been heard of. The blunder is all the more curious because two paragraphs later the article discusses the difficulties of the Prime Minister c " Australia (Mr J. A. Lyons'* in dealing with the problems of marketing primary produce. It might be amusing to speculate what would happen if Mr Forbes and jvlr Lyons did change places for a while. Decision by Toss A spin of the coin as a means of deciding a case was laughingly suggested by Mr H A. Young, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon during the hearing of a tedious civil action. Counsel suggested that Mr "oung might visit a property concerned in the dispute and so expedite the proceedings by doing away with long expert evidence. '"On the other hand." replied Mr Young, "why not toss up for it?"

School Efficiency "We are of opinion that, despite the difficulties in regard to staffing, the general standard of efficiency of the schools as a whole has been well maintained," state the inspectors of the Canterbury education district in their annual report to the board for the year 1933. "While there are some schools whose efficiency cannot be assessed as above 'fair,' the number in that category it; relatively small, the efficiency in the great majority of schools being quite satisfactory and in a large number good to very good. The pupils have as a whole been blessed with good health and the schools have been fortunate in the absence of serious epidemics during the year." Access to Historic Bay An attempt is to be made by the Canterbury Automobile Association to have access to Peraki Bay, on Banks Peninsula, made available to trampers, because of the historical interest attaching to it. At a meeting of the association last night, Mr F. W. Freeman said that the Youth Hostel Association had suggested that the road should be opened. At present two fences ran across the road between the homestead and the bay, and trampers and others had been turned back. Perak' Bay was 1 considerable historic interest, he said, as it was one of the first shore settlements in New Zealand. Collection of Trout Eggs A collection of 600,000 trout ova was made in one day this week by Ranger J. Digby from the fish trap placed by the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society in the Selwyn river. At the beginning of the season the runs of trout were small, and it was feared that the society would have a shortage of eggs, but runs in the last few have been very big, and trout are making their way up the river to the spawning beds in hundreds. Some are taken in the trap, but every suitable pool for miles above that part of the river contains dozens of fish spawning. To collect his total of 600,000, Ranger Digby had to work from a little after daylight right on till midnight. Free Library Facilities Children of residents or ratepayers of Auckland city will not be called upon to pay subscriptions for the use of library facilities in the future, as a result of a decision of the Auckland City Council last night. This was done on the suggestion of Mr Ralph Munn, director of the Carnegie Library, Pittsburg, who has been investigating New Zealand libraries on behalf of the Carnegie Corporation. In his report, whioh was recently received by the City Council, Mr Munn said the subscription plan was acting as a barrier to the use of libraries by thousands of residents. He suggested that if the subscription plan could not be abolished in the immediate future, a free service to children at least should be established. —"The Press" Special Service. Arthur Mee's Philosophy An interesting note has been received from Arthur Mee, the English publisher, bv Mr A. J. Bridgewater, of Christchurch, who wrote recently expressing his regret that Mee's publication, "My Magazine' had had to be discontinued. The reply was inscribed "an odd moment of a lovely sunny day by the Thames." "It is a sad world — wrote Mee, "Let us be cheerful, let us carry on: for nothing ever yet has conquered right, and_ nothing ever yet has endured if it was wrong." For Weddings, Dances, and all social functions, THE BLUE STAR TAXIS are at your service both day and night. Efficient and courteous drivers, whose fares are the 'cheapest in the Dominion, are always available. Ring 35-228 or 35-229 for prompt attention. BLUE STAR TAXI SERVICE.