General News

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21906, 6 October 1936, Page 8

General News

Bain 100,000,090 Years Ago “We have evidence that rain fell at least 100,000,000 years ago,” said Mr T. G. Beck, resident engineer to the Public Works Department, Temuka, in an address on hydrographic surveying at Canterbury University College last evening. “I have seen a fossil in the British Museum bearing an imprint, in mud, of a dinosaur, and on this mud aie the definite spatter marks left by falling rain drops.” Land for Parking in City Saying that Christchurch had a brilliant opportunity to set an example not only to other cities in New Zealand, but to cities in other parts of the world which were now greatly concerned with traffic problems, Mr F. W. Johnston urged in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday when speaking at the farewell to Mr H. Macintosh, the retiring Chief City Traffic Inspector, that the city should buy land at the comparatively low prices now ruling in order to provide space for parking motor vehicles. ‘The city should welcome this opportunity of buying land,” declared Mr Johnston, “and I hope that it will enable pin-pricking regarding parking to be done away with.” Plans for New Courts The present plans for new court buildings in Christchurch are only provisional, although it is possible that they may be finally adopted, according to the Attorney-General (the Hon, H. G. R. Mason). When asked last evening by telephone what would be the effect of the decision to build on the land occupied by the art gallery in Durham street, owned by the Canterbury Society of Arts, he said that he did not know anything about the title of the land, but he felt sure that all concerned would co-operate in the erection of a court -building of which Christchurch would be proud. The need for a comprehensive change in the existing court accommodation in Christchurch was realised, and the work would be begun as soon as possible. A copy of the titles to the land was shown to a reporter yesterday by the secretary of the Society of Arts, Mr G. L. Donaldson, as well as a copy of the Canterbury Society of Arts Reserve Act, by which the land was granted. Bullet-proof River Recorders The necessity for making bullet-proof shelters for river-recording instruments was mentioned by Mr T. G. Beck, resident engineer to the Public Works Department, Temuka, in an address at Canterbury University College last evening. The recorders, he said, were placed well back in the river gorges which were frequented by rabbit-shooters and deer-stalkers. Protection from the weather was one need, but it had been found advisable, too, to build the shelters of concrete, and even these showed the marks of bullet impacts. . j Women’s Cycle Record 1 An application on behalf of Miss Violet E. s Beard, of Auckland, for recognition of her twoday cycle ride from Auckland to Wellington as a New Zealand women’s record was before the New Zealand Cycling Federation at its meeting last evening. Miss Beard was paced by another cyclist and by a motor-cyclist. She left Auckland at 6.15 a.m. on January 6 and arrived at Wellington at 8.45 a.m. on January 8. The application was supported by the Auckland Amateur Cycling Centre and the New Zealand Amateur Cycling Association. The federation decided to approve it on the assurance of the amateur body that the conditions under which the record were established were in order. | Better Facilities for Dogs i Improvements are to be made by the City Council in the accommodation for dogs, and the facilities for destroying animals at the council yards, according to a report by Mr H. P. Bridge, chairman of the executive of the Society for I the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, to the executive last evening. Mr Bridge said that the council had agreed to erect three more kennels, to slope the floors of the kennels for- better drainage, and enlarge the glass door of the lethal Chamber, The. council had also agreed that children should not be allowed to see dogs destroyed. Cycle Stands Wanted Repeated requests have been made by the New Zealand Cycling Federation to the City Council for better provision for the parking ot bicycles in the city. The secretary. Mr H D. London, reported to a meeting of the federation last evening that consideration was to have been given to a type of stand in use in Palmerston North. He had three times asked that better provision be made for parking. After some discussion the federation decided to make its fourth request to the council. | I Chinese Tombstone i A resident of Yarrow street, Invercargill, received an unpleasant surprise when digging his garden. He was trenching it to a fair depth when he unearthed a smoothed slab of stone which proved to be a tombstone engraved ‘with Chinese characters. Enquiries revealed that there was once a monumental masons yard on the site and the tombstone is probably one which remained unclaimed by a former Chinese resident of Invercargill. Controversy About a Statue The Auckland Council of Christian Congre- | gations, at its annual meeting last night, discussed the statue of a nude athlete on the Domain gates; but it was decided to take + no further action, in view of the inability of the council to obtain the support of church and educational officials, who, according to the president (the Rev. J. A. Thomson) were loath to open the subject again for public discussion, i Without the help of such persons, the council felt -that it would be futile to make any further move. Pastor Campbell said many persons ! were waiting for a lead, and he moved that the council considers the nudity of the statue to be offensive to a considerable number of ■ citizens and deleterious to the morals of pass-ers-by, and requests the City Council to take suitable steps to modify it. Mr T. L. Caley, the seconder, said that the statue was unspeakably shocking and horrifying to many women.” The Rev. E. D. Patchett said it would be a mistake for the council to give undue publicity to the subject, as the meeting was not representative of the strength of the council. The motions were then withdrawn.—Press Association. Early Maori Religion That in the Maori religion of the olden days, to the ordinary people there was no “thrill” of personal emotion, was stated by Dr. W. S. Dale in his lecture before the anthropology section of the Auckland'lnstitute. There was nothing equivalent to the emotion felt by individual worshippers taking part in a church service, such as Europeans use. The old Maori religion was linked up with other group forms of social organisation, more especially with the group relating to rank, prestige, high birth—whence “mana” or power. The outer aspect of their religion was highly formalised, and admittance to the inner aspect was qualified by birth, which thus left the spiritual core of the Maori religio-philosophy in the possession of the ariki (first-born of a first-bojjn—the highest rank of a tribe) and of the highest grade of priests or tohungas. When rank brought great responsibility and a sense of duty to others, this tended to ensure a tribe's well-being. Populations in the East “One of the things which is calculated most to impress the visitor to the Far East,” said Mr C. E. Young, who has returned to Whakatane after an extensive tour, “is the density of population. The cities seem to be seething with countless thousands of people. The streets are simply crammed with traffic of all kinds. When I got back to Sydney the streets looked quite empty, and the Auckland streets appeared like a country town in comparison. The East is simply teeming with millions.” Roads in Queensland The great length of some of the straight stretches of country roads in Queensland was noticed by Mr Gi McCullough, a prominent South Canterbury farmer, who has just returned from a four months’ holiday in Australia. One of these roads, which crossed the Cecil Plains in that province was more than 50 miles long without a single bend, and was flat all the way. The condition of the roads, however, was hot nearly as good as those in country districts in New Zealand and after a rain it was impossible to negotiate many of the roads, as they were not metalled-