ITEMS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 147, 18 March 1931, Page 11

ITEMS IN BRIEF

About People and Events MAKING GOOD AIRMEN ,“If pilots can be trained and qualified at Rongotai aerodrome they can consider themselves equal to anything,” said Mr. B. Sheil, an Australian aviator, whb arrived in Wellington this week to act as flying representative in oil interests. Mr. Sheil strongly condemned the ground on account of its approaches, and said it would never serve for large passenger machines. Injured Accountant. Advice was received privatelyin Wellington last evening that Mr. W. T. D. Revell, a well-known accountant, who was injured at Timaru on Monday, was progressing satisfactorily. Call Boxes Raided. Thieves conducted an expedition on Sunday evening and visited public telephone booths in the city, suburbs and Hutt Valley, breaking open a number of the telephones and removing the cash. Stole from Newspaper Boy. For stealing the sum of one shilling and tenpence from a newspaper boy, Charles Spiers, aged 45 years, was fined £5, in default 14 days’ imprisonment, in the Blenheim police court a few days ago. Pilot License Correction. Miss Pauline Bennett was the first club-trained woman pilot to secure the B air pilot ticket, not the first to obtain this distinction, says a Press Association message from Blenheim. Mr. F. R. Dix, of Blenheim, obtained his B ticket in October. Autogiro Repaired. Anticipations that the autogiro now in Invercargill will again be flying in three days’ time are held by the agents, Safety Flying, Ltd. The machine has now been repaired, and will spend some time in Southland, after which it will come north, along the coast, reaching Wellington. The machine will then make a tour of the North Island.

Visitors to Milk Station. Arrangements are being made for members of the ratepayers’, municipal electors’, and progressive associations of the Wellington suburban districts to visit the municipal milk station at an early date. As a great crowd on one particular day is something to be avoided, a rota of visiting days is being made up by arrangement with the Wellington Civil League.

Regional Planning. A preliminary discussion on regional planning in which Wellington and the contiguous boroughs and counties are concerned, will take place in the Mayor's room to-day. The Government Town Planner, Mr. J. W. Mawson, will be in attendance.

Bantu Student. Mr. C. J. K. Piliso, a South African native, belonging to Johannesburg, and a member of the Bantu race, arrived in Dunedin last week. Mr. Piliso has passed the first section of the B.Sc. degree, but as he was unable to follow the highest branches of learning in his own land, he has come out to New Zealand with the assistance of the Student Christian Movement. lie intends to study medicine at Otago University. . ' . ,

Gymnasium in. Sight. Members of the Institute Old Boys’ Rugby Football Club spent some time at their meeting last evening in discussing the gymnasium which they hope to arrange for the use of the club. It is now a definite item on the season’s programme. The meeting decided also that one. team at least —a third-grade team —would be entered in the competitions.

Refugee College Pupils. Sixteen pupils from the earthquake zone have been received free of charge at Solway College, and a number. of others have beeu accepted at reduced fees, says a “Dominion” Special Service message from Masterton. One of the classrooms, at the college has had to be enlarged to provide additional accommodation.

Freak Fruit. A horticultural curiosity was exhibited at Nelson recently by Mr. J. Mead. Included in a purchase of peaches was one fruit that was half peach and half ' neetarine. The nectarine portion was quite smooth and the typical colour of this fruit, the other portion having the rough skin and colouring of a peach. The specimen will .probably be preserved as an unusual horticultural freak. .•

A Postage Comedy. Every chud that leaves a primary school and goes to another is followed by a. report, which is forwarded through the post in a stamped envelope supplied by the Education Department. Several..of these reports will arrive every week at a school. Since the postage soared the postman has been coming along with each envelope marked “2d. to pay; insufficient postage.” As the headmaster has no fund on which to draw for such purposes these envelopes have been refused at several Auckland schools lately, and the postman has to take them back to the Chief Post Office, whence they are returned to the Education Department.

Hastings Telephones. Very rapid strides are being made by the Hastings Telegraph Department in the installing of the 600 telephones that are to form the complete temporary exchange for Hastings until such time as the automatic service is in operation. The second edition of the telephone direc-, tory has now been issued, and it shows 420 subscribers connected. This is an addition of 133 telephone connections since March 4.

Fires After AU. Rather concerned that he and his comrades should have been the cause of any mystery, a youth came into “The Dominion” office yesterday and explained that they had been responsible for the “mysterious lights” on a hillside to the right of Wadestown that had been puzzling Ngaio residents. The lights referred to, he said, were no doubt caused by fires which he and a few other boys, returning to Wadestown from Makara, had been in the habit of lighting on Sunday nights for some time past.

Steamer Breaks Tail-shaft. After leaving Opua for Auckland on Friday evening the Northern Company's steamer Clansman broke her tail-shaft when she was off Cape Brett. The 30 passengers on board were landed at Russell by a launch which was sent out from Russell. Afterward the disabled Clansman was towed to Auckland by the tug Akaroa. The company advises that the Clansman is to be definitely withdrawn from the northern run and the passenger service will be abandoned. Instead, a cargo service to northern ports will be run by the company’s motor vessels. Beautiful Timber. .

Some of the finest timber in Wellington is to be found in the old buildings. There are on exhibition at present in the Education Board’s offices two full-backed forms, and a tall file cupboard, made of golden kauri which came out of the old Mount Cook Boys’ School (now demolished). In some instances the grain is close and even, but exquisite in texture, while in others, and particularly the back of one of the forms, the figuring is extremely beautiful. Some fine specimens of flawless totara have already been recovered from the Mount Cook barracks now being demolished, and more' is in sight. • »

Christchurch’s Summit Road. Good progress has been made on the construction of the walking track to connect the Summit Road, Christchurch, with Akaroa, At present the track has been constructed for two miles beyond “The Sign of the Packhorse,” and has been pegged for an additional two miles. The track is opening up entirely ' new country, and at some points is at an elevation of 2600 feet.