NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 217, 11 June 1935, Page 11

NEWS IN BRIEF

Mr. Seddon Remembered

Early yesterday morning, a large laurel wreath was placed at the toot of the Seddon monument iu Parliament grounds. The day was the twenty-ninth anniversary of Mi'. Seddon's death.

Council of Education. “That a National Council of Education be appointed to control educational policies," was a remit which the Wellington Schoo! Committees' and Educational Federation at its meeting last night decided to forward to Ihe national conference of school committees in August. Thanks Extended.

Letters of thanks for rhe entertainment given by the Missions to Seamen on the occasion of the visits by the Japanese licet and 11.M.5. Wellington have been received by the missioner, Mr. B. J. Williams, from the Honorary Consul for japan, Mr. N. S. Falla, and from Commander J. R. Hall, of the Wellington.

Haphazard Remits. The opinion that it was time something wag done to prevent the framing of haphazard remits was expressed by a delegate at the meeting of the Wellington School Committees’ and Educational Federation last' night, and Messrs. C, Turksma, N. A. Ingram, L. Hennessey, L. .1. McDonald, and F H. Porter were appointed to summarise tho fundamental weaknesses in the existing educational system and corresponding measures necessary for their rectification in a co-ordinated and related statement. Their report is to bo sent to the national conference of school committees in August.. Utilising a Baek Yard.

Rear backyards of big buildings are sometimes difficult to deal with. There was one attached to the property in lower Cuba Street purchased by the Wellington tramways and electric lighting department last year. ' This land fronts Cornhill Street, and is next to the emergency exit from the Regent Theatre. It has been fenced in by a 12-foot brick and concrete wall, which forms the back wall of a substantially-built shed, which may serve as a day garage or for a dozen other purposes. There is also a ramped entrance to the cellar on that side, practicable for all classes of motor vehicles. The alterations to the big building should bo completed about the end of the month. Kindness Repaid.

Twelve mouths ago a newspaper seller in Wellington lent a stranger who was down at heel the price of a tram fare. The incident Was forgotten until yesterday, when the strauger approached the seller on the stand again, not to borrow but to pay the debt with substantial interest. The seller in question has frequently done a good turn for men who needed a copper or two, but this was one of the rare cases when he lias been paid back. Once, lipwever, he assisted an old man across the road, That incident also was forgotten until about two months later, when the old man called at “The Dominion” office, described the seller, nnd left a small cheque for him.

Government “Listens-in.” “The worst part of the business would not be scut through the wire. They wouldn’t trust the Government with that sort of union business. What they did probably was to talk through the telephone,” said a witness in the Wellington Supreme Court yesterday when speaking of secret negotiations said to have taken place between certain seamen unionists in Wellington and Greymouth. “But the telephones belong to the Government, too,” commented tlie Chief Justice (Sir Michael Myers) with a smile. “The Government only listens-in at war-time; it doesn’t listen-in at any other time,” was the reply.

Unusual Sight at Sea. An unsuai sight was witnessed by Captain Camp and other officers of the •British motor-ship Aldington Court a few nights after the vessel had cleared the Panama Canal on her passage from New York to New Zealand. About 8.30 on the night of May IS, when the ship was in latitude 13 deg. 2f)min. south, longitude 107 deg. 30miu. west, the planet Venus—“ Queen of the Heavens,” as one officer described her—was observed about one degree above the western horizon, apparently changing colour from white to red and then to light green, the phenomenon lasting for some 30 seconds or more. The occurrence was noted In the ship’s log-book, es the officer put. it. “as the first robot traffic light of the Pacific.’’ The effect was probably due to the dense layer of atmosphere through which the planet was observed at its low elevation. Somewhat similar effects are noticed at times with less brilliant planets in tlie latitudes of New Zealand.