NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 149, 19 March 1936, Page 11

NEWS IN BRIEF

Lessons of History "We New Zealanders as a body are not, 1 think, strong in historical knowledge,” said Mr. Justice Ostler, addressing a social gathering of the Wellington Justices of tbe Peace Association last night. “It is a subject which is not given the importance it deserves in our schools; which is a pity, because if studied properly we can learn many useful lessons from the past. Human nature has changed but little over th c last six or seven hundred years. A knowledge of history is therefore useful, if only to enable us to escape from tbe mistakes made by our ancestors.”

Dog Registrar Busy. Some days ago an article in "Tiie Dominion” drew attention to the activities of the Wellington City Council in dealing with unregistered and wandering dogs. Since then quite a number of dog owners have apparently awakened to remembrance of their duties as citizens. At any rate, in the last few days there has been quite a rush of people registering their dogs.

For Health Camp. Through an apl>eal to schools iu the Wellington Education Board’s area, the sum of £B7/4/1. was raised for the Wellington Children’s Health Camp Association iu the third term of last year. At a meeting of tho Wellington Education Board last night a letter from tbe secretary of the association thanked the board, headmasters, and staffs for the help given.

A Warship’s Band. With the battle cruiser, H.M.S. Dunedin in port and berthed at Clyde Quay wharf, residents living at the city end of Oriental Bay have been treated to some rousing baud music during tiie past three days. Each morning for a period of about half an hour from 0.30 onward tho strains of lively tunes played by tbe cruiser’s band have drifted across the neighbourhood.

Assaults on Teachers. As tiie result of a recent assault on a teacher at Oliariu School the Wellington Education Board wrote to the Minister in charge of police asking him what action the police would take in similar cases. At a meeting of the board last night advice from rhe Hen. P. Fraser stated that action would be taken by tbe police in similar eases where public interests were involved, though each case would, of course, be dealt with on its merits.

Beautifying Petrol Bumps. That a competition should be held among keepers of petrol pumps to encourage beautifying was a. suggestion made by Mr. I. Sladen at a meeting of the Christchurch Beautifying Association. He thought that the petrol companies .should be approached aud asked to give a cup to be competed for, as this would cause greater interest in beautifying, which was now done only in isolated cases. The suggestion was approved. and a sub-committee was appointed to take further action.

‘‘Nuisance to Counties." Dissatisfaction with the system of ridings within counties was expressed by the Minister of Public Works, Hon. B. Semple, when addressing the Southland County Council, Invercargill. “I think ridings within counties are obsolete,” he said, "and I think they ought to go. I don't think they are of any value to the nation, and they are only a nuisance to the counties. They lead to complications and difficulty, and the revolutionary changes that have taken place in our transport system have Tendered them out of date.” Napier Hospital Improvement,

The new administration block at the Hawke’s Bay Hospital in Napier is expected to be completed shortly, at an estimated cost of £BOOO. The new building will provide accommodation for some hospital departments, which, since the earthquake, have been working in cramped temporary quarters under extreme difficulty. Centrally situated. the new block is a handsome building in cream stone, consisting of two stories, and a basement which is to be used as a storeroom. The building in which the whole of the administration of tiie hospital has been carried on since the earthquake is an asbestos structure measuring 30 feet by .15 feet. Beach in Cambridge Terrace. Now that Dr. P. Marshall has assured the public that: New Zealand is hundreds of millions of years old it is not the least surprising to know of IHe existence of sea-shell deposits in the papa cllfi's of the Talhape district. Still nearer home is the discovery of an ancient beach in Cambridge Terrace (near Courtenay Place). In excavating for the now storm-water culvert at a depth of 12 feet, blue mud I papa), fairly thickly besprinkled witli pipi shells, was revealed, showing chat at some remote period the harbour beach lay considerably farther southward than it did when white settlement began in Port Nicholson.