NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 53, 4 March 1927, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

January's Building Activity.

During January permits to build issuea in the four chief centres of the Dominion numbered 851, of a value of £476,766. Of this business 236 permits related to Wellington, and the value was £202,783, of which. £127,874 was for 125 dwellings. In the "secondary centres " that is, boroughs and town districts of the Dominion, the total nerworlll^ 3114^^6^ *•

Atmospheric Kecords.

_ An interesting aeroplane apparatus in use at Wigram Aerodrome, Sockburn, i s .to be used to assist the Government Meteorologist to prepare weather forecasts, .known as a baro-thermo-graph, and attached to an • aeroplane, it combines the purposes of barograph a thermograph and an altimeter recording barometric pressures, temperatures and heights respectively during a flight' It has been found that at a height of two miles the barometric pressure decreases by 10 inches, and that the 'apse rate or temperature gradient (-which differs nnder cyclonic or anti-cyclonic pressure) averages a fall of 2.7 degrees .Fahrenheit for every 1000 feet -f altitude. The instrument. has been perfected as the result of a long series- of experiments in England, and is being adopted by the British Air Ministry That now in use at Christchurch is said to be the first of its kind, .to be put to practical use in the Empire.

Technical College .Gymnasium,

When, after long years of waiting, tne new Technical College buildings began to take shape on Mount Cook, it was hoped that, in due time, they would contain ■an assembly hall, where on meet occasions the whole company of students could be summoned to hear what the college authorities might regard as necessary for their collective educational salvation. But the present Minister of Education is disposed at present to regard such -amenities as college assembly halls as luxuries, so the Board of Governors of the Technical College have had perforce to n abandon their ideas in this connection until such time as the Minister can safely feel that he has sums of money at his disposal with which he can regard the long patience of education boards, both primary and collegiate. The design of the Technical College provided for a gymnasium in the basement under the assembly hall. Had it been possible to have proceeded with the erection of the building according to plan, the floor of the auditorium would have been the roof of the gymnasium. The board has now obtained the Minister's concurrence in its proposal to complete the gymnasium out of its own funds, at a cost of £2700, so it is intended that the brick walls built on the basement foundations shall be covered with a temporary-light roof in f order that the students may have a p!4ce where they can carry out physical training. ■

St. Mark's Parish.

The other evening at a special meeting of parishioners, the "Vicar of St. Mark's (B.ev. H. E. K. Fry) "remarked that he had been told there was, talk going round as to whether or not he was to bo the Dean of St. Mark's Cathedral when the Cathedral is built. The Vicar said that ho knew he did not possess one single qualification for a Dean, and that no Bishop would ever think of offering him such a position. If such an impossibility could occur he would assuredly refuse it. In tho first sermon that he preached in St. Mark's Church he had told theic that he was essentially a parish priest, and that the work nearest to his heart was visiting in tho i.omes of his parishioners, particularly those where there was sorrow or sickness.

Brigade's Smart Work.

Fast work by tho Auckland Fire BAgailo has often been recorded, but "'t"ho performance in connectior. with a fire last week iii business premises opposite the Lyric Theatre in Synonds street, would take a lot of beating, says an exchange. Many peoplo wero watching denso smoke coming through the roof of the building, but, under tho impression that someone else had done so, nobody gavo tho alarm. A young lady employed in a piano shop gavo tho brigade a ring on tho telephone to speed the firounen up, as sho thought, and was surprised to learn that it was the first intimation tho brigade had of the fire. From the time sho gavo the message till the first reel arrived, was just over 90 seconds, and in a little ovor four minutes there was no sign of tho fire, which had a good hold when the first reel arrived.

Maori Designs in Offices.

An eloquent plea for the use of Maori art and design in, the decoration of buildings has recently come from the pen of Dr. To' Eangi Hirea (Dr. Potor Buck), suys the "Christchurch Press." This suggestion has been effectively acted upon in the new offices of Thomson and Co., in Christchurch, where Maori rtesigus and carving have been very extensively employed with attractive and pleasing results. The floor of tho vestibulo is covered with very heavy rubber, which bears Maori patterns and designs that go a quarter of an inch into the substance of the material. This keops tho design, looking always fresh and new. The office itself is ornamented with faithful reproductions of Maori carved beams' and upright slabs. There is the carving about the front of the pataka or storehouse, and the korupe or Hnten over the strongroom and other doors. Native patterns aro embossed on the glass windows, and the usual rafter designs are to be found all about'the ceiling. The cabinet for the long-distance telephone is apppropriately named "korere tawhiti," or ','long-distance talk," and tho cloak roOm door bears in its glass the name "whare kahu.'.' This is believed to be the first time Maori art has been reproduced on a large scale for the interior decoration of an office, and its effect is striking and unique. The originals—some of them 200 years oldhave been most faithfully reproduced and includo the characteristic inset pawa shell eyes. Visitors are at all times welcomed by the firm to examine tho work, and those who do will readily admit that here is food for thought for our New Zealand architects.

Bishop and the Duchess.

"I am sure I cannot complain of my welcome to Auckland," said the Bishop of London at thu civic reception yesterday, telegraphs "The Post's" correspondent. "I thought you would be so taken up with the Duchess and her beautiful face that you would have no time to welcome me at all. Ido not compete with beautiful Duchesses and Queens. When I was in the United States the Queen of Bumania was there too. Once the same piece of stair-carpet : served for us both. It was at the University where she was made something at 3 o 'clock, and I was made a D.D. at 4 o'clock. lam sure that the smiles I saw on the faces of the professors were the reflections of hers, not mine. You in New Zealand have given the Duchess a wonderful welcome, and I am glad that you have any at all left over for me.: I hope to pay my homage in Christchurch in. a few days' time." " ' ' • -

Assistants "Wanted,

A strong appeal was made by General Andrew at the Gisborne Eotary Club the other day for the services of additional competent helpers to assist the Boy Scout movement. "Service," said General Andrew, "is, however, essential, whether it be to sit on a committee, lend a boat, teach shoe-making or wireless, metal working or poultry farming, swimming or life-saving—it all tends to a big result. It gives to each boy, besides the technical idea, the direct and practical example of selfsacrifice, of goodwill and helpfulness to others, which will stand him in good stead through life, sustaining in dark moments his faith in" his fellow men and beckoning him to go Imd do likewise." (Loud applause.)

Our Only Palm.

The usual slaughter of our glorious mkau palm was the first thing that struck me when I entered the Auckland Town Hall," writes an indignant ratepayer to the "Auckland Star." "When will these apathetic citizens of Auckland realise that every time some distinguished perse n arrives 'dozens of this lovely tree, our one and only palm, are slaughtered to make a orie-uight show and then be thrown out on the dust heap? The saddest part of thisvandalism is.that it is done, or at least permitted, :by the very people who should set the public an example in preserving the remnant of our magnificent forest. Every one of those lovely nikau heads stuck up in the hall to hide the pillars of the gallery would be the result of at least half a century's growth."

In the Good Old Days,

The distanco school children had to walk in the earlier days of the town's history were mentioned to a "Manawatu Standard" reporter by the son of one of Palmerston North's pioneers. When he was^ attending Terrace End School about 42 years ago this gentleZTt 7 al\ ed ,from MS home at Herbert to school and back again each day a distance of eleven mile's. In his eight years at school he estimates that he walked a distance of 15,000 miles In addition he had to milk five cows

Open Air Schools.

Speaking at Nelson recently, the fZ\ £ right (Minister °f tion) _said he foresaw schools consistng of,more lightly constructed build-ings-one for each class-on the open--11 E"? Clple- Many Parenta were oppose! to open-air schools, but he felt wo'rW* If %*? C°Uld the *•£» Ih a y PreJ»dice would vanv i !,. bmldln 8s were closed up in bad weather and were just as cosy as any others, but on bright warm days they could be thrown open to leTin the fresh air and health-giving sunlight

Wages of Efficiency. "The only way by which the real earnmgs of labour can be increased un! der present financial conditions is by some internal reorganisation of industry wnich will result in increased labour efficiency and decreased at of production, and this can be devised only by the co-operation of employers and workers," said Mr. Scott in dissenting" to the increase of wages granted in the freezing workers' award. His Honour Mr. Justice Frazer agrees with the sentiment expressed,,and says: "I desire also to impress on the workers the neetZ y °M heil Part of wil!ing co-opera-tion and the avoidance of friction. An increased production at a lower cost per unit means higher profits and higher real wages. Low labour costs and higher wages are not incompatible, but' are often complementary."

Napier's Post Office.

Your post office, in addition to being an crchitectural absurdity, is a positive disgrace to a town of this size,' remarked a visitor to Napier. I have never," he continued, "seen a more dilapidated piece of departmental furniture, and standing right in the busy portion of the town the .present building is an absolute eye-sore." He considered that "smaller centres such as Gisborne, New Plymouth, Wanganui, and Hamilton had more imposing and more convenient post offices than Napier, despite the fact that on official annual returns they did not do nearly the same business."