NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 121, 26 May 1927, Page 10

NEWS OF THE DAY

Queen Mary's Birthday.

A Royal Salute of 21 gU n a was fired to-day, at noon m honour of the 60th birthday of Queen Mary. She was the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of '■ fM ks Prillcesa Victoria Mary married the present King in 1893.

War Memorial Carillon.

The revival of interest in the WelIrugton War Memorial Carillon by the announcement that tenders were received in London in April last for the actual founding of the bells and a contract for same is about to be let is evidenced by the fact that the passengers of the Maunganui on a.recent voyage raised £10 15s towards the carillon, and this has now been handed as a donation towards the Mercantile Maris £538. This brings the total donations actually received towards the cost of this bell to £363 Us, leaving £174 a iAIJ° S5 taia>- The h°Pe iB expressed by the Mercantile Marine Bell Committee that the passengers on other shi ps _ w!IJ follow the goo* example set by those on tho Maunganui.

Evans Bay Reclamation?

? Is the work being carried out at ±;vans Bay in connection with the .bvans Bay reclamation scheme?" ask- - 6* r" ■£• £' ChaPmai at the meeting * t. c W<slhng to» Harbour Board last night. The secretary (Mr. Barnett) replied that the borings that were being taken were in conformity with plans authorised by the boara.

The Big .Earthquake,

seismographs at the Dominion Observatory, Kelburn, recorded the bie earthquake reported by cable as having occurred probably somewhere in the region of Tibet. The local records, however did not show »uch intensity as that shown by the great Japanese earthquake of September, 1923, although the cables mentioned that the recent shock was'of greater intensity. For over three hours, the local instruments roeorded tlio oscillations.

Display of Produce. -

The "Manchester Daily Dispatch" (writes "The Post's" London representative) is. arranging a "Better Housing and House-keeping Exhibition" at Manchester. Last year a similar exhiJHtion was run by the same newspaper m the City Hall, and there was an attendance of 200,000 in the three weeks. «! I%*L an attell<tanee of not less than 50,000 per week for four weeks is guaranteed. Tho High Commissioner has considered tho matter, and has agreed to organise an. exhibition of New Zealand produce. A spaco of 20ft m length has been obtained on a low gallery immediately opposito the entrance. The Dairy Board, Meat Board, Honoy Board, and the Fruit Board will all co-oporate and bear their portion of expense. Permission has been granted to sell samples of produce, and tho Dairy Board will be selling their 2oz cartons of butter, while the Fruit Board will havo apples for sale.All the boards have agents in Manchester, so there will be no difficulty in obtaining supplies of produce. No other Dominion will.be represented at this exhibition.

Safe Electrical Appliances.

•_ In view of the increasing danger to the public resulting from the sale of electric appliances by person's not responsiblo for their safety, it was docided by the Electrical Engineers' Authority Supply Association yesterday afternoon to urge the immediate provisions of an approval board for such appliances, believing that this course would be in the best interests of both supply authorities and the public.

Port Statistics.

Shipping and cargo statistics for tho Port of Wellington for the month of April were as follow, those for last year being placed in parentheses; Total "f a '!™Bc ot vessels arriving, 305,074 (298,964); oversea vessels departing, 120,602 (157,303). General cargo imports, 35,575 (50,779); general cargo, exports, 29,082 (24,436); wool and hemp shipments, 23,553 (39,845); butter cheese, and frozen meat, 8806 (7778)----(165 525) tQlmage °f a" carg0 ' 136 '35^

Egmont's Toll,

The recent fatalities on Mount Egmont have led to the compiling of a list of tho accidents which have occurred on that mountain, and twelve deaths have already been accounted for, while on three occasions it is known that two lives were lost together. A mishap on the upper slopes of Egmont on 10th April, 1898, involved the loss of two liyes, the victims being Mr. C R Beaumont, aged 45, and Mr. J. t! M'Gcoch, aged 29, both of Hawera. They left the Dawsou Falls house on Sunday morning, says the "Taranaki Herald," and their bodies were found at noon on the following day by one of threo search parties which had sot out to scour the mountain. Th.c searchers in this party were Messrs. A Carmichael and H. E. Lean, of Hawera and Edwards, of Wellington. The bodies were found about 500 feet from the summit at the foot of what was described as a glacier. It was believed from the position of the bodies and the nature of the injuries, that the climbers left tho safest route owing to a mist which descended and the elder slipped, receiving fatal injuries during his slide, while the younger came to grief in an effort to save him and afterwards died from exposure to the severe cold. Neither had proper alpine equipment. Mr. Beaumont left a widow and a family of six. The general opinion was that, though the circumstances could never; be exactly ascertained, Mr. M'Geoch should be given the credit of having performed a very brave action in attempting to retrieve the consequences of a slip by his older companion. It has also been recalled that a young.man named King lost his life while ascending the mountain from the southern side about 1905 or 1906, but the exact date has not yet been traced.

Hard to Bun.

Speaking to a "Wanganui Chronicle reporter recently on the fire-re-sisting properties of various woods, a farmer said that ordinary macrocarpa in the live state was exceedingly hard to destroy. He instanced the famous Haetihi bush fire of recent years, and stated that macrocarpa trees which had been through the firo were still flourishing.

The Theoretically Impossible,

"In theory it is impossible to ferect a structure without a building permit, ana be ablo to get away with it without the unpleasant necessity of chatting it over with the authorities in a Court of law," remarks the annual report of the Hataitai Electors' Association, "but the fact remains that it has been dons in our suburb, that the City Council have been notified and have promised action, and—well that's as far as the affair has gone. In the ordinary course of events fifteen months do seem ample time wherein to enforce a bylaw, but we still have faith that one of these days this wrong will be righted."

New Voting System Condemned.

Immediately following the municipal elections there was a ehorussed complaint from all over the Dominion against the new system of marking ballot papers, by'the striking put of unwanted names, and at the present time local bodies in various parts of the Dominion are taking up the refrain again. - The Wellington City Council has decided that, after one experience, it has had quite enough of the new system, and will in the near future make representations to the Government that the former system, of placing crosses against the names of desired candidates, should be reverted to.

College Memorial Hall.

We all, I lim sure, take great pleasure in the fact that we have reached the stage of completion practically of that great Memorial Assembly Hall being erected on; the college grounds," said Dr. J. S. Elliott at the annual meeting of the Wellington College Old Boys' Association last evening. The Memorial Hall had been in their minds for years since the war. It was felt that the Old Boys' Association had a solemn duty to., discharge in respect to fellow old boys who gave so mueli in a great crisis in our history. Also the association had a duty to 'their parents and friends to see that something suitable 'was done in the school to commemorate their great sacrifices on behalf of their country., Their sacrifices were so great that they would live as long as memory lasted, and they could not be faded completely. The present generation and the generations to come could take a pride in the' Memorial Assembly Hall, and it was one in which they could gain inspiration.

High School In Contts Street.

Referring to educational matters at the annual meeting of the Wellington College Old Boys' Association last evening, ■ the Principal .of: Wellington College (Mr. T. B. Cresswell) said that the,most imjjortant thing on the horizon in Wellington at the present moment was the establishment of another high school in Coutts street, South Kilbirnie. Originally it had been set out that this was to be a jnnior high school, iv,*? believe 4 now that it was to establish another achool Tanking with Wellington College. f'The first result of this," 'said Mr. Cresswell, "will be that the roll of Wellington College will go down by from 200 to 250. That will be a good thing, because, although I am a believer in big schools, I am nbt a believer in overtaxed- accommodation. That is what is killing Wellington College at the present moment."

Traffic Control in Hutt County.

;:: Txaffic control- within •, the Hutt County was referred to. by the chairman, Mr. S. 'Blackley, at the annual meeting .of the County Council yesterday. «' The matter, although considered /by the council, has not been settled," said Mr. Blackley. '"The chief, difficulty is the cost of traffic inspectors, but a conference wag held recently to define speed limits in the district, and to extend the area of police control, and this should have a beneficial effect. The matter of traffic control at Akatarawa Reserve, ana in the Plimmerton, Paakakariki, and Paraparaumu districts will have. to receive attention, this year."

"Would Kill His Own Mother!"

'<A man that will cut a corner would kill his own mother," stated Mr. P. K. Hunt in dealing with a bylaw case in the Magistrate's Court at Auckland yesterday. "That's a terrible crime, you,know," the Magistrate told counsel who was appearing for a motorist who was charged. Defendant was convicted and ordered to pay costs, his counsel having stated that it had cost him £16 to repair a damaged cycle as the.result of a collision.

"We Will Not Forget Thee."

Resolutions of condolence, particularly when they are passed at meetings of local bodies, are usually very stereotyped in form, although doubtlessly sincere. By way of contrast, says an the text of a resolution of condolence, passed by a) gathering of Wanganui Maoris in connection with the death of a prominent Wanganui citizen during the last week, is given: "The door has opened for thoe. Pass on, Kfriend. Pass on to be with those' noble ones of all races, the eternal brotherhood, who rest from their labours away in tho Great Beyond, that mystery which wo who remain may not yet penetrate. We mourn thy passing. We will not forget thee, friend. Pass on! Pass on! Farewell!" . '■ -

A Fish and an Insect.

A few days ago an unknown Bpecies of fish was cast upon the beach at Now Plymouth, and it has now been identified by Mr. W. W. Smith, who writes us follows to the "Taranaki Herald." "The small, but beautifully white Bpotted and striped fish found on Sunday is a fine specimen of the rare Auehenoceros punctatus of ichthyologists I do not know any English or Maori name for this curious fish. It was first named and described by the late Professor Hutton 33 years ago in the "Transactions of the New Zealand Institute" in volume xxii., page 282 It is well that Mr. E. J. Lagor secured the specimen ana presented it to the New Plymouth Museum. Mr.- Ellerm the curator, has it well preserve^ in spirit, where it will be of interest in future to students of marine fish." Mr. Smith also named a small beetle which had aroused the curiosity of its finder. "The small beetle recently brought to the "Herald" office by a lady who found it, with a few others in the rimu lining of a newly-built house, is a. native insect known as the "two-toothed longhorn." It also bores kauri and matai lining and joists. The larva, which attain to an inch in length, may be destroyed by benzine applied to the infected boards. It is necessary to keep a strict watch for the presenco of this beetle in all newly-built houses. The insect is brown in colour, threequarters of an inch long, and possesses long antennae or horns." .

The Ruling Passion.

A roar of laughter momentarily suspended the dignity of proceedings in the Supreme Court at New Plymouth recently, and even the presiding Judge could not refrain from joining in. A witness was asked if he could produce the newspaper clipping of a certain trial to which ho had been referring, says an exchange, and pulling a cutting from his pocket he handed -it to Mr. Weston, the Crown Prosecutor, who was cross-examining, saying that he could not see without his spectacles. Taking the piece of paper and glancing at it Mr. Weston smilingly said: "I'm sorry, but these are tho Hawera acceptances," and the Court taroke into unrestrained laughter. ""*"""■_ '