NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 26, 30 July 1927, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Manawatu Gorge Blocked. News was received in Wellington this morning that the Manawatu Gorge road is again blocked by a slip. New Telephone Cabinet. _ In regard to the public telephone cabinet to be placed at the corner of John street and Adelaide road, Mr X M'Keen (Wellington South) has been advised by tho Hon. AY. Noswortliy (Postmaster-General) that tho delay in providing the installation is consequent upon a decision to adopt a new and improved design of iron cabinet in place of the present type of wooden structure. Tho communication added that a supply of cabinets of the new type was expected to arrive shortly, and then the installation at John street would be undertaken with as little delay as possible. Mr. M'Koen also asked the Minister that tho Adelaide Bond Post Office should bo removed to John street and the Minister promised to have the matter inquired into. "Not a Fair Go." ''I heard severn 1 people complain that they hadn't had a fair go," said Dctoctive Tricklebnnk in the Magistrate's Court .eaten) - }„ tho corse of tho hearing of a. case ngainst the proprietors of the "rabbit game" at the AVellington AVinter Show. "But you must have heard Iho same remark made by peoplo returning from the races'?" queried Mr. A. M. Cousins, counsel for several of the defendants. "Too right," was tho detective's reply (Laughter.) l J' Not Out of the Wood. "Despite the optimistiu utterances wo havo heard of late, the country is by no means yet out of the wood of depression/ declared Mr. AY. J, Poison at yesterday's/mooting of tho Farmers' Union. 'I am not a pessimist, but tho talk we have recently heard from Mimstors about tho country having turned tho corner must, I am afraid, be considerably discounted; it is their duty, of course, to bo optimistic." Tho utterance was ma do whon the question of baekbioeks settlors was being discussed, Mr. Poison contending that it would bo a good thing to put some of the unemployed on to improving detorioratc.fi lauds, sowing them with grass seed, and generally helping to brint; them back to ill profitable condition. The Sense of Smell. Tin; soiiHo of smnll seems to bo more highly developed iv some people Mian in others. This was niado plain in the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon, when the identity of tho contents of a number of bottles seized in a "sly grog" raid -was questioned. Asked by counsel what ho thought wa.s iv one bottle, Senior-Sergeant D. Sentt said: "It smells like draught whisky." Counsel for the defendant (Mr. L . .HHerd): "J. am not an expert iv tolling the smells of various kinds of whisky." Senior-Sergeant Scott: "Neither am I, although lam a Scotsman." (Laughter.) The Magistrate (Mr. E. Page, S.M.), smelling'the bottlo: "Yes, that's whisky," and, putting his noso to another: "This looks and smells like stalo beer." All parties let it go at that. Rugby in the Schools. "School football in New Zealand has reached a crisis, and it rests with the old boys of the Domiuion secondary schools whether it retains its present place iv the schools," said Mr. Thomas, rector of the Timaru Boys' High School, when speaking of the secondary school games at a reunion of old boys last flight. Mr. Thomas said that at present Hugby was the principal game in the Timaru Jligh School, but, lie could not say if ii; would remain so after such scandals as the Ranfurly Shield one. It was time to look into matters. Personally ho would like to see all the trophies given for football thrown over a cliff. It was the game for its own sake, not for the prize, that mattered. Integrity Appreciated. "Traveller" writes to "The Post"' commending highly the efficiency and integrity of Wellington tramway officials. The correspondent states that ho had often noted the courtesy and consideration of these.officers and the. help quietly given to older people. Eecontly he .received a proof of their care and honesty, in (he recovery of a pound note dropped. iiL.a tmrncar, " ■ . ~

A Unique Kemit. "I consider this remit unique, as it is the only remit which praises the Government for doing anything," remarked Mr. E. K. Sim (Southland), when introducing the following remit to the Farmers' Union Conference:—"That this conferene-s strongly supports Mr. Coates in his attitude towards the unemployed. We consider he errs on the side of beneficence, as it is not the duty of the Government to find work for anyone." The remit was carried amidst laughter. Pay-as-you-enter Cars. The tramways rolling stock in Christehurch will shortly be supplemented by threo pay-as-you-enter cars, which are almost completed. The question of fares is being considered. Tho cars will be distinctive, in that the front portion will be painted white, and that coloured lights will shine on the white dash at night, making them visible from a comparatively long distance, states the Lyttleton "Times." Costly Road-making. An officer of the Public Works Department from Wellington visited the Balclutha-Tuapeka Mouth road last week, and it is understood that as a result of his inspection (writes a correspondent of the "Otago Daily Times") the rate of expenditure going on is to be curtailed somewhat. It is said that" the method of road-making followed has been very expensive, and that if maintained the road will cost £ 100,000 before it reaches Tuapeka Mouth. At the Clutha County Council meeting on Tuesday it was stated that up to the end of last year £26,000 had been, spent on the road, and probably an even greater sum in the period that has elapsed since then. The reply to this, of course, is that the road was promised by Mr. Coates when Minister of Public Works in lieu of a railway, and that even if it does cost £100,000 it is still much cheaper than a railway would have been. Car Damaged by Dog. A motorist whose car hit a dog and then overturned, with the result that it was damaged and its occupants were injured, was awarded £51 12s damages and £10 17s 6d costs in the Magistrate's Court at Napier last week. During legal argument it was stated that the case was the first of its kind in New Zealand. Counsel for the plaintiff citea a recent decision by a New Zealand Magistrate that the New Zealand Act applied to any injury that the dog might inflict. A dog was an ammal that must.be kept under guard or prevented from doing damage. Counsel contended that the common law of England, which said that before it was possible to get damages for an ict of a dog, it was necessary to' prove negligence on the part of the owner, had nowbeen modified by the Statute Law. Iho Magistrate (Mr. A. M. Mowlem) said he did not consider that the plaintiff was negligent or that he contributed, to tho accident. He gave -judgment for the full amount claimed, comprising £36 12s for repairs and medical expenses, and £15 for general expenses. Locked to Stay. A position that in other circumstances might cause serious financial embarrassment to many people has arisen in Ashburton, as, the door of the safe recently installed in the new National Bank premises in Tancred street has been locked, and refuses to be unlocked. This is the result, apparently, of the desire of the makers that the plates, or leaves, of the combination should remain clear of rust during the sea voyage to New Zealand (states the Lyttelton "Times.") They covered the leaves with vaseline, and this has made them adhere so that when the knob of tho combination is turned, the leaves turn also, or "free-wheel," as it has beeu termed. When the safe was first unpacked, the door was opened after an hour's work, but when it was closed again it stayed shut. An expert is being brought from Wellington to deal with the door, and if he fails to open it an attack will have to bo made on the two and a half feet reinforced concrete walls in order to get at tho leaves from tho inside. Late Arrival of Shipping Documents. The Council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce has had before it a complaint that there has lately been an increase in tho frequency, with which documents have been received after the vessel carrying the goods has arrived from London. This matter lias received a good deal of attention since the opening of tiic Panama Canal, but the call by vessels from London at Southampton or nt Falmouth to pick up mails and documents greatly reduced complaints of tho kind. investigation has usually pointed to the fact that the remedy lies in tho hands of tho shippers in London. If" they exprditiously deal with the ship's receipts, they can then obtain bills of lading and insurance policies in time to post by tho steamer carrying the goods. If they wait for a dispatch via 'Frisco or Vancouver, thpru is every likelihood that tho documents will not reach Now Zealand ahead of the steamers from London. Some of these vessels reach New Zealand in ;>2 and 33 days, which is almost aa quick as mail travelling via America. Rural Telephones. A number of remits denling with rural telephones wore considered at yesterday's meeting of the Farmers' Union, all being referred to the executive in order to obtain departmental replies. Mr. Robinson, of tlio Post and Telegraph Department, pointed out to the conference that the ratea charged in New Zealand compared moro than favourably with thoso in other countries. Rural charges were lower than tho city charges, £12 being paid in tho largest oily exchanges as against £0 in the smaller country exchanges. It'had been tho policy of the Department within tho last few years to close up the smaller exchanges, but, owing to opposition by the settlers, many of those exchanges which would have been closed and should have boon closed had had to be kept open. The Minister had power to .put a man on a party line, even if tho existing subscribers objected. The number of subscribers in tho Dominion was 109,000, who paid in subscriptions £023,000 per year, the average rate being £S 10s. If a flat rate were charged, the price would havo to be raised to £10. The toll charges were reviewed periodically, and, where necessary, adjustments were made. Proposed Wadestown Roadway. The Mayor and several members of the City Council visited AVadestown yesterday afternoon to go over the ground of a proposed roadway deviation, to be carried out as a relief work, to improve access to a considerable area of land beyond Wadestown, and also to make more accessible the council's big blocks of building land about Wilton road. Certain of the owners have agreed to give land required for road-making p\^:poses. Tho proposals are to be considered further by tho Works Committees. The councillors, who were met by Mr. C. Cooke, and other members of the local Progressive Association, were asked to consider other district matters, including the provision of a footway through the tramway cutting, to give quicker access between AVadcstown and Highland Park. A Run of Luck. Some men have all the luck. At the criminal sittings of the Supreme Court at AVellington this week, one juror's name was called threo times. He was foreman on. three of the four cases that were, tried, two of them manslaughter triads.