NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 121, 24 May 1928, Page 10

NEWS OF THE DAY

Whit Sunday. Next Sunday is one of the great festivals of the Christian Chui-dh, and special services will be hold in the churches throughout the world, particularly- the Anglican and Roman Catholic. Whitsuntide'as one of Tthe fi-Vo" great festivals of the Church; ranking in-import-ance with Christmas and Easter, and has rightly been described as the birthday of tho Church. House Ransacked. A substantial haul in money was made by a thief Who broke, into and entered the home of Mr. A._G. Eutter,'3s, Wildberry street, Linwood, on Saturday afternoon; £25 in notes and £5 from a child's, motley box are - missing.' .The thief used a spade to prise open a window. He made a thorough search, bent on securing money only, as he ignored a quantity of jewellery. The place was completely ransacked. Coming to New Zealand. ■' Begarded as one of tho world's authorities on the subject of the mineral content of pastures, Dr. J. B. Orr, Director of the Kowell Institute, Aberdeen, is to come to Wellington .next week. Ho' has been spending ; some months in Australia, and for some time the Department of Scientific and Industrial Besearch has been trying to arrange for his visit to the Dominion, "but without success until yesterday. How long Dr. Orr will be able to remain in New Zealand has not as yet been decided; but while here he will go into the subject, with Mr. B. C. Aston, of the Department of Agriculture, who is at present making a special, investigation into the mineral content of pastures. Empire Trade. At a meeting of the council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce held this, week, : in discussing a circular received from the Associated Chambers of Commerce regarding the holding of an Empire Shopping Week contemporaneous with Empire Day, Mr. Seed referred to the valuable work the Empire Marketing Board'was accomplishing in the encouragement of British production. When the Eight Hon. L. S. Amery was in • New Zealand suggestion had been made to him as to tho possibilities of Britain supplying vegetable parchment of a quality suitable for the packing of New Zealand butter. This suggestion had since received attention from the 'Empire, Marketing Board, and it. waa understood manufacturers in Great Britain were now producing a quality comparable with that of foreign manufacture. The Empire Marketing Board was always prepared to undertake similar action regarding other articles, imported into the Dominions that now were generally of foreign, origin. Milling Question. Again. |' A peculiar position, has arisen over the much thrashed but never concluded argument over milling rights in the City and Suburban Water Board's area. At its last meeting th). board indicated, that if a tender reaching the upset price (2s 9d, -per. 100 superficial feet) were. received- for cutting rights o veilS- acres in the Akatarawa, that tender would be accepted. The City Council at its last meeting received and approved of a report from the board; to that effect, one or two councillors dissenting. Also before the councillors at that meeting was notice from Councillors' Somple, M'Keen, and Aston, of intention to move that no cutting rights whatever should be' granted in the board's area, but owing to the kite hour at which other business waa concluded that motion Was not reached. ■ ; At yesterday afternoon's meeting 6f the board a tender, of 2s 9d was received from tho Akatarawa Sawmilling Company and Was accepted, Cpuncillor Semple dissenting. The matter must now go' back to the council, but whether it can'then bo disposed of before the motion of which notice is giveij. is dealt with depends upon the interpretation which is given the council's standing orders.' The general effect of the giving of such notice is to hold up action until the motion is dealt with, but the tangle, if it amounts to that, has come about through tho dual control, or interest, .of board and; council in tho question. The main question of the granting of milling rights is still open, but it is becoming apparent that it, too, will be an intricate lousiness.

Auckland Air Base. 1 A Public Works Department survey party is now working on the site of the Hobsonville aerodrome, in co-op-eration with Captain L. M. Isitt, who is to command tho base (states the "New Zealand Herald"). Structural work will be commenced as soon as the plans are approved, and., tho hangars will, probably bo ready for use early next year. Whakatikei Dam Possibilities. A report mado to the City and Suburban Water Board by Mr. J. M. Morice yesterday afternoon stated that' levels taken had shown that the proposed Whakatikei Stream dam site was 380' feet above sea level. That was'too low to supply water to the city, without tho construction of a dam, for which the location waa eminently suitable. Contour lines taken along the valloyi sides at 178 feet above the weir site indicated that by the construction of a dam of that height water would be dammed back for about two miles, making a very large body of water. Further levels are being taken. / Needs of Society. '•Social .-justice, racial friendship, and a warle'ss world are the three greatest needs of society to-day," said the Rev. D. Gnrd'ner Miller, when speaking at the V.M.C.A. at Christchurch (reports the "Prese"). He added that these .needs could be supplied only by a race of men who were fit physically, mentally, and spiritually. "What is the V.M.C.A.?" asked Mr. Miller. "It is the fellowship of the fit. It produces physical, mental/ arid -spiritual welfare." It waa unfortunately true that a man could be spiritually anaemic. There was a greater need in the World of to-.day than at any other timo for the highest type of manhood such as produced "by the V.M.C.A. A nation's greatness was computed not. in terms of wealth and property, but in tho character of its citizens. Mr. Miller urged the young men to be true to their dreams So that they could best equip themselves for tho great task of Empire-building. ' There was no institution, like the V.M.C.A., fori training the manhood of the country along sane lines. "Manawatu." • "iWhen,is the next move to be made in the changing of the name of the town?" asked Mr. R. A. Noedl at Tuesday's meeting of the council of tho Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce. The president (Mr. W. A. I Eliott) stated that it was proposed to take action at the same time as the Borough Council moved to have the town proclaimed a city. A population of 20,000 was needed for that, and the time when Palmerston North would reach that figure- was very near. , In. connection ' with1 N the changing of the name of the town, Mr. James Cowan, a well-known authority on early Now Zealand history, has written in a recent publication as follows:—"The only fault one has to find with the widespreading place of fine buildings and shady parks and bright flower gardens is its inappropriate and meaningless name. 'Manawatu' has often been suggested as the fitting name for the town, and it would become it exceedingly well. As the metropolis of the wealthy farming district of the Manawatu Plains, it could boar no moro convenient and euphonious name." Amalgamation of Counties. "My experience on the executive committee of the New Zealand Counties' Association during the" past two years," said Mr. S. Blackley, retiring chairman' of the Hutt County Council, in ' making his report to the annual meeting yesterday, "leads me to the conclusion that there are far too many counties in Now Zealand; in faetj too: many public bodies, town boards', or. boroughs for efficient and economical administration, and the advantages of merging or amalgamating should bo considered wherever possible. In' this connection it may -not be. out of place to suggest thaj; this council invite the .Makara County Council to a conference on the subject. If both councils keep in mind that 'union is strength,''l feel sure a formula can be found for a basis of amalgamation which will result in considerable saying to the ratepayers." Logs Break Loose. The boom of the Awakino Stream holding, about 500 logs destined for the. Tangawahine mill broke in the recent flood, with a noise that was heard a quarter of a mile away (says an exchange). A tree four feet in diameter to which one end of the wire rope connecting the boom was fixed, was dragged out by the roots and thrown across the stream on to the opposite bank., The logs were swept down ' stream, but fortunately they passed under the Awakino Bridge, on the Dargaville-Whangarei road, without causing any damage. Settlers at Awakino • Point could distinctly hear the loud rumblings of the logs as they were tossed down the narrow waterway on the flood waters. Launchmen were busy on the- ■ following morning recovering the logs, which are scattered about in the river botwocn Dargaville and Te Kopuru, ?*. ■ Shooting on Bush Reserves,,. :■ ■ , An application was received by tho City and Suburban Water Board yesterday afternoon for permission to shoot over a part-of the. AJcatarawa Reserve. A report; was brought down by the City Engineer recommending that no permits should be granted" for such areas as tho Wainui andtlie Orongorongo, from which water supplies wore drawn, but remarking also that there was an area in tho Orongorongo' Valley (below the pipe line intake) which was under the control.of . the bpard, and from which no water was taken. In the past permits had been granted by tho State Forest Servico to pig shooters to enter such blocks, l subject to certain conditions to safeguard tho bush against.fire, etc. The board decided not to take' any action in tho matter until it'liad a roport from its Forest Officer, Mr. A. N. Perhan, who has not yet taken up. his duties. Termination of Engagement. A'lctter from Mr. A. N. Perhan, Forest Officer to the City and Suburban Water Board, was discussed at yesterday's meeting of the board. Mr. Perhan asked that the board should undertake to give six months' notice of intention to terminate the engagement, and also that he should be provided with a motor-car, as his work would' entail travelling long distances. The Mayor said that the board had, no power to say that it would give such notice as was asked for by Mr. Per: ,han; he would bo in precisely the same position as other Corporation officers, but there was now a remit from the Municipal Association to the Government asking that municipal bodies should be given power to give notice of the termination .of an officer's services. -. Councillor H. D. Bennett- remarked that though the law did not . allow the ■ board to undertake to give notice of intention to terminate the engagement, the board might very well advise Mr. Perhan that he could rely upon it to advise him. Mr. Troup remarked that though local bodies had power to terminate engagements without notice, it was, in fact, never done. On the second point the board depided that Mr. Perhan should bo offered a car allowanco of £75 per annum instead of a car. Tho trustees of the Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen's Blind Soldiers' and Sailors' Fund have received a cheque for £58 14s from the Auckland Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen's Association, being 10 per cent, of its last charity collection.