NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 22, 28 January 1929, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Thermal Regions Popular,

There is an unusually heavy demand for accommodation at Eotorua and Wairakei for this time of the year, says tho "New Zealand Herald," and large numbers of holiday-makers, a great proportion of whom are from overseas, are at present enjoying the sights of the thermal districts. While accommodation is available, those desiring to visit Botorua are unable to pick and choose. Bookings for accommodation for the' remainder of January and for February are stated to be very heavy. So great has been tho rush for tho Eotorua train each morning that the Eailway Department has now adopted the system^ of issuing platform tickets, as is done in the case of the evening express to Wellington.

Eels for Germany. Just over a thousand eels were shown to a reporter at 1 Invereargill a few days ago by Mr. W. Broad, a fish dealer, who had caught them in the Waikiivi stream near West Plains. Mr. Broad explained that the fish had been driven for about 250 yards by men in tho water and had been forced into a ' large, specially con-structed-eel pot. The labour involved in taking such large numbers had been enormous,, and for every one caught two or inoro escaped. Tho fish were of all sizes, but were mainly small," tlie average weight being jabout 21b,"and ;t'lD average length 2ft. Mr. Broad intends : sending the eels frozen to Germany just as they are. Ho stated that he did not know what was done with them on arrival, . but last year ho. had- sent a consignment carofully gutted and beheaded, and on that occasion had been told that the iish would be preferred merely frozen as they came out of the water. "Wooduen Oil. Evidently Mr. Cruickshank, S.M., was thinking of aniseed oil, which is used for attracting certain animals, when he heard woodhen oil mentioned during the hearing of a certain case on Friday (says the "Southland Times"). "What is woodhen oil?" ho asked counsel. On receiving the reply, "It is made from the fat of the wcka and is regarded as a cure for rheumatism," he continued: "I thought it might be an oil used for catching woodhens." The oil produced in tho Courtroom was of a bright orange colour, but otherwise very like olive oil in appearance. ■ . . y

A Broken Power Line. A Fordell family-had an exciting experience on Friday, when at the height of a terrific gale an 11,000 vol power line, taking' current between Marton and Huntorville,' camo down near the milking shed. Milking was in progress and a wiro fence, tho tank and the floor of the shed became "live." A cow coming in contact with the fence fell over, and the rest of tho herd, sensing trouble, gathered at the spot. Seven cows received a shock and were stunned; one died. Mr. Glasgow and his son, in attempting 'to clear the animals from ■■ the:. danger' point, suffered several shacks. „Mr. GUasgow, junior, seized ai bucket,•from the floor and was unable to let go until clear of tho electrified ■■ ground...;'■ '.." A Limit for Lambs. v . v„- ■ An investigation iWas recently carried ■out by, the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. G. W.: Forbes) .into- complaints 'from Auckland • that. the ■,', Westiield freezing works, had been'lulling more than its jlimit) of lambs.. The Minister now states that : . the position has been put on a. definite basis, and the daily killings;, at iWestfield- have to be kept within the'^limits as, before. "The Government," states the Minister, "recognises 'the'--principle that the legitimate interests of Dominion producers in connection' Tyith..slaughtering and freezing .facilities 'must bo protected where the,necessity,exists, and having regard to the steady increase year by year in the numbers of sheep in the Auckland ..province, there seems a prospect that the-difficulty 'which has lately existed will in time .right itself. Since 1924 the sheep:in!the Auckland district show an increase of 412,360." ■Sex Instruction. ,'-,:.-.■■'.' In tho course of a paper on "Some Psychological''Problems' of Sex Education,'' delivered';■:.; before: the Science Congress,' Mr. H. ;.E.:. Field . stated that young peopje';. should be, instructed in .sex matters'deliberately, systematically,! and cautiously/ (spates ''The .Post's" ; Auckland correspondent). 7 It was a mistake, he. continued,'to think that if sex instruction, ..Tvas not- undertaken, sex would be ignored- by young people. Information would be gained casually, and perhaps surreptitiously. Tho best means of building.the foundation of intellectual perspective 'in this matter was by the study of the elements of biology and social science, and such a course should be included in the school curriculum. It was 'most regrettable that these subjects were, generally speaking, treated inadequately in New Zealand schools. Though the personal instruction of parents was desirable in these matters, investigations showed that the majority of parents would not, or could not, .undertake the task. Therefore, the duty lay in the hands of the educational authorities, though the parents' consent should invariably bo obtained before any direct teaching was given. i

A Dog and a Pistol. j, A big setter dog caused sorno amusement at the electric light sports meeting at the- Basin Reserve on Saturday night, lie got on to the ground, and gambolling about near the starting point in front of the grandstand, no doubt enjoying himself thoroughly, he made himself nn annoyance. The starter, "Dorrie" Leslie, to scare him off, fired two '' blanks'' at tho ground behind tho dog. The reports were sufficient to frighten most dogs, but not this setter. They only added to his enjoyment. Mr. Leslie, with his usual punctuality and quickness, started the next race, and with the bang of the pistol tho dog set off round tho track, to tho amusement of tho crowd. "He's scared of no gun," was tho comment of one official.. "That dog knows his business." i Heating Water Electrically. New Zealand has dom more than any other country in tho direction of heating water by electricity, according to Mr. Ernest E. Sharp,- an eminent English electrical authority who is visiting tho Dominion. The subject was one that was interesting electrical engineers all over tho world, said Mr. Sharp, in an interview in Hamilton. He had found that in Auckland there are between 7000 and 8000 premises equipped with olectric- water heaters. The system of placing these on a flat rate and permitting full use of power except within certain times when the load was heaviest, was an excellent one, and he considered it was the right one. Norway, another big water-power country, had tackled the' matter of tariffs from a wrong angle, by installing switches that automatically cut ofi the power when the amount contracted for had been used. Mr. Sharp felt there should be no restriction of use except during peak load honrs.