NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 54, 7 March 1929, Page 10

NEWS OF THE DAY

Fifty Landing Places Wanted. A member of the deputation which waited upon the' Hon. T. M. Wilford (Minister of Defence) and General E. Young at Lower Hutt yesterday regarding the formation of an aero club in the Hutt Valley asked if any objections would be made by the Government to there being an aerodrome in the Valley as well; as in (Wellington. Mr. Wilford replied in the negative, saying that as long as the Government's conditions were complied with the more landing places there were the better. The Government would be glad to see landing places all over New Zealand, and wanted fifty at least. In this connection there was a big responsibility on the local authorities. The local authority that was without its landing place in a few years would be like one without a railway station. Quinnat Salmon on Kakaiat Good sport amongst the quinnat salmon on the Eakaia has already been experienced by Mr. F. Dyer, of Wellington, though the main run has not yet started. : It-is, of course, a little', early for the full run, and as far as the Bakaia is concerned, the mouth of the river is not in the, best state to encourage the fish to enter. The latter condition is improving. Quite a number of the salmon come in with every tide, says Mr. Dyer, and the majority of them are heavy fish. He and Mr. C. A. Whitney, of Auckland, have accounted for a number of 20 and 30-pound fish, Mr. Dyer's best so far being 311b, though on; Monday a : 35-ponnder was caught. The quinnat, he say's, are in the best of condition, and being fresh run in from'the sea, fight magnificently. It is to be noted that this year the quinnat, are not so much marked and slashed by porpoise bites as they were last year, when the porpoises were harrying them at the entrance, and most of the fish caught showed scars. If the Eakaia. does not flood, Mr. Dyer looks forward to excellent sport. A Debtor's "Occupation." : When a judgment debtor fails to put itt in- appearance at the Magistrate's Court on civil case day, Mr. I\ X, \ Hunt, S.M., asks counsel for the judgment creditor what the debtor's occupation is. Counsel is usually able to give the required information at once by recourse ■to his papers, but sometimes the entries are very wide of the mark. An amusing example was given this morning, when Mr. Hunt put the usual question to counsel. Counsel delved into his fine and finally announced, "He is described here as a widow, sir." The Magistrate joined in the laughter which wont round the Court.

Seaplanes and Aerodromes. The statement that there is only one aerodrome in the real sense of the word in Now Zealand—that at Hobsonville — was made by the Minister of Defence (tho Hon. T. M. Wilford) in the course of an interview with a deputation of flying enthusiasts at LoweT Hutt yesterday. ' The Hobsonville aerodrome was the only one in the Dominion which could handle flying boats, said Mr. Wilford, for Sockburn was only a landing place and the Wellington City Council's ground could not satisfactorily take a flying boat. Tho aerodrome at Hobsonville was right on the water's edge and very complete. It had cost the Government a large amount of money, but it was realised that provision must be made for sea•planes. None of the proposed landing places that had been placed before him had contained provision for a slipway. Crowded Anglers. ' ' Many anglers prefer to be undisturbed while on the river, but such folk would be in anything but a pleasant frame of mind at the mouths of some of the quinnat' salmon rivers in the south, where the best pools are generally well patronised. The fact that the fish are continually coming into and passing, up the river enables the angler to stand in the one place all day with a better chance, if it is the light place, than if he moved up and down the stream. Sonic of. the pst spots are thick with whistling lines, most of them with treble- hooks at the end, whether'oh dovon or spoon, and now and again people who push themselves in where there are already several anglers in a chain or so of shingle, get hooked by tho ear. Last Sunday, writes Mr. P. . Dy'or, of Wellington, who is being very successful with the quinnat at the Rakaia, there were at least fifty rods at the mouth of tho river, and only about a dozen fish were caught. "The anglers wero fishing so close to each other," says Mr. Dyer, "that one poor fellow was hooked in the eye, and had to be rushed off to the Christenurch Hospital." '' Lolly, Scrambles. '' With a view to stopping the practice of. "lolly scrambles" among school children at'picnics, the director of the division of dental hygiene (Colonel T. A. Hunter) has sent a circular letterto education boards. The letter, written with a, view to enlisting the boards' sympathy in a 1 matter considered to be iv the interests of the health of school children, refers (says the "Lyttelton Times") to the custom of supplying sweets to children at school functions, such as picnics. With the aid of education boards much had been done to diminish the practice, but it was regretted that some school committees did not feel called upon to comply with the request contained in a previous circular. Some of them still resorted to the extremely unhygienic practice of having sweots thrown on the ground to be scrambled for. "I feel sure that when the danger attending such a practice is pointed out," continues the director, '' committees will ensure that it is discontinued. I should be glad, therefore, if . your board could, see ita way to bring the matter to ■<the. notice of school committees in your district." Bishop of Aotoaroa. On his visit to Auckland for the first time since his consecration as Bishop of Aotearoa, Bishop Bennett will be welcomed at a gathering to be held in the St. Stephen's College grounds, Parnell, on Sunday afternoon (states the "New Zealand Herald"). Bishop Bennett will arrive in Auckland on Saturday, and it is understood ho will spend a few days in the district. Tho welcome to be extended to the bishop will be largely, a Maori function.. Arrangements are also' being made for,the holding of a combined service in St. Mary's Cathedral in tho evening. Tho service, which will bo partly in Maori and partly in English, will be-conducted by Bishop Bennett. Bishop Bennett will be visiting extensively in. the Auckland district and Maoris -at the various centres aro at present arranging to extend him suitable welcomes. Calliope Dock. ' /'This raises the old .question of extending Calliope Dock,", said tho' chairman, Mr. H. B. Mackenzie, at a meeting of tho Auckland Harbour Board on Tuesday, when the New Zealand Shipping Company forwarded prints of tho sizo of its threo new vessels, the Bangitiki, the Eangitata, and tho Rangitane. The matter was referred to the board-in-:committoe.

Preference to "Unionists."

"We should not encourage the making of a close .corporation," said Mr. H. E. Mackenzie, chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board, in moving, at Tuesday's meeting that the board should decline, a request from the Eeal Estate Institute for an alteration in advertising signs so that, applications for information .regarding the board's leasehold properties might be made.to members of the institute (states the "Now Zealand Herald"). "At present•■' the signs state inquiry may, be made of any licensed land agent,'? addea" Mr. Mackenzie, "but the institute, wants to restrict the inquiries^ to its own members.,"' On the ground that it was another case of preference' to unionists, Mr. ■T. Blobdworth said he must oppose the motion. "I do hot see why the same principle should not apply to land agents as to other trade unionists, for that is what it really amoutits to," he added. "They might not like it put that way," said a member. The chairman's motion was then carried.