NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 122, 28 May 1929, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Petone-Hutt Amalgamation. A considerable time ago a joint committee of the Petone and Lower Hutt Borough Councils decided to obtain, from an independent source, a report giving comparative- data from tho two boroughs in order that tho subject of i amalgamation could be discussed. The matter has since been lost sight of, but it was revived last evening when tho Lower Hutt Council decided to proceed with the compilation of tho data. "The" Old Boy. Reference to the death of Mr. Walter Bethuno was made by several speakers i at tho annual meeting of the Wellington College Old Boys' Association last night. When moving the adoption of the annual report, the president (Dr. J. S. Elliott) said: —"Tho association received a staggering blow in tho death of Walter Bethune, who, without making any invidious distinctions, was pre-eminently the Old Boy of Wellington College, and was looked upon as an example of what any boy attending tho school should be. Thero is no doubt that a memorial will bo put up in the school in his memory," concluded tho president. Other speakers also agreed ] with tho suggestion that a suitable memorial should be erected to the late Mr. Bethune. '' Tariff Antagonism.'' "Plenty of people, both in Austni- j Jia and in New Xcnl.ind, deploru the way the two countries are drifting apart as the result of their antagonistic tariffs," stated a well-known Wellington commercial man to a "Post" reporter to-day. "Australia and New Zealand are practically putting every obstacle in the way of trade interchanges between them; and yet at the same tinio they both recognise tho desirability of a greater interchange of visits between their peoples. Australians who come here often .feel that ! the New Zealand tariff is not sympathetic to them, and New Zealandcrs who visit tho Commonwealth havo quito a similar mentality towards Australia. I hold that Australia started this tariff antagonism; and I recently surprised an Australian, who was complaining about our tariff, by telling him as much in pretty straight language." A School's Individuality. "No doubt many of the older members of tho association would remember the timo when there was not the preponderance of free place boys at the college as there was to-day, and when tho Board of Governors had greater control than it appears to havo today," said Dr. J. S. Elliott at the annual meeting of Wellington College Old Boys last night. Assistanco by tho Government, continued Dr. Elliott, was very satisfactory from a financial point of view, but when Government control extended to mass production in the standard of education, the individuality of a school was lost with the changes that took place. With these changes tho atmosphere of the school and its individuality depended largely on tho headmaster, and in a secondary way on the staff around him, and it was a matter for extreme gratification to the old boys that in Mr. Armour they had tho right man in the right place. "They felt sure that as long as he was in char/re they could look forward to the <-ollogo occupying one of the foremost pJaces in the ranks of tho secondary schools of the Dominion. (Applause.) Maori Bishop's Eloquence. A good example of tho eloquence of winch the Bishop of Ao-tea-roa has become well known is a tribute which he paid at Blenheim recently to the mem°7 °f *&» Yen. T. S. Grace, Archdeacon of Marlborough, a noted Maori scholar and a man much beloved by both races. After mentioning that the archdeacon had been in many respects a father in trod to him, Bishop Bennett said: "Tonight I stand here in his old church and, in a figurative sense, I place upon tho memory of Mr. Grace and all those I who were workers with him in those early days a Maori wreath of kawakawa leaves. It is a circular wreath, emblematic first of all of the fact that there is no end to tho lives it recalls, for death is not the end. That kawakawa wreath is made of green leaves —dry leaves would never do—emblematical, again, of the fact that their memory must be, and will bo, for ever green. And so to-night may I, in a symbolical or figurative souse, place before you, upon their lives and upon their memories, this wreath significant of life nnending and influence soinsr on and on?" . "

The Correct Diagnosis. During the election of officers at the annual meeting of the Wellington College Old Boys' Association last night, the president (Dr. J. S. Elliott) called for nominations for the office of secretary. The remark was greeted with a loud burst of hand-clapping, at tho conclusion of which a member called out: 'There are no nominations." Dr. Elliott: "The feeling of tho meeting is somewhat inarticulate, bur, if I can diagnose it, it is that Mr. Cook is reelected unanimously." (Laughter and applause.) Helped by Aeroplane. ! _ The helpfulness of tho aeroplane- in times of disaster was strikingly illus- ] treated during the recent floods in iiawkes Bay, says the "Napier Telegraph." On Mr. W. Richmond's property at Brooklands, his manager, Mr. F. Bullen, was marooned by tho flood waters, ho and his family being trapped in their home by the rising tide of river water sweeping the country i v that locality. As tho watery "isolation continued the family commenced to run short of provisions and the position for them was becoming awkward Belief was afforded by Mr. Richmond chartering the Hawkes Bay Aero Club s 'plane, in which ho flow over the house, dropping very welcome stores to those cut off by the flood. The aeroplane flew low over the house and dropped the provisions on a dry piece of land near the house, from which they were successfully retrieved. London's "Down and Outs." The annual census of homeless persons tken by the L.C.C. on the night or. loth February shows that only twenty-two men, eight women, and one child were found in the London streets, compared with sixty-one men and seventeen women on the 1928 census night. In 1904 the homeless numbered as many as 1797. There were 14,648 in common lodging-houses this year, compared with 14,738 last year. It was a very cold night, snow having fallen earlier in the evening. No persons were found sheltering under arches or on staircases. Of the 14,684 persons in common lodg-ing-houses 123 were children, 118 of whom were in institutions and five In privately-owned lodging-houses. Tour men and one woman were found in the crypt under the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Irnt nine men had previously left, having been supplied with tickets for free beds in a Salvation Army lodging-house. In casual wards and in the hostel of the Metropolitan Asylum Board there were 834 men and 26 women, the largest numbers recorded at any census since 1912. There were 406 unoccupied beds for women in common lodging-houses, 62 in free shelters, and 13 in the women's casual ward. At Rowton Houses 5038 men were accommodated, and there were no vacant beds. Training Modern Youth, Addressing the young officers present at the opening of the new Officers' Club at Auckland, His Excellency Sir Charles Fergusson suggested that they had a duty other than merely teaching the art of war (states the "New Zealand Herald"). That was to instruct the men under their care in the principles of citizenship. In the Officers' Club, officers of the Territorial Forces, who had not tho advantage of constant social intercourse in the officers' mess, which was one of the most important institutions in tho service, .had tho opportunity of absorbing and passing on to their men the traditioas of the service and the principles of citizen discipline. Those were tho principles which, carrying the army iv the field to victory, also carried the nation to greatness. The war, continued His Excellency, whilo it robbed the Empire of a great proportion of its youth, pushed the remainder on to manhood, with the result that tho youth of to-day was neither ignorant nor ill-informed. To them he wonld give three words to nondor over: "The side, the spirit,' and the second innings." By tho side he meant an appreciation of team-work and self-sacrifice; by the spirit he implied the traditions of the school, which taught one to do by instinct tho things one should do and to avoid the things ono_ should not do; and by tho second innings he meant the instinct of remembering that until tho last ball was bowled the game was not lost. He strongly advised young officers to give brief lectures to their men on the meaning of those words. A White Elephant. About thirty years ago the Potono Borough Council was seeking for a source for a water supply, and had under consideration what is known as tho Belmont Stream, north-west of the i Lower liutt Borough. It made no secret 01 its intention and discovered one morning that its neighbour—tho Lower Hutt Borough Council—had taken what many considered an unfair advantage and had purchased the rights of the | stream, although it then had no dofinito intention of using it and, indeed, n over h:;s used it for a water supply or any other purpose. The only matter that has concerned the council"and the ratepayers is the annual payment of interest on tho £2000 raised to purchase _tho rights. Tho Lower Hutt Council decided last evening to offer ils rights to the Hutt County Council, which in seeking a source of supply for the Belmont district. Mornington Needs. The needs of tho residents of Mornington in relation to transport wero placed before the Tramways Committee of the City Council yesterday by a deputation representing tho Vog'eltown and Mornington Municipal Electors' Association, the principal speakers being Messrs. i\ D. O'Halloran and J. Staples. Tho deputation asked for an extension of the Brooklyn Tramway by way of tho now road, and in support of tho request contended that the progress mudo by tho district warranted the work. A new school had been opened, municipal tennis courts were to be opened, and a land company was placing on the market SO sections. As an alternative, they asked that i residents of tho district who used the tramway bus be granted the privilege of the universal 3d fare in conjunction with the tram. Tho payment of 4Jd or 5d lor tho journey to town, was, the deputation contended, too high a charge They desired, an ararngement similar to the tram and Kus arrangement at. Rose.icath. Replying to the requests, the Mayor Mr G. A. Troup) pointed out that jf the bu3 wero counted as the third section tho council would be running the buses for nothing. Recently the ratepayers had expressed their disapproval of loans for necessary trams and tram-sheds, and he could 'not see how such a proposition as extendinc the Brooklyn tram would be other than detcated. Ho said tho committee would give the matter its consideration. South African Co-operation. "If there is something which has beou lacking in South Africa for some years past, it is that there has always been a great failure in regard to standing together hand in hand, and co-oper-ating like citizens of one common fatherland," said General Hertzog, South Africa's Prime Minister, speaking at a banquet at Port Elzabeth recently. "We have fought in the past," he continued, "only because we have been too much afraid one of tho other—too much afraid that the one was aiming to destroy what was , dear and cherished to the other. With the settlement of the question of our status that great fear has been removed, and you can notice day by day how boutlt Africa is changing in spirit A new spirit is coming over South Africa —a spirit which is duo to the mere fact that to-day we are more and moro feeling that wo are one people, and that, as one people, we are goring to work for the future."

Now Number Plates. A fair number of blue and ivliite 1929-30 motor registration plates are now showing up on cars and lorries about the town, but as only about three thousand sets have been issued, out of a possible total of twelve thousand, there is a long way to go. The special office for tho collection of both. City Council and Government fees and licenses in the Concert Chamber will ■ remain open till Saturday -week, though, the Act requires that the fees shall be paid by Ist June. Novel By-Election. I An unusual method of deciding a byi election was adopted at Pukckohe in connection with the extraordinary vacancy on the Pukekohe Borough Council. At the recent election only seven nominations were received for the eight seats. When nominations for the vacant seat were called, two were received. To save tho board the expense of a by-election, the candidates j agreed to submit their claims to arbitrators appointed by themselves. The two arbitrators in turn appointed an umpire. The claims were considered by this tribunal, and one of the candidates was declared elected. A Story of the Great War. A story of the Great "War was told by His Excellency the Governor-Gen-eral (Sir Charles Fergusson) when addressing members of the Auckland Officers' Club. It was, he said, a story o£ the carrier pigeon srevice employed in the early stages of the war. Old soldiers would remember the unfortunate men who were obliged to carry heavy crates full of pigeons into the front trenches (states the "New Zealand Herald"). During the course of a certain battle news regarding the progress of hostilities was getting scarce, and tho general controlling the operations was stamping impatiently up and down awaiting information when a pigeon flew in from the front. Hastily, the pellet bearing the message was brought to him. It read: "I am fair fed up with carrying about this beastly bird." Otira Tunnel Becord. The volume of goods traffic from the West Coast to Canterbury through the Otira tunnel last week totalled 14,247 tons, which is a record for any one week since- the tunnel was opened in 1923 states the Christchurch "Star." For the corresponding week of last year the tonnage was 11,667, and the weekly average during the past year was between 9000 and 10,000 tons. Tho large increase in tho volume of traffic during the past few months has been due to exceptionally heavy consignments of coal and timber being brought over from tho "West Coast in consequence of supplies from Australia being affected by labour troubles. During the week ended on 19th May, the volume of goods brought from the West Coast was 12,558 tons, compared with 10 958 tons in the corresponding week of last year. Claim by Maoris. For many years Southern Maoris have been endeavouring to obtaiu from the Government compensation for the Ngaitahu claim to a large portion of the South Island, and a Commission has recommended the granting of ,f354,000, states the Christchurch _ ±Tess. A great number of meetings _ have been held with the object of coming to some arrangement for the disbursement of tho compensation, but finality has not yet been reached The matter will be- advanced a further stagn witn the sitting of tho Native Land Court at Kaiapoi to-day, and a big nieeang of Maoris will be hold shortly at Tnahiwi pa. It is probable that Sir Apirana Ngata, Native Minister, vnn oe present at this conference