NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 39, 15 February 1930, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

The Crowded Reading-room.

Pending the erection of a new Central Library, relief will bo given the present overcrowded library by transferring the public reading-room into the next door Education Board building, which is being taken over by the council. Apart from the fact thai the transferring of this department will make a badly-needed additional room available for other library work, the reading-room itself is now too small to permit of the proper arrangement of all the newspapers received, and double-banking upon tables and files cannot be avoided. Upon the reading tables there is really spaa© for only 25 papers, but there are 33 regularly displayed (or not displayed) for reading. The window and wall desks take 32 papers and there is still a heavy overflow, which has had to be accommodated upon desks and shelves about, the stairways. Here the legitimate space ia for 27 papers, but double filing manages 41, mainly the smaller Now Zealand publications. Tho crowding of files naturally results in unnecessary turning over and dog-earing of papers, and when the room, is busy—a wet morning or afternoon, for instance—the readers themselves must sit or stand with elbows well tricked in. The Elk and the Carrots. Recent paragraphs of nautical flavour recall to a correspondent a good story of the smart little brig Elk, which used to visit Auckland years ago, says the "Auckland Star." This was in the days of "stick and string" at sea, when Auckland wharves were set in a forest of masts and spars. The Elk was kept like a yacht, trim and spotless, and tho skipper used to stroll up and down the poop on a Sunday morning enjoying the praise of the crowd. He had the stuffed head of an elk, with great widespread antlers, and this was rigged up as a figurehead when the vessel was in port. One Sunday morning the usual crowd that gathered at the wharf did not gaze with admiration at the snowy decks and tapered spars. They stood opposite the bow of the vessel and roared with laughter. Mad with rage at this jocularity at the.expense of his beloved ship, the skipper jumped on to the wharf to sco what was tho matter. He found that some wag had hung a large bunch of carrots from the bowsprit in front of the elk's nose, and the noble animal looked for all tho world as though it was stretching out its neck iii an endeavour to grab the dainty morsel. Thermal Waters. Tho danger of taking thermal waters indiscriminately and without medical advico was emphasised a.t a recent meeting of the New Zealand Tourist League, when it was reported that many visitors to Botorua and other resorts were thoroughly catholic in their patronage of tho waters from the various springs. Only people in the pink of health could afford to be so, said Mr. Walnutt. He mentioned sevoral cases where careless indulgence in mineral waters had proved disastrous. In one instance a man and his wife, tourists from South Africa, both developqd rheumatic complaints after three weeks at Eotorua, and were on the point of leaving the town in a very vexed frame of mind whon their attention was directed to the cause. After some persuasion he had them seek the advice of the balneologist at Botorua, who found that the visitors had been imbibhig water wholly unsuited to their health. They agreed to take different treatment, and in two weeks were in perfect health, and very glad that they had gono to Botorua. Tho league hopes the authorities in thermal resoVts will issue to visitors advice on tho correct use of mineral watey.s.

Counsel and Client. A denial of the allegation that his client was on the ■wrong side of the road was the defence put forward by Mr. W. E. Leicester in a bylaw case in tho Magistrate's Court in which the defendant was charged with failing to keep to the left. When, however, tho police produced a statement in which the defendant admitted that he was very nearly in the centre of the road,1 counsel was moved to remark that apparently the defendant had not then seen his solicitors. The defendant then proceeded to embarrass counsel further by getting into the box and confirming his statement to tho police. '*Oh, well," said Mr. Leicester philosophically, in reply to a question from tho Magistrate as to what he- now - thought about it, "he's been down to Court twico on this case, and he has had the satisfaction of giving some evidence, so I supposo he won't mind tho fine now.'' Eels Divide a Trout. f An example of the destruction of trout by eels was exhibited by Messrs. A. J. and C. Campbell1 at Invercargill a few days ago, when they produced an eel about 2ft 6in in length with a 12in trout half-way down its throat. The trout has no head, a second eel having torn it off. Messrs. Campbell wero picnicking at Otapiri Gorge and were walking along a, stream when they saw the eel attempting to swallow the trout. Tho water was about 18iu deep and very clear, and every movement of the fish could be clearly seen. Mr. A. J. Campbell secured a piece of wire and sharpened the point of it with a file from his car, while his brother watched the fish. While tho improvised gear was being prepared a second eel arrived upon the scene and seized the head of tho trout, A tussle ensued between the two eels, with the result that the head of the trout was* torn off. Mn C. Campbell entered tho water and speared the eel with tho wire without difficulty, for the eel paid no attention to him. The wire passed through both eel and trout and they were taken' to Invercargill in that position.