NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 120, 23 May 1930, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Empire Day. To-morrow is Empire Day, which is usually marked by a display of bunting. The idea of such a day originated I with the Earl of Meath, who, in addition to being interested in philanthropic and social movements, strove as an Imperialist for recognition throughout Greater Britain of an annual Empire Day, and of the systematic teaching of patriotism in the schools. Care on the Road. In a recent Supremo Court action for damages arising out of an accident, counsel for the defence raised tho point that the plaintiff was not using the road for a lawful purpose, but was, in offect, a trespasser on tho road, as ho was kneeling down examining a motorcycle. Counsel, while admitting that I that would not absolve the defendant i from the duty of care, suggested that it called for a lower standard of caro than was required for a person lawfully using the road. Eeferring to that suggestion in a reserved judgment on the ease, delivered yesterday, his Honour Mr. Justice Blair said that he doubted whether a temporary stopping on a roadway to see why a vehicle would not go or to effect some necessary temporary, repair was an unlawful use of the roadway. '' Nor,'' remarked his Honour, '-'can I accept the proposition that a. lower standard than the ordinary standard of reasonable care is called for in such circumstances. The fact that a person is unlawfully or improperly on tho roadway may bo relevant to a defence of contributory negligence, but cannot, in my opinion, call for a new standard, of, care."

Music Week. The Organisation for Music Week next August is well in hand, and this festival is exciting considerable interest. In Wellington the several committees have already held preliminary meetings. The idea is to provide a full week of every kind of music, so that every tasto may be catered for. In other centres preparations arc well advanced, and close touch is being kept with them, the aim being to make the festival a national one in every respect. Tho Open Exhaust. The noisy motor-cyclist is a person who has much ink spilt on him iv the Press and he incurs the wrath of many a citizen. According to the Assistant City Solicitor (Mr. J. Lockie), he is not easy to catch. During the hearing of a charge againstf Archibald M'Mahon in the Magistrate's Court yesterday (iftornoon of having ridden a motorcycle with an open exhaust, Mr. Lockie said it was difficult to enforce the byJaw. The open exhaust was used principally at night, and it was almost impossible for inspectors on foot to catch offenders, as they were able to switch off their lights, dodge the inspectors, and get away. The open exhaust, no doubt," gavo a little bit of. excitement, and it appeared that some riders were prepared to run the risk of being caught. He asked for the imposition of substantial penalties. M'Mahon was fined, £2. One Baby Like Another. A naive remark made from the wit-ness-box in the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon by a fireman who drives one of the Central Fire Station engines broke up tho Court. Counsel for a motorist charged with having failed to stop his car in' Cuba street on the approach of tho fire engine had been cross-examining the witness at some length, and he concluded by suggesting that the witness's memory was not perfect, in !vicw cf the fact that he had given the wrong make of the "baby" car the defendant was driving. Anyono who was at all conversant with cars, asserted counsel, as ho sat down, would have known the make of the car. The witness, after a pause of a few seconds: "But, of course, one baby looks like another." There was loud laughter, in which the Magistrate (Mr. W. 11. Woodward) joined. Heavy Traffic Fees. A rather frequent charge among the prosecutions brought by tho City Council in the Magistrate's Court on Thursday afternoons is that of failure to pay heavy traffic fees in respect of motor-lorries. Several lorry-owners were charged with the ottence yesterday afternoon. The Magistrate (Mr. W. H. Woodward; said he could not understand men who, after having received warnings to pay, continued to let the matter slide. It appeared to him to be very bad business.1 The Assistant pity Solicitor (Mr. J. Loekio) agreed with the Magistrate. There had boon cases iri tho past, ho said, where owners had been able to "get away with it," arid it appeared that there were- some who were prepared to run the risk. Referring to one defendant, against whom there were four charges, Mr. Loekio said he could not understand the man. He had treated the council with absolute contempt, and had never made any offer to pay tne fees. It was well known that in cases where a reasonable explanation was given the council granted leniency. The defendant against whom there were four charges was lined £1 and costs on each. . "Riding the High Hors--!." A young motorist charged in tho Magistrate's Court yesterday "afternoon with having disobeyed a traffic inspector's signal strongly denied he had done so. "He had ii lady with him at the time," said the inspector, "and I think lie wanted to ride the high horse." "You were riding tho high horse, not mo," replied the defendant hotly, from tho .floor' of the Court. The defendant said that before ho cams to New Zealand he had driven cars in London for five years. "I know all tho signals," he claimed. "The trouble is that this man lost his head." The Magistrate (Mr. W. H. Woodward) said he was sure tho defendant had been mistaken. \ Inspectors on point duty did not appear to him to lose their heads at ail. A fine of 10s and costs was Imposed.' Catering for Tourists. ' Prospects for building up.tho tourist traffic in New Zealand are brighter than they have been for some time, according to Mr. E. L. Wiglej', managing director of the Mount Cook , Motor Co. and tho Tongariro Park Tourist Co., who is at present in Auckland on business, states the "New Zealand Herald." Efforts were being made by the Government Tourist Bureau and private companies to cater for all classes of tourists, and the latest step his companies had under consideration was an up-to-date hotel for fishermen at Urupukapuka Island. "The erection of the hotel at the Bay of Islands is not yet quito definite;" Mr. Wigley said. "However, overseas- tourists have said on numberless occasions that first-class accommodation is needed at the deepsea fishing grounds. If we decide to go ahead with the proposal we shall most certainly erect a hotel which will be fully in keepingwith the great reputation of tho fishing grounds.'' Mr. Wigley mentioned that there would shortly be an all-weather road from Auckland to Russell, and he thought this might have the effect of making a first-class tourist hotel a popular winter resort. Alterations wore being made to some of the hotels already controlled by his companies, Mr. Wigley continued. The lounge at the Hermitage, Mount Cook, was being enlarged and improvements being made to the general accommodation. Some alterations were also being made at Brent's, Eotorua. New State Forest Plantation. In a fortnight's tide the State Forest Service will begin planting conifers on 4000 acres of Crown land at Eyrewell and on 2000 acres at Balmoral, states the Christchurch "Press." This will provide work for 300 men for about four months. The 6000 acres form the .Forest Service's planting programme in Canterbury for the year. The scrub has been cleared off this land, and now the contractors arc busy with a traction engine and ploughs furrowing the planting lines. When the men start they will follow along these lines dipping in the young trees at regular intervals with spades made specially for tho purpose. The land at Eyrewell is sandy and that at Balmoral —just across the Hurunui in the Medbury district—very stony. In both places it is of poor quality, so only varieties which are known to do well iii such soil will be planted, the service confining any experimental plots to an acre or two. Pinus insignis and pinus radiata will be tho_ two main species used, and radiata will predominate. Tho trees, some yearlings and some two-year-olds, are raised under the conditions in which they, will grow in the State nursery at Balmoral. A small nursery has also been established at (Eyrewell, where the seedlings are doing well. They-should be ready for planting out next season. Tho trees already planted have done well, the mortality rate being as low as 2 per cent, in.some of tho plantations. With the completion of this season's programme the Forest Service will have some 50,000 acres of exotic plantations in varying stages of development under its control in Canterbury. Of these 10,000 acres are at Hannier, 23,000 at Balmoral, and 16,000 at Eyrcwcll. It is the- policy of the servico to plant, by degrees, all Crown lands suitable for trees which would be otherwise waste.

Why? The two following paragraphs appeared in a bus inspector's report presented to the Eastbourne Borough Council last night: "One man ate his ticket. I collected another fare, 9a,'' and "One lady's ticket . . . was mutilated, as she had chewed the end off it and there was no number left on it. I charged her Is 3d." The Universal Language. "Could you make him understand you?" was a question counsel put to a witness in the Supremo Court, Wanganui, when a witness said he had asked an aged Chinaman if he would like a drink. "Yes, quite well," said the witness. "I suppose," interposed Mr. Justice Reed, "that all understand 'will you have a drink?' " (Laughter.) Too Much for Motors. At a meeting of the Wauganui City Council, Mr. Halligau, chairman of the Tramways Committee, criticised the spending of £3000 :n purchasing new motor vehicles for the council. _This huge sum should not have been spent, he said. It would have been better to spend some money and have the rest subsidised by the Government for unemployment relief. Fully 80 per cent, of the money was going out of the Dominion. The Mayor said the purchase of new vehicles was a necesity. Students' Hostel. To avoid wasting another year, the attention of tho Minister of Education should be drawn to the need for the commencement of the work of erecting a students' hostel, aid Professor T. A. Hunter at the meeting of the Victoria College Council last night. It had been an urgent question for years, he added. The money was available, and the site had been secured. Bates and taxes now being paid on the land would be avoided when it came into use for University purposes. The chairman (Mr. P. Levi) said he was not aware what tho objection of the Minister to carrying out the work was. He understood that the plans had been approved by tho architects of the Department. If they started without the Minister's consent, they lost the subsidy. It was decided that a deputation should wait on the Minister. ■ ■ Self-reliant Spirit. -The efforts made by school committees throughout. Taranaki in raising funds was the subject of eulogistic comment by members of the Taranaki Education Board. It was reported that as the result of local effort £2739 had been raised by school committees during the year. The acting-chairman (Mr. P. J, H. White) remarked that for some years approximately £3000 per'annum had been raised, and the country was greatly indebted to the school committee men for. their public and self-reliant spirit. Not What They Wanted. Two young men anxious to tako up fencing with foils entered a large book shop in Christchurch the other day and inquired from the girl at the counter for a book on fencing. She looked puzzled, and then informed the two young men that there was nothing of the sort in stock. However, she would ask the manager of the department to make quite sure. The manager also shook his head. No; there was no sort of book on the subject. "Nothing at all; not even something in a general book on sport?" asked the young men. "No, I'm afraid not. All I can suggest that we have of any use is a copy of the Fencing Act," was the surprising reply. , Earthquake Area Roads. Within six weeks of the earthquake in Westland, tho ■ dotour road from Murchison via the Maruia was open for traffic, and has remained open since. As far as surface is concerned, it is excellent, but public interest in the shorter route, the old road through the Buller Gorgo, is revived from time to time as tho clearing gangs make progross, only to encounter fresh slips which again block the road. Some of tho slips in the Lyell district tower up more than a thousand feet above the road, and with every rain they are on tho move. Tho detour road via Maruia will bo kept open by the Main High-, ways Board, which has maintained the surface in good order, until th? Buller Gorge road route is opened again. Tho difficult with tho latter is that while the cleared portion of the road may be open one day, a fall of rain will bring down slips that block it for a mile the next. Just beyond Lyell this is particularly so While the country Is in such an unstable condition it will not be possible to allow traffic to make use of the Buller Gorge road. Ono of the Main Highways Board party, which recently toured the district, was of the opinion that the Earthquake Committee1 had shown a genuine desire to speedily re-establish the district ,and it appeared that the best use had been made of the money contributed, largely through the co-operation of local bodies everywhere.