NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 125, 29 May 1930, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Preference to New Zealand Goods. For many years the Wellington Harbour Board has endeavoured to giyo preference to New Zealand goods. At last night's meeting of/ the board xt was decided to inform Wellington Manufacturers' Association that the board still affirms that policy. Harbour Board's Ambulance Donation. The Harbour Board approved last night of a proposal by the Wellington Ambulance that legislation bo sought iv the coming Parliamentary session enabling the board to renew its donation of up to £300 a year towards the maintenance of tho ambulance service. Increasing Motor Accidents. "Iv these days of rapid motor traffic, careless drivers, and careles pedestrians, it is a matter of opinion as to who is to blamo for the largely increasing irumber of street accidents which tho Ambulanco is called upon to deal with," said Mr. 0. H. Chapman, M.P., at tho annual meeting of subscribers to the Free Ambulance. Personally, he considered the pedestrians were largely at fault, and he said the time was coming when the ambulance authorities would have to ask for more stringent traffic regulations. Committals to Mental Hospitals. During the hearing recently of a maintenance case in tho Magistrate's Court, Wellington, a statomeut was made by the defendant to the effect that he had been committed to a lunatic asylum without a medical examination. On inquiry from the Mental Hospitals Department, it is ascertained that the alleged committal referred to did not take place in New Zealand but in Australia. With the exception of eases remanded by a tMagistrato for a period of observation, and voluntary boarders, all cases admitted to a mental hospital in New Zealand require prior examination and_ certification by two independent medical practitioners. A Mnch-Appreciated Gift. Captain Buckley, of tho Queen Alexandra Band, has received a very, fine selection from Coleridge-iTaylor 's "Hiawatha'; from England, states the "Wanganui Herald." Mr. W. Halliwell, who judged the 1928 contest in Wellington, at which the Queen Alexandra Band won the., championship, arranged tho selection and presented it to Captain Buckley. The parts are all in Mr. Halliwell's handwriting. In a letter to Captain Buckley, Mr. Halliwell mentioned that he had written only two sets of parts; one for England's greatest baud, the St. Hilda Colliery, of which Mr. Hubert Bath, the composer, was conductor, and is now touring England, and one for the Queen Alexandra Band. - New Mountain Hut. A proposal to erect a hut at Humphries' Castle, 6000 feet high, on Mount Egmont, was favoured at a meeting of tho North Committee of the Egmont National Park Board on Monday (states a New Plymouth correspondent). It was stated that members of the Taranaki Alpine Club had agreed to do much of the transport work which otherwise might have'been very costly. The proposal was reported upon by the ranger, Mr. B. Larsen, who said he thought it was sound and would mean the elimination of a lot of accidents which ■ occurred when inexperienced people climbed Mount Egmont. As the hut would be little more than a mile from the summit, people would be able to climb tp the hut the night before and continue tho trip next day without physical exertion. As a base for search parties it would be invaluable, as it would,bo situated at the junction of the Dawson Falls track and the main mountain track. The ranger also suggested the installation of a telephono in the hut for uso in case of accidents. It was decided to discuss the type of hut desired with members of the committee of tho Alpine Club. Hutt Biding Rates. After yesterday morning's meeting of the Hutt County Council the following general rates wore struok for the various ridings on the capital valuation: Epuni, 1 22-100 d; Heretaunga, 89-100 d; Horokiwi, 82-100 d; Mungaroa, 1 32-lQ0d; Tanpo, 1 45-100 d; Wainui-o-mata, 1 50-100 d; Whareroa, 1 30-IOOd. The council also decided to place £150 on tho estimates for the Wellington City Ambulance Board.

New Building Wanted. Every speaker tit the annual-mooting of subscribers to tho City Ambulanco referred •to the inadequacy and uns.uitableness of the present building. Mr. C. H. Chapman, M.P., remarked it was essential that a suitable building should bo secured as soon as possible. They now had £5000 m hand, but they must continuo during the next year to get tho utmost possible support from tho public so that the building might become an accomplished fact. Mr. C. J. B. Norwood, in paying a tribute to the Ladies' Auxiliary, said that last year they had raised £150 which it was intended to devote to some special purpose when tho new building was erected. Christchurch Cathedral. In referring last week to the fall of the cross on. the south transept of tho Christchurch Cathedral, Dean Julius said the building was inspected from time to time, but it was very difficult to detect the process of deterioration. The cross on tho north transept camp clown a few years ago, and had been replaced, "Wo had tho samo difficulty with the light stono in the tower of St. Mary's in Timaru," said the dean. "The stone in tho pinnacles was light and was subject to wear by wind and weather. There is a way to make these things secure, and that is to put an iron rod through the stone." Aerodrome Vote Struck Out. Tho Masterton County Council decided at its annual meeting yesterday not to contribute towards the provision of a district aerodrome at Masterton. An item of £350 for such a purpose, which appeared on the estimates, was accordingly struck out. The chairman, Councillor J. W. A. Falloon, stated subsequently that the council considered it would not be justified in increasing it- expenditure this year on account of the hard times the farmers were experiencing at present. The council was committed to loading programme which was going to hit some of the ridings fairly hard, and it was also thought that so far there was no* definite indication of an aerial service including this district. Yastes of a City. . , This morning, at the new metal dump in Chaytor street, several massive.iron girders, old but undecayed, went over tho tip. It seems that already'there have been thrown away a number of these girders, 10ft to 20ft long, and people who gather there to salvage smaller and more .portable gear (for a consideration) marvel at the wastes of a city. There may bo structural reasons for the dumping of the huge quantity of iron-work that comes to the tip, but many of the multitudinous articles thrown away have potential usefulness if they could find the right man and tho right spot.