NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 11, 12 July 1930, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Candeliglit in Hutt Shops.

For some reason power interruptions in the Hutt Valley Power Board area appear to run in series. Some months ago there was a number' of annoying interruptions in Lower Hutt; one house •would be without lights, the next one lit up as usual, the trouble being due to the failure of one or other of the three phases, or circuits, by which the power is distributed. Similar trouble and annoyance has been experienced by Hutt consumers recently, and for the second late night in succession candles have had to be used in the shopping streets. The phase which gave trouble last evening was apparently not that which broke down a week ago, so the candles were chair-ed round. A similar interruption occurred over part of the borough last Tuesday evening. Brooklyn Wants Representation. Several speakers at a meeting of the district association at Brooklyn spoke of the desirability of having a district representative upon tho City Council in order that their requirements might be more effectively made known. It was remarked that there were only tVvo factions in local politics, and that an independent candidate supported by Brooklyn should have good prospects. The meeting decided to set about the selection of a suitable candidate for the next council elections. Lambs Killed by Boars. Losses among lambs owing to attacks by wild boars have been severe this season in tho back country of Taranaki, states a New Plymouth correspondent. In the Matau district an immense white. boar which ranges in the back hills, but which on the approach of the lambing season comes down to the clearings, has been a target for some seasons without success. One boar which was stalked and shot as dawn was breaking had killed three lambs. One was already eaten, and its skin was there, one was being eaten, and one was waiting to be eaten. This boar had immenso tusks and huge trotters the size of a cow's hoofs. If the mortality rate continues, a, combined effort to exterminate the boars will be made by the settlers. Works for Brooklyn. Satisfaction was expressed at the meeting of the Brooklyn Electors' Association at the share which the district is to have of city improvement works listed upon tho current year's ostimates. Mr, Or. W. Slade said that tho works provided for were: Connaught terrace, £1000; Coolidge street, £330; Apuka, Todman, and .Mitchell streets, £1500; Connaught terrace and Pearce street, £1500; Laura avenue and Mortimer terrace, £1500; and Vogeltown works, £670. Brooklyn, he remarked, was thus getting a total of £6550 out of the £30,000 to be spent, and was to be congratulated on being so successful. Reference was made to the bad Btate of the tram stop at the foot of Washington avenue, and also to the dangerous condition of the Brooklyn road end of Jackson street. Further discussion took place on the subject of the Central Park rubbish tip, aud it was decided to write again to the City Council asking for definite advice as to what was intonded to remove the annoyances mentioned by a deputation which recently waited on the council- ■ ■

re Boys at Winter Show. g. While the educational value of the / Winter Show for school boys is un- , doubted, and for this reason they arc '" given special privileges, some oi; them s, take advantage of this to make a nuis- (_ ance of- themselves there. Illustrated _"_ literature, printed at a high cos 1 by exhibitors, is taken wholesale from stands 'c when the attendants are temporarily i- absent. Folders, etc., are meant to be g> given away, but some of the better class pamphlets are of technical interie cst only to those in that particular 11 business. The boys are a problem at 3 . every Winter Show. Numbers enter I the grounds in any way except through • the turnstiles. In places the fences ft have actually been broken down, tools ;t have been used to do it. Not only , c boys have- been caught climbing the fences, but young men and women, who having been used to do it. Not only •"■ stopped. Patrolling the. whole fence 5- would be a costly business. Parents c and those in charge of parties of: boys conld with advantag-e give a little adl' vico iv this matter. c ~ Bible in Schools, it A request waa recently made by sev- . eral of tho clergy of Brooklyn that permission bo given to them to attend the c Brooklyn School to give religious in- '- struetion to the children foi one halfJ hour in each week, according to the Nelson system, and, as provided by the ' regulation of the Education Board. In y reply to the request, the Commissioners i (Mr. J. I. Goldsmith and Captain Niche olson) pointed out that about eight c years ago a similar request was made, * a referendum of the parents was taken, r and a trial of the system was given. B The result did not then prove successful. It was stated, however, that no ' harm could be done if the ministers cir- " eularised the parents and obtained the t consent of a majority, and if the child[B ren whose parents object to them attending wero employed in other lessons ' during the half-hour. It was suggested - that it might be wise to await tho rei suit of possible new legislation this session. If the specified conditions \ were complied with, the Commissioners * would favourably consider the, applies - tion. I Overcrowded Art Gallery. A suggestion that the serious overcrowding in the Auckland Art Gallery might be alleviated by depositing somo of the works on loan with various l pub- - lie institutions throughout the province that possessed suitable hanging space I was made by Dr. A. S. Joske, a trustee of the Melbourne Public Library and > Art Gallery on Thursday (states the • "New Zealand Herald." Dr. Joske said the Melbourne Art Gallery had adopted this principle some years ago, and the pictures wore very much appreciated and well looked after by the institutions and schools to which they were lent. In the opinion of Dr. Josko the Auckland Art Gallery contains some excellent works, but thie overcrowding is so serious that they cannot be appreciated properly. "Your Fi-anz Hals may or may not be genuine," he said, "but in any ease it is a wonderful picture, although dirty and ill-hung. The gallery contains some excellent examples of the work of present-day artists." Brooklyn School Affairs. Considerable discussion took place at the meeting of the district association at Brooklyn regarding the unsatisfactory position which had arisen since the district school, committee went out of existence. The chairman (Mr. J. I. Goldsmith) reported that the executive of the association recommended that the association should take over the activities of the school, parents' association, etc., forming one body, working with the commissioners who were not in charge of the school on behalf of the Education Board, and also that, providing the parents' Association and the District Association agreed to join up, consideration should be given to increasing the number on the association executive. After the reading of correspondence with the Education Board relative to funds for the school playground, it was decided to write to the board expressing concern at no school committee having functioned and inquiring what was the position regarding tho playground, intimating also that when the ground waa formed the association was willing to raise sufficient monoy for asphalting. No Bells for Shunting Line Crossings. It appears probable (writes "Daily Bus Traveller") that as a result of the non-co-operation of the Lower Hutt Borough Council, the opposition of the Wellington Automobile Club—which may or may not really. represent more than a minority of Wellington district motorists—and the objection of others to paying if they can avoid it, a ramp over the Petone level crossing must wait a while. One would have expected, however, that the Eailway Department, wliieh has expressed its willingness—eagerness, in fact—to improve present signalling equipment, would already have taken steps to make a "safo" level crossing even safer. Some months ago a new shunting line was taken across the roadway, and this line, curiously enough, has no interest to bells and wig-wags. The very fact that road users have become uefinitely accustomed to looking for the' signals renders the occasional non-heralded shunting train particularly dangerous. The only time that these shunting trains set tho bells going is when they are switched over to the main linos. On Thursday afternoon that happened, and traffic continued over the crossing i while the bells were going—another ] very dangerous business, as likely to i lead to other crossings while the signals 1 are against the driver. The rule against 1 crossing the rails while the. bells are < ringing should be absolute, and, con- ; trariwise, tho rule that bells Bhould ] ring when any train, on tho main lines s or not, is approaching should also be t alsolute. t