NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 103, 4 May 1931, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Saving Debtor Embarrassment. Commenting on the honesty -of the Chinese, Mf. 'Will Lawson, in his travel lecture to the Otago Educational Institute, mentioned that every Chinese settled, up his debts before midnight on the Chinese New Year's Eve (states the "Otago Daily Times"). If an account happened to be overdue the creditor called on the debtor with a lighted lamp, courteously implying that it was still night so as to save the debtor embarrassment while he settled the account. R.N.V.R. Training. H.M.S. Wakakura returned to Wellington on Saturday afternoon with the first detachment of members of the Royal Naval Volunteer Eeservc "who have been undergoing a week's training in the Marlborough Sounds. The Wakakura used Picton as its base. While she was at sea instruction was given in 4in gun work and seamanship generally. There were 16 ratings from the Reserve, on board,7 and the Wakakura left yesterday morning with a similar detachment for another week's training. After her return to port on Friday, the Wakakura will lay up for a. week for overhaul. Gorse Fighting. The surface grubbing of gorse on the Town. Belt is little more than a farce, is the opinion of Mr. J. M'Donald, one of the Ratepayers' Association candidates for the City Council. The best and cheapest way to. kill gorse was by growing other plants to cut oil sunlight from 'the noxious weed, he declared. "As an object lesson of the wrong way to tackle gorse, one may mention a small section of the Town Belt below the- Kelburn- Bowling Green," he added. "Year after year, in the summer, successive City Councils have turned gangs of men on to that slope for the annual, battle with the gorse, which comes up smiling after each knock-out. Hundreds of pounds have been wasted on this teasing of the enemy. If a. comparatively small gum had been spent wisely years ago in a shading-out scheme that flank, of the hill would have been permanently rid of the gorse and converted into a beautiful slope." "Do Not Betire Gracefully." The opinion that it was the1 duty of the older members of local bodies to recognise their limitations and, to make way for younger men was expressed.by Mr. CM. Browne, a member of the Devonport Borough Council, who is not seeking re-election, (states the "New Zealand Herald"). "I think it foolish that many men prominent in public life do not retire gracefully but continue to hold office, sometimes against their better judgment," ho said. Only four members of the present council Jire again offering their services, so that even if they aro all roturncd there will be six new members. Mf. K. Aldridge, the former Mayor, and Mr. T. J. H. Ellisdon left the council some time ago. "Must Have Reasonable Defences." . "We have just had another Anzac Day, and one of the keynotes of the observances was the fact that we are out to.prevent another war. Eetnrned men have seen all they want of war, and if we can do anything to promote peace, I think wo should do it." This statement was made by Mr. A. C. A. Sexton at tins annual' meeting of the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association, when moving a remit expressing the -opinion that, the association welcomed whole-heartedly the efforts of the League- of Nations to get the nations of the world to abandon war as a means of settling "international disputes (states the "Auckland Star"). While advocating peace, Mr. Sexton did not believe that with the present state of unrest in the world, New Zealand should abandon all reasonable means of defence. "We are part and parcel of the Empire, and we must have reasonabl«j defences,", concurred the- president, Sir George Eichardson. The remit was carried, and it will go forward to the Dominion conference of the Eeturned Soldiers' Association. Curing of Mntton Birds. "It is generally believed that the curing of mutton birds was introduced to the Maoris, by the early whalers. This, however, is denied by two Bluff residents, Messrs. John Wesley and W. Spencer, senior, both over SO'years old, who claim that the try pot method was in use long before the coming of the pakeha, although it is admitted that the introduction of iron pots made cooking a less laborious process (states a Southland exchange). In pre : whaler days the Maori try pot was fashioned from the solid bole- of a tree. This was hollowed by fire, water being continually poured over the outer wood to prevent burning through. The cooking of the birds was a tedious task. Naturally the wooden utensil could not be set on. Are, so the muttonbird fat was brought to boiling point by red hot stones which were heated in a large fire near by and then dropped into the liquid. Messrs. Wesley and Spencer remember having seen several of the- wooden pots on Green Island, off Ruapuke,' when they were boys. •;. _ ■ Bate War to Taranaki. The service -car run from Auckland to New Plymouth, which now works out at an average cost of just under one penny a mile, offers what probably is one of the cheapest journeys the- travelr ler can undertake in the Dominion today (says the "New Zealand Herald"). Competition between motor firms running cars on that route has'be-come-so intense lately that something in the nature of a fare-war is nowbeing waged. Reduced fares, in addition to other inducement!*, have- been offered by the various services for several months, and the latest move is a reduction of the single fare to £1 by an Auckland taxi service, which has had cars on the road for the last five months. In November, when only two services were running, the single fare was £3 Ss, but an immediate reduction of £1 was made with the advent of a third service. The charge of £2 5s was maintained for several months until recently a further reduction was made by one of the firms to £-1 lus. As a result there has been a variation in the fares charged by the different services, but with the rumour from New Plymouth of! the likelihood of a further concession by one of Hie services there, the Auckland company lias forestalled the move by lowering its faro to £1. At present 'there are four concerns opninfing uver the roulo, making in nil six trips ninth way dully. A short time ago there were five, -but. one. failed to survive.