NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 105, 6 May 1931, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Accession Day. , A royal salute fired at noon to-day marked the anniversary of the accession of King Geoige V. to the Throne on this/date twenty-one years ago. Mags are flying from the main buildings to-day, also in commemoration of the event. ' . . ■■ The 10 Per Cent. Cut. A protest against the 10 per cent, cut in salaries is contained in the annual report of the Secondary Schools' Association of New Zealand. The report states: "Although wo as secondary school teachers yield to no one in our willingness to submit to sacrifices to fulfil our obligations and duties as citizens of the State, we regard tho present proposals as inequitable, especially as they do not provide for a return to our present scale in more prosperous times. Some temporary decrease in salary might have been borne provided that we had the assurance that when, conditions improved wo would be allowed to revert to' our present scale." ■ Kaiwarra Gorge Widening. "The City Council for the,next two years will riot have much money to spare for works other than the bare necessities," said Mr. J. N. Wallace, a candidate for the City Council, oil Monday, referring to the need of /widening the Kaiwarra Gorge road. "However, I feel confident it will be possible to help those who help themselves. Some such scheme as this might solve the matter. If the property "owners on the north side of the road drew up an agreement to act on the decision of the majority, votes being based ' on the frontage of property owned, I see no reason why they, could not come to some understanding with the council to donate or to sell at a low price land necessary for widening the road, the council undertaking to move' back buildings or to give the owners a sum equivalent on the understanding that the owners within, a specifiod time would have'the building moved or demolished. This should benefit .all concerned. ' The value of shop property is much reduced now, due to the narrowness of the road which makes it impossible for lorries to remain parked long enough to load and unload. As far as residences are concerned, the narrowness presents a constant danger to families with children." A Matter of Procedure. A view that the procedure at Magisterial inquiries into nautical mishaps tended to place the master of the ship concerned in an anomalous position was expressed by Mr. E. K. Kirkcaldie during the course of the Port Hobart inquiry in the": Magistrate's Court yesterday. Mr. Kirkcaldie contended that as a nautical inquiry was in the nature of an inquest the primary duty of the Court was to discover the- cause of the mishap. If in the course of the inquiry it was thought that there had been a wrongful act or default on the part of anyone, then the Court had power to go into that question, but its primary purpose was to discover the cause of the accident. Not until it appeared that there had been a dereliction of duty could the Court put the master in a position of having to justify his every action ex post facto. The procedure at an ordinary Coronial inquiry strictly confined the evidence to the cause of tho. fatality and strictly excluded evidence which.went to point to personal responsibility, but in a nautical inquiry the master of the ship was compelled to justify his actions as a condition of exoneration. Mr. E. Parry supported Mr. Kirkcaldie's reknarks, but Mr. E. Page, S.M., pointed out that, in his opinion, a Coronial inquiry was not quite a parallel case/ because one of the duties of a nautical Court was to consider the conduct of the master and his officers on the occasion of the accident, and if in the Court's opinion the evidence warranted it, then to express an opinion on that conduct. "Doesn't tho fact that" this ship," with plenty of seaway on one side and land on the other, ran ashore require some explanation?" he asked. Bus Stand Moved. In accordance with the City Council decree ,the railway bus stand, which hitherto has been opposite Lambton Station, has now been shifted to a now position in Feathei^ston street opposite the Telephone Exchange building. This new position does not make for easy connection between tram and bus, and it has the decided drawback of an ornamental grass plot between tho pavement and the buses. After a little wet woatner and after much trampling, this grass will cease to bo ornamental, and will become a.muddy morass. A'number of intending passengers Trent to the old stand yesterday with a view to catching a bus to tho Hutt Valley, and found quite a little walk necessnry before they located the new stand.

Left in the Lurch. After the departures of the warship Diomedc for Auckland ou Monday afternoon it was discovered that four of tho ratings had been left behind, and it was necessary for the ship to return to pick them up. The cruiser left after the customary leave-takings between the sailors and their shore friends at 4.20 p.m., and in a little over an hour she was back in the harbour; the men who had missed the boat were rowed out from, the Clyde Quay AVharf, a7id in a short time "the interrupted trip was resumed. Otira Tunnel Traffic. 'The "Grcymouth Evening Star" says that since July, 1930, goods traffic on the Midland line has shown a continuous decrease, the figures for eacli month comparing unfavourably with those of the corresponding month of the preceding year. In April the decline in the aggregate weight of goods through the Otira tunnel from west to east was 16,059 tons. The totals were: April 1931, 34,226 tons; April, 1930, 50,285 tons. The following have been the monthly totals since the beginning of the year, with the totals for last year in parentheses in each ease:—January 30,409 (43,777); February, 34,375 (53,----402); March, 40,230 (55,269); April, 34,226 (50,285). Aggregate: 139,240 (202,733). In the last few days traffic has considerably improved, heavy consignments of coal for railway use" being responsible. Monday's total of 2451 tons was a record for the year, and exceeded any since 17th September, 1930, when 2502 tons were transported. Good Old Dame Rumour. "Many rumours have been circulated" by those opposed to me," said Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, the , Civic League and Eatepayers' Association candidate for the Mayoralty, on Monday* "Among them is the rumour that I propose, if elected, to reduce the wages of the tramway men. I have never said or suggested any such thing. The tramway men: some little time ago on their own initiative made certain, proposals regarding working time which have been adopted, and which have effected considerable economies in working and are working satisfactorily to all concerned. • Thero is no reason whatever to disturb them, _and, far from intending to do so, it is my hope that as times improve we will no longer be obliged to accept the sacrifices the men arc making, and will be able to restore this large and efficient body of men to tho position they were in before. All employees and workers can rely upon a fair and -just deal from me." Mr; Hislop said that it had also been suggested that it was ' on his casting vote that work oh the Hataitai tunnel was stopped. The idea was absurd, for he had always supported and would continue to do all ho could to see that that access work waa completed. "The circulation of these baseless rumours shows the -weakness of the case of those opposing me " said Mr. Hislop. "They fail to make any direct attack upon my policy.?' Dental Clinics, ' At tho opening of the dental clinic at the Waimairl School (Christchurch) on Saturday, Mr. J. L. Saunders, Director of Dental Hygiene, gave an indication of an important change in the management of school dental'clinics (says an exchange). This servieo to the community cost a large sum of money and the Government, in its effort to economise, was forced to cut down the expenses. It had been decided that for the future the parents would have to share in the expense. The Department would ask the school committees to pay for all drugs and materials used. To meet this . the school committees would be empowered to make a nominal charge for each child receiviug treatment. Tho exact details of the scheme and instructions as to maximum charges to be made would be in the hands of all; the school committees in the course of a week or two. Auckland's New Scenic Drive. A never-ending stream of motor vehicles on the waterfront road on Sunday boro testimony to the popularity of Auckland's newly-opened scenic drive (says the Auckland "Star")..T,he beautiful day .and the novelty of the drive' no ;doubt accounted for the almost abnormal number of vehicles which' used the road, and its future as a Sunday drive is assured. Orakei attracted a fair number of the motorists, who were entertained .by a tennis contest between Maoris of the settlement. At Mjssion Bay, however, there were even more ears drawn up. Through Mission Bay, where the road is rather narrow, and where cars were parked on both sides of the road, going was necessarily slow, and at times a jam occurred. Such stoppages, however, were quickly straightened outj and the ears continued on their way to and from Kohimarama and St. Helier's Bay. "Stands Alone." . "New Zealand is a country prevented only by her detachment from becoming the most popular touring centre in the world," said Mr.' W. J. Grant, editor of the "Bangoon Times," Burma, in an interview with an Auckland "Star" representative. "I have beon'all over your flue land," said Mr. Grant, "and found it fair and good to look upon. It compares favourably with the Himalayas, which I have explored with some thoroughness, and is not eclipsed by Switzerland in grandeur, while in. scenic variety it stands alone. The Himalayas are vaster in scale, and their snows are greater in mantling capacity, but I can assure yon they are not more impressive. Even the Buller Gorge in the South Island has unique features. The travel facilities in New Zealand also are, to me, amazingly good. We have certainly nothing like them in India or Burma, and my experience of European travel forbi"ds me to claim any superiority for Italy or Switzerland. The fact that I managed to see the whole of the Napier, Botorua, and Hamilton districts within a week speaks volumes for the dispatch and efficiency of railway and, service car facilities." Mr. Grant is touring Australia and New. Zealand in order to study political and economic conditions in these countries. He is an authority on agriculture. "When aviation has developed and quickened travel," he declared, "I am convinced that New Zealand's scenic and other virtues will be more extensively recognised. She is at present a lonely land stranded 'in a vast ocean. The aeroplane will rescue her."