NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 43, 19 August 1931, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

yesterday In the House. Five back-bench speakers carried the Financial debate a stage further at yesterday's sitting of the House of Representatives. The Budget proposals were but briefly referred to, and no new lines of criticism were introduced. The "preliminaries" at the afternoon sitting were longer than usual. This was principally accounted for by a dobato on the (reporting of the Transport Licensing Bill from a Select Committee. The Bill had not been previously discussed in the House, as it had been, sent to the -Committee for evidence Jto beY taken; after^being read, a second time,'pro fbriha..viThe Minister of Transport answere'dvyome.: points', of objection which wereii^ised^against; the Bill,-and- made some:illusion; V'toSthe fabulous cost of .motbrc'serviced''-___■ the Dominion—£32,ooo,ooo:A-per:: yearvV AHe said he would bo pleasedi to consider reasonable.amendments:':to the Bill: 'vA number of departmental annual reports was laidbn:;the table^'A-A/'-' 7:y/y/y : ■■'■ // Summer TitM'B&lL//^y/'77y.-7'[y y.'.-.7 '■The secretary of; the Wellington Chamber of Commerce stated at a meeting of the council last evening that a. cable message had been received from' the Hobart Chamber of Commerce making inquiries about the New Zealand Summer Time Bill and as to its general approval or otherwise. .'He said, that he had replied'that; the, legislation, was generally approved, and that many favoured a longer period than twenty-two weeks. - ;.. v. ; '.-.',.-'--; v Prevention of Diphtheria, a a The infectious disease rates in, New Zealand for the past year have been remarkably low. The "Director-General of Health says that. "One would welcome a decrease in thefnumbers of deaths from, diphtheria, and, there is every reason to believe that 'this could be achieved if parents, would aVail themselves of the facilities'to hand to have their children protected by-toxin anti-toxin or toxoid.".''. Complaints Regarding Hawking. The recent increase- in the hawking of goods irt; the, streets5 and foom door to door was referred to at a meeting of the Council of the Wellington1 Chamber of Commerce last night.' It was stated by some members that hawking had become: a nuisance to householders. Other, members stated that' there were cases' of distress which;; justified even this method of: earning a living at the present time. The suggestion was made that greater care should be exercised in'the granting of licences. Cancer Mortality Bate. There 'were'fifteen fewer deaths from cancer in the past year than in the preceding twelve v. months. "The. New Zealand Branch of the British Empire Cancer/Campaign Society," states the Di_ector ; General of Health in his annual report, "is proving a very active force m dealing with this too prevalent dis. ease. The public have generously, subscribed to this oiganisation,'ahd thanks are due to them for their liberal support. The research work being carried out .by Dr. A. M..Begg at the Medical School, Dunedin, under the control of a central committee of the society is steadily" adding to the knowledge of this disease in New Zealand, and leading, I hope, to its ultimate conquest. Through newspaper articles and displays of posters at post, offices throughout tho Dominion, the Department is endeavouring to educate" the public as to the signs of cancer; and as to the.value of early treatment. Royal Visit Suggested. .' The -triennial conference of - Chambers of Commerce: of the' British Empire will be held in Wellington.in 1933. The suggestion wa»; made by Mr. A. Jacobs at a meetiugvof the Council of the Wellington Chamber^of Commerce last evening that inquiries, should; be made, through the proper channel as to whether it would be possible for a member of the Royal Family to visit New Zealand at that time..-': The suggestion was approved, and it was agreed to refer the matter to the Associated Chain; bers of Commerce. ' ' ''■ Link with Antarctica. j The theory that a fossil tree found in-the, Sydney Harbour Colliery .might prove.to be another link in the-chain of evidence showing that Australia and Antarctica we're ;in ■ some ■ remote ago joined together, was expounded in a paper read by Mr. R. T. Baker at the monthly meeting of the Boyal Society in Sydney. The tree, he said, which was found at a depth of 2225 feet, bore specific resemblances to a specimen of fossil timber discovered in Antarctica by tho second Scott expedition. Although the Sydney tree had no bark, tho trunk was thickly coated with calcium carbonate, a remarkable feature which was also present in the Antarctic fossil. Trade With Russia. A committee of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce reported to the council of that body last evening that there had been many references in the' Press to the activities in Russian marketing and the dumping of Russian products abroad, including England. "New' Zealand," stated tho report, "is being brought into close touch' with this interference of Russia in the Empire's economic life, and already a very large consignment of matches has reached this country, and quoted much below the British produced article. The position calls for prompt action, by the Government, whether by the imposition of adequate dumping duties or otherwise, that will afford safeguards, in these'matters." ' - Prosperous Descendants. "It is a remarkable, thing that the majority of the children' of the early missionaries to Hawaii are now practically all millionaires," said Mr. Frank Purnell at the luncheon -of the Wanganui Rotary Club this week, reports the "Chronicle." It was also a fact that the biggest percentage of America's leading public men were the children of preachers; Doctors and lawyers were not in it for raising sons who'appeared in "Wtho's Who," he added, ; amids* laughter, - V