NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 123, 20 November 1931, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Christmas Pictures. The City Council last evening decided, as in former years, that the screening of pictures on Christmas Day should' bo permitted, subject to the programmes being approved by tha Town Clerk. Tramping a Class.Leveller. "Tramping is a great class leveller," stated Mr. F. W. Vosseler, for many years president of the Tararua Tramping Club, in an address to the Palmerston North Rotary Club. As an instance he cited a small camp in which the chief of a large bank shared quarters with the secretary of a labour union and a trade unionist, neither of whom had met him previously. The banker was the first to rise in the morning, and he prepared coffee and toast, which he took to his comrades of the night. When the latter were told the identity of the banker the situation made' an appeal to their sense of humour. "At last we have come into our right," said tho union secretary. "We are bejng waited on and fed by a bank manager." Excessive Realism. • Excessive realism as.an adjunct to a "show" was responsible for a humorous situation at Takapuna on a recent evening (states the "North Auckland Times"). A farce was being staged as the last item on a concert programme, and it had been arranged that one of the cast was to< simulate intoxication and force his way to the platform, and another was to endeavour to prevent his entry to' the stage. Tho play in words and actions between those two ■was so well carried out that one of tho local police went to the assistance of the concert official, and was on the point of arresting the "drunk" when a hurried explanation was made. This w.as within tho hearing of most of the audioncc, and it is needless to add that tho joke was much appreciated. Bad News for Oar Owners. Two far-reaching proposals were made to tho City Council by the Bylaws Committee last evening. They were that steps - Bhould be taken to prohibit all-day car parking on. 'streets in the centre of the city, and that allnight car parking on city streets should bo prohibited- after.-, Ist May next. Councillor H. A. Huggins,' chairman .of the Bylaws Committee, said that the area in which parking should bo prohibited had yet to be decided 'upon, and would be referred to later. ■ As regarded night parking the committee considered that people' . who could cars should be well able to' provido garages for them, and not expect to be allowed to leave them in the streets all .night. Speed Over Pipe Bridge. It is proposed by the Bylaws Committee of the City Council that the speed limit over the Hutt River pipe bridge should be .limited to twelve miles per hour for pneumatic-tired vohicles and eight miles per hour ■ for buses. High speeds over the bridge sot up vibration, which is detrimental '.to the water mains carried below. Councillor H. 'A. Huggins, chairman of the Bylaws Committee,' said that the proposal had caused a good deal of discussion in! committee. The Engineer had recommended that tho.speed limit should ''be ten miles per' hour, but he considered that far too low, and thought that a limit of fifteen miles an hour was moro reasonable. The Engineer had replied, however, that the condition of the bridge was such that he would not be responsible were such a speed permitted, and finally tho speed of twelve miles-per hour was agreed upon. Howover, tho question had to be referred to--the other local bodies interested in tlio bridge,, and .accordingly decision could bo deferred until their views had been heard/ Cleaner Backyards. Tho City Engineer has been instructed to circulate to all householders leaflots explaining the syste.i in operation for removal of special classes of household refuse whereby tho householder ■can obtain free 'removal up to a quarter of a cubic yard, and at the rate of 10s per cubic yard in oxcess of one-quarter , of a cubic yard. The Argus. - ' Tho motor ship Argus, of -432 .tons gross register, which has been bought to replace the Progress, which was ,'wrecked this year in Ohiro Bay, is at present' en route to New Zealand from Cardiff, and according to advice received in Wellington.sailed from Trinidad yesterday for Jamaica. !3ho has cargo from England for Jamaica, and her Trinidad cargo is for New ■ Zealand. Tho Argus, which was' built in Holland and was owned in Germany, should arrivo at Panama early next month, and is duo in New Zealand in January. The Corinthic's Sailing. If the liner Corinthic, at present on route from Wellington for Southampton, had not been sold to" the shipbreakers, she would have left England on 30th" December for New .Zealand with passengers and cargo. Tho 'Otira' is to take tho Corinthic's ,«ailing, and will leave London on tho date fixed for the Corinthic with cargo for New Zealand, her discharging ports being Auckland and Wellington. This will be the Otira's first visit to New Zealand since May," 1929. Rare Bloom. A tree tulip in an Auckland garden is in bloom this year—the first occasion since it was plantod ,20 years ago, states tlie "Auckland Star." Tho colour of the bloom is pastel green, and tliovo is a delicate shade oi 1 pink on each of its four petals. Beautiful as the flowr.r is, its beauty is increased when a light is placed close behind Hi

Judge Works Double Shift. Tho spectacle of k Suprome Court Judge working'a double shift has created quite a lot of interest in Palmerston North this week. His Honour Mr. Justico Blair returned to Palmerston North to complete the Court session after the Coats trial in Wellington, and as ho is duo back in Wellington on important business thp Court has boen burning the. midnight oil. Yesterday his Honour occupied the Bench continuously, except for meals, from 10 a.m. till 1.40 o'clock this morning, and the Court then adjourned until 10 o'clock to iinish the remaining business. Xaranaki's Record Sheep. •A monster sheep of 1751bs was reported last week from 'Now Plymouth, its weight is a long way behind that of Taranaki's record ■ wether, says the "Eltham Argus." It was some 16 years ago that what is believed to bo tho tccord heavy sheep was slaughtered at tho Stratford abattoirs. It was (to quote old imvspaper files) a monster 6tooth cross-bred wether which turned the scales at no less than 1961bs dressed weight. For the first timo in tho history of the abattoirs it was necessary to make uso of the block and tackle to hoist a sheep on to the hooks. The skin alone weighed 501b. k Paving of Tunnel Floor.' A roporfc was made by the "Works Committco to the 'City Council last night that the cost of paving the floor pi the Mount Victoria tunnel was £6105 6s, made up as follows:—Rock excavation, £940; concreting (1350 cubic yards at 50s 5d),',£3401 9s Id; paving (4300 square yards at '4s 6d), £967 10s; plus 15 per .cent, for loan charges' and general overhead, £796 6s lid; total £6105 65.. Tho paving .work was commenced on sth October and completed on the 10th, the tunnel being opened for traffic two days later. Councillor W. Appleton said that the Engineer's department was to be congratulated'upon the very considerable saving, about £2000, which had been mado\ on tho estimated cost of paving ■ the tunnel, and also upon tho very expeditious manner in which the work had been carried out. Clearing the Bed of the Hutt River. For some years past the Hutt River Board has encouraged steady dredging for shinglo in the lower reaches and at the mouth of the river, to bring about a gradual lowering of the bed of the stream. Years ago the piles of an old bridge, just north1 of the wooden traffic bridge at Lower Hutt, wero sawn off at water level; as tho bed went down the sawn tops rose two or three feet from tho water, and 'lower downstream ancient snags were uncovered. River Board men, working from a heavy scow carrying a powerful petrol-driven winch, last week hauled out several of the old pile stumps, and they are now removing, the heavy snags half-buried in the shingle below tho bridge. Each flood brings down a few more, but the thoroughly waterlogged condition of the logs and butts being hauled out shows that they have lain in the stream for many .years. Their removal will assist considerably in lowering the stream bed, as freshes will have a much more telling scouring effect upon the sand and gravel. ' * * ' Consolidation of Bylaws. • / 1 Replying to a question 'from Councillor C. H. Chapman as to the progress of the consolidation of the city bylaws, the Mayor,' Mr. T.-C.-A. Hislop, said that the last report he had had was to tho effect that very considerable progress had been made, and'one portion was almost Teady. The City Solicitor said that the traffic bylaws were almost completed, but they wore waiting for the heavy traffic regulations. Milk, abattoirs, water, and drainage bylaws wore also almost completed, and pedlars and reserves could be gone on with. Building bylaws would be made for the whole Dominion by regulation if the Act went through. Enveloped in Flame. ISxtensivo burns about the front of his body were received, by Mr. L. B. Payne, married, aged 37, of Koru, on Tuesday, in an unusual' way, states a New Plymouth, correspondent. Mr. Payno had just completed cleaning his clothes with benzine and had taken out a'cigarette.' jAs he lit the cigarette fumes from his, clothes exploded and he was envelope^ in flame. The injured man was taken to the hospital, and his condition is very serious. Pigeon on Ship.)' With reference to ■ the paragraph in Wednesday's "Post" about a pigeon flying on board,'the steamer John when it was 25 miles 'north of New Plymouth, on Saturday night, and refusing to leave tho vessel, * Mr. W. J. Smith, assistant-secretary"' of the Potone Homing Pigeon Club, writes as follows: "No doubt the pigeon belongs to one of the Auckland clubs. The 'N.R.P.C on the ring stands for the Northern Racing Pigoon Club. Tho birds .often get blown off their course by strong winds. A Mr. Crowhurst, in Auckland, used to have a good few white birds, but no doubt soms other members may have some too. The white 'homer' is pretty raro, and most fanciers do not care for them, boing of1 the opinion that they are a bit soft for hard racing." i ■ ■ '