NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 1, 2 January 1932, Page 10

NEWS OF THE DAY

More Sharks. While swimming off the Muritai beach one evening recently a young man had his attention drawn to a shark which was breaking the water about twenty yards from tho shore. The water was particularly calm at the time, although few people were bathing. From a point on the sand-hills about a quarter of a mile from the youth several people had been watching the shark chasing smaller fish, and they lost ao time in raising an alarm. From the beach the .visitor appeared about six f«et long. Several sharks were seen last evening playing in one of the sheltered bays near the Pencarrow lighthouse. A lost Dinner. An unusual instance of petty thieving is reported from the Home of Aged Needy at Wellington South. On Thursday evening two legs of mutton, intended for the New Year's dinner of the inmates of the Home, were placed in a ventilated container outside the kitchen. When the container was opened yesterday morning it was found that the meat had been stolen. > The Bhops being closed for tho holiday, tho meat supply for dinner could, not be replaced in the ordinary way. Other arrangements were made, however, so that the residents did not go without their dinner. "No Ticket, No Collar." A. visitor from Christchurch to Greymouth got into a quandary—all over a collar! Ho discovered 'that ho was minus a clean collar, and that ho had also lost the laundry ticket which would enable him to secure his neckwear. Bemembering that a friend had shown him the way to a Chinese laundry, he set out to locate the friend but failed. Then ho got another friend to sp.company him on a tour of the laundries run by Chinese, but he was not recognised, and it was a case of "no ticket, no collar," one son of China blandly remarking, "Other follow pick up ticket, get collar. You losem!" However, as one humorist said, the visitor would probably lose his shirt at the races, and would thereforo have no use for a collar!.

"First-Footing." Although possibly it has lost some of its okl-timo popularity, "first-foot-ingl' still ha 3 its devotees. In the city and suburbs, after the New Year bad been ushered in in traditional manner, no doubt many "dark men" crossed thp thresholds of the houses of their friends and relations, with some offering in their hands, to bring good luck for thp next twelve months. Pohutukawa Blooms. Covered with scarlet blossom, the plot of pohutukawa trees at the back of the tramway waiting sheds in Courtenay place provide a splendid touch of colour at present. Blooms are also beginning to appear on the top of the trees near the band rotunda < in thp Botanical Gardens, giving added beauty to this pleasant summer retreat. At Lowry Bay there are also some fine pohutukawas along the fence line of Sir Francis Bell's residence, and these, with their wealth of red blossom, have attracted considerable. notice during the past few days. . . • : : Poor Fishing. ; ■•'■ : ■ Fishermen hauling off the Muritai and Rona Bay beaches have, been having a lean time lately;; On several occasions the nets have been brought' in with nothing to show but a large amount of seaweed. Harbour fishing on the whole has not been particularly productive up to the present, though better results have been ;obtained outside the Heads. Set-nets and long-lines have caught a fair number of moki, schnapper, and kahawai, but the, trevalli and kingfish of recent years have not yet made their appearance. Fishermen are hoping that the warm'weather will bring them into the harbour in greater quantities during January. ,■ - ; A "Dashing" Bridegroom. A bridegroom whose bride-to-be was under age had an exciting time in making a dash from Christchureh last week to a mining district on the West Coast to obtain the signature of tho bride's father to a consent order, reports tho Greymouth "Star." The ceremony was arranged for Thursday, and on the Tuesday afternoon the bridegroom decided' that the only course was to -make the journey. He obtained the assistance of a. dirt-track rider to catch the only available train at a distant ' station; and, after travelling by motor-cycle, train, and taxi, found the father in a West Coast mine. No time was lost in getting the signature, but; in tho meantime, the'ibiis that would connect with the train for Christchureh; had left. The bridegroom covered the 15 miles on foot, caught the train, and arrived in Christchureh on Thursday morning. "TJbiquo." While infantry regiments on ceremonial parade, can carry their colours bearing the records of past achievements, the artillery and the engineers have; no such striking insignia to catch the public oye, states the "Christchurch Press." Tho reason for this was explained by Major A.:B. Williams, who said that there was really only one regiment of artillery—so that while a regiment could specify its claims to battle honours won in particular engagements, there was no battle fought anywhere at which the artillery was not represented. Tho same "conditions applied to the engineers, who were formerly a part of the artillery. So it was that these two, though; possessing no colours; had, . instead a motto — "TJbique," meaning "everywhere." Not Ogres. "A bank manager is not an ogre," said Mr. John McGibbon,, manager . of the Christchurch branch of the Bank of New Zealand, on Wednesday (reports the "Christchureh Times"). "I have had people say to me, 'I dreaded this interview, but it has not been\half as bad as I expected.' " The conscientious bank manager, continued Mr. McGibbon, should get. to know the business, and even the private affairs of his customers. He should bs a human being and not an official. Unless he was sympathetic and friendly with his customer, he could not get that knowledge of him which was essential in business. Holiday Campers. Many holiday-makers . have pitched their camps in the numerous small bays to the south of Eastbourne, and during the past fortnight nearly forty tents have been erected at intervals along the beach towards the Pencarrow lighthouseJ Tents of all descriptions are pitched beneath sheltering trees, and while in some cases the motor-caravan is preferred, two or three parties have been satisfied with a mere.awning to shelter them. These felt the full force of the recent northerly. The fact that there are numerous fresh water springs near the beaches has induced many campers to vonturo well round the coast two and- three miles from Rona Bay. Several parties have taken boats with them for fishing, and one party with a set-net regularly supplies breakfast for their neighbours. Sixteen tents are pitched in what is commonly known as "Tip Bay,", and the remainder are' scattered at intervals -down to the Heads, in some cases necessitating over an hour's walk to reach Rona Bay. Pests Ravage Crops. Swarms of brown beetles, and in some cases a small fly, are destroying acres of rape, mangels, and swedes in the; Wai-mate-.district (states the "Christchureh Press "J. In some instances they have ruined grass and clover pastures,'while the "night-bee" has stripped the foliage from root crops. So far as can be ascertained at present, the fly is doing most damage in the Waikakahi-Morven area, although it is .quite possible that in casej where the drought has "been blamed for the'failure of rape and turnips the fly is the real cause, for only a close inspection of tho plant reveals the damage. The beetles, although not confined to these districts, appears to be doing a lot of damage- there. A number of specimens illustrating the damage done by the fly were shown to a representative of the."Press" by a Waikakahi .Valley farmer. . These were small plants, with a leaf about one and a half to two inches in length—-swedes, rape, and mangels. The fly had. attacked them on the ground level, in most cases eating right into the fibrous centre—completely "--..lng-barking" the plant. - The leaves were untouched, and appeared quite healthy, but, of course, would wither away very soon.