NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 142, 17 June 1932, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

New Tramway Agreement.

The Wellington tramway award has now .expired, and last evening the City Council gave authority for the submission of draft claims' to the' Tramways Union and for negotiations to be conducted with" a view to reaching a new agreement. Conscience Money Received. ' Several sums forwarded by unknown persons as conscience money to tlie Government are acknowledged by the Secretary to the Treasury in last night's "Gazette."> They are as follows:— £2 forwarded to the Land and Income Tax.Department; £20, £2, £1, and 63 forwarded to the Bailway Department: and 8d forwarded, to the Post and Telegraph Department. Kauri's Remarkable Growth. Bcmarkable growth has been shown, by a kauri tree in Pukekura Park (New Plymouth), says the "Tjiranaki Daily. News." When the tree was planted in August, 1915, it was 18 inches high. When, the superintendent (Mr. T..Horton) measured it this week it was 39ft 10in high and 121 in in diameter. Revaluation Refused. Tlie refusal of a Pate'a County Council deputation's request for a revaluation ■of the county was reported to a meetings of tho council by tho chairman (Mr.,W. G. Belton), ,who headed-the visit to the Valuer-General. "We wero given a sympathetic hearing," he explained, "but were told that it was impracticable at' the present time. If a revaluation of this county were carried out, we wore told, overy county in New Zealand would be socking one. The Valuer-General informed us that ho hoped to reopen tho question, but if anything wero done it would prpbably be only- back-country properties that would be covered." It was explained, says the "Taranaki Daily News," that at the last revaluation-jnl92Bthe £260 paid by the county had been but a third of the (ictual cost-for-the work-in'the .county. Opening of Swan Season. Any fears- that" tho non-mdlcstation of swans during the first part of the shooting season.would mako thorn extremely tame for the opening of the season wero set at rest when "sportsmen commenced yesterday morning. The* swans woro flying high within a, very short time. About 150 shooters congregated at Oparua and To Opai, whero tliore are lagoons on tho cast side of Wairarapa Lake." Many obtained good bags, and at least twenty parties took the limit of flvo swan. The Foot of the Rajnbow. Optimism is delightfully refreshing in these days, and the request of Mr. B. Alejfander to the City Council last night for the privilege of prospecting for gold at Houghton' Bay caused mild wonderment'amongst councillors, who were in the/ thick of the disagreeable but unavoidable task of shortening sai-ai-les in order' to avoid further dismissals. It was stated that tho application would have to go before the Warden's Court, and lest damage to council property might ensue, it was decided that the city should be represented at the Court. Further particulars of the intentions of tho goldseeker arc to be obtained by the Towa Clerk.

Kaponga Wreck. No attempt is to be made to salvage the steamer Kaponga, as it is considered that the work would be too costly _ (says the Greymouth "Star"). The ship therefore remains at the north tiphead to be broken iip by >the sea. The foremast is still standing, but it is likely that the next heavy sea will bring it down. Unless it can be swung by the wire rope now attached to it from the Cobden side, the foremast will be deposited into the channel. The deckhouse has -been rooted up by the seas, which have also stripped the captain's cabin. The derrick guys. have broken loose, and with these, swinging they must spring the masts. It appears as though the ship has moved slightly iip on the north tiphead, and the stern has moved round in. a more northerly direction, with the bow settled further into the water. Cheating, the Landlord. The discovery by an Auckland land* lord that his tenants had chopped down his washhouse and usei it for firewood is said to be by no means' an isolated example of a form of vandalism from which many property owners are suffering at the present time (states the "New Zealand Herald"). The pilfering of electric light bulbs and fittings, the removal of load pipes, curtain, rods, window blinds, door knobs, and gas stoves, and neglect to replace broken window-panes and cupboard doors are dome of the ways in which unscrupulous tenants endeayonr to cheat their landlords. What, for instance, can a landlord do when- he finds that his tenant has disappeared with all the flowers, shrubs, and hedge plants in his garden? That happened at a house a month or two ago. The landlord, ruefully regarding, the stripped flower beds, angrily upbraided the tenant when he eventually located him. "Well, all I can say is the garden was intact when I left it,'* returned the tenant. "It must have been the neighbours." And that was as far as the landlord ever got. "The disappearance of electric light bulbs is the most frequent cause of annoyance and expense which landlords have to suffer," said an Auckland land agent. "Cases are sometimes reported to me of houses being absolutely stripped of bulbs." The New. KeUgion. ■ "Why has Association football gone down in popular estimation since the war?" was a question asked at a meeting of "Soccer" old-timers (states the Christehnreh "Press"). , Members volunteered various explanations! One said that he remembered one Association match, at Lancaster Park before the war, when there was an attendance of 3000 people to see an ordinary club match. 'In nis opinion the Bugby Union had learnt to cater for the public. Eugby had become not so much a game as- a ■ religion. Other old-timers present blamed the secondary schools for much of. the. defection from; the ranks of Association. ; Boys were not permitted to play any other game than Bugby at the secondary schools, it was stated. Another member expressed the Opinion that a change of spirit in the Association code since the war had lost the game many adherents. Spectators had been disgusted at the behaviour of players on the field. , It was generally' agreed, however, that, thanks to the activities of the Beforees' Association, quite a high standard of "Soccer" was at present being, played. Melanesian Mission. It is announced in the May number of "The Southern' Cross Log" that the new Southern Cross' will be launched at Messrs. Samuel White's shipyard at East Cowes on 22nd June. The ceremony will be performed by the Viscountess Bridgeman after a short service conducted by the Bishop of Portsmouth. The ship- is to\be -.dedicated by the Archbishop' of t Canterbury^ , at Westminster' Pier, Thames, Embankment, on. 20th July, on the afternoon of which, day the annual meeting of the- Molanesian Mission will take place at Church House, London. The London representatives of the Melanesia! Mission are_ making an appeal for gifts of many kinds, to be sent out to.the mission .by the new ship. .An anony-mous-giff ot £155 has been made fop an Jbeatre at the . JPau'abu Hospital,'in memory of the late Thomas Pugh' Beddoos,, F.B.C.S.' The Eev. L. Lambert; Boctor of Stafford, has offered tho mission a motor launch, for uso in the Banks Islands. Campaign Against Poachers. Poaching of game and trout in the Stratford Acclimatisation Society's district is perturbing the society, and at a meeting thig week steps were taken to establish' a fund to meet the expenses of suppressing poaching, reports the "Taranaki Daily News.", A recommendation from the annual , meeting that a tag be attached to fishing and shooting licences 'asking members- to make donations to the f und'was adopted. A member of the executive considered that the Department of Internal Affairs should assist the society. The Department, he said, laid down all manner of regulations and expected the societies to enforce them without financial aid. The chairman (Mr. A. E. Hunter) remarked, that the Wellington Society, with two paid rangers costing £763, had not been able, to eliminate poaching.