NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 13, 17 January 1933, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Eyo Struck by Pellet. An unusual accident befell Constable A. C. Shilton, of Rotorua, on Friday, (states the Hamilton correspondent of the "New Zealand Herald"). He was testing an air rifle when a pellet ricocheted from the target. The pellet struck the constable in the face and injured his right eye. It is not believed that he will lose the sight of th'c eye. Rounded Comers Needed. A suggestion is to be : made by the Petone Borough Council to the Shandon Golf Club that the entrance to the club's links from Jackson street be rounded off. A similar suggestion is to be made to the Hutt Park Committee regarding ono of the entrances to the park. "God Bless All Hikers!'^ . "We hear a good deal about hiking to-day," said the Governor-General when speaking at Hunterville. "Well, God'bless all hikers. My. fear during the past few years has been that if the whole of the population were going to take to vehicles they would have no opportunity, owing to their hasty progress, to admire'the works of Nature and that their limbs would start atrophying through lack of use; I hope that hiking will, be" encouraged." A Famous Carving. During the trip down the Wanganui Eiver of the Vice-Regal party on Friday the distinguished ; visitors called at Galatea to inspect the famous carved wharepuni, one of the test of its kind, in the Dominion (states the "Wanganui Herald"]). They were received by Parete Wereta, one of the chiefs of the Pautanui tribes. With the help of an interpreter, Their Excellencies learned that the carving was executed sixty-eight years ago. It was a- magnificent display of Maori art, and His Excellency wag so delighted that he took several photographs and was himself photographed in front of the building with Pareto Wereta. Lord Bledisloe remarked that it was a. great'pity that the wharepuni was not placed in the keeping of Wanganui City instead of being left in a now practically deserted pa. Some years vago the building fell into a state of disrepair, and a concrete foundation was placed under the walls. A Strange Sight. The heavy fog that came down over Wellington on Sunday was one' of the strangest sights for a long time. Trampers returning from tlie Wainui • Valley and Butterfly Creek, beyond Eastbourne, on reaching tlie top of the last range of hills were confronted with a solid carpet of mist. Borne on a light southerly breeze, the fog was swept up the valleys, poured ovpr the hilltops .'like a heavy liquid, rolling down to the lower levels in broad rivers. In the basin of Port Nicholson the fog gathered until it commenced to escape in tho manner described. Distant peaks across the harbour stood' out like.islands on which' the sun shone in tints of red and gold. On the hill-tops it was fine. On the lower levels nothing but indistinct outlines could be seen beyond, a quarter of a mile. Finding It Too Hot. The smart uniforms of Wellington's traffic officers may be pleasing to the eye, but in very hot weather they are not very comfortable for the wearer, being too close-fitting.. Tho peaked cap, too, affords little protection from the sun on the back of the neck. The chief inspector, Mr. L. S. Drake, was waited upon yesterday by a deputation of the men concerned, who suggested some alteration to give greater comfort on hot days. The proposals put forward, were rather in the line of Americanising the uniform, by substituting an open-necked shirt for the present tunic and a belt in lieu of braces. Although these proposals did not meet with, an altogether favourable reception, probably some alteration will be made to meet the trying conditions of point duty when the1 thermometer is fluctuating at about 80 degrees in the shade. Rare Maori Gifts. At Jerusalem on Friday, Her Excellency Lady Bledisloe was the recipient of a piu pia and the Governor-General received a taniko, which can be used either as a belt or sash ■ (states the "Wanganui Herald")., This is a Tare gift, one of the gems of Maori art, and took months to weave. At Eanana His Excellency received another .taniko in. the form of a vest. The making of these articles'is kept more or less a secret, and there are few Maoris to-day who are skilled in this class of work. ','"'.■-■.■■' Progress in New Zealand. "I am astonished at the great strides that have been made in New Zealand in so short a time in bringing the amenities of the best civilisation to the great mass of the people. In England it took more than 900 years to bring the people of the town and of tho country to their present condition —New Zealand, in less than 90 years, seems to have achieved results more satisfactory than has England." These were the opinions of Mr. J. L. Tattersall, of. Manchester,, formerly a director of the Lancashire Cotton Corporation, Ltd., and a. former Liberal member of Parliament, iarrived in • Christchurch on Thursday in the course of a tour of New Zealand, (states 'the "Press"). Of course, if you ask me to talk in detail about. New Zealand and to ,say what I think of the country, I must answer that I have been in Christchurch only ten hours and in New Zealand two' days^ so that it would not be right for me to. speak of details," remarked Mr. Tattersall.. "At the same time I must , say that it is pleasing to hear once more the soft English tongue, especially as I have just come from Australia." Cyclists on Bitumen. Motorists" complain that a practice has become prevalent among cyclists, particularly during the last fortnight, of riding on the bitumen on the Hutt road, and «specially after dark,' in many instances without lights. This is a double contravention of the regulations, as cyclists must keep to the asphalt track provided for them. A case in point was mentioned to a "Post" reporter to-day. Last night, at about 10 o'clock, a motorist going p,t his usual pace saw what he took to bo a dark object on the road some distance ahead. Not being able to make out what it was, he slowed down to ten miles an hour, and then saw just ahead of him a faint red light, which, was that of a bicycle on which was a man and a girl. Had he not slowed down and taken the care he did, he considers it certain that he. would have run into them, probably with serious results not only to them but to himself later. He considers that the inspectors controlling the Hutt road would confer a benefit on motorists if they saw that the regulations were observed in this respect. Plays and the Church.' N In England there is a revival of the drama in the Church, according to Dame Sybil Thorndike, who gave a very interesting address to . AngloCatholics in Christchurch (states the " Christchurch Times"). She said that the art by which she earned her living was cradled in the Church. Before the Reformation there was no church that did not have plays. Serious drama and the problem plays came from the Church and were performed for the benefit and uplift of the people. Churches in England were now being used for the performance of plays, with London as the kernel of the movement. At St. Anna's, Soho, the play "Good Friday" had been performed. She was very pleased at the growth of church plays.