NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 24, 30 January 1933, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Supreme Court Clean Up. Since the Christmas vacation cleaners have been at work in the. Supreme Court building, and the appearance of the two Courtrooms and the corridors suggests that little, if any, dust has escaped their attention. Tho flooring of tjho passage-ways has been treated with a special preparation. Inkwells are full on the Bar Benches, new pens are there, and when one or two carpets have been put down everything will be in readiness for the work of the year. A start with this is to be made on Wednesday morning, when the first quarterly sessions of the year are to open and the Tarrant appeal is to be heard. Both Courtrooms, therefore, will be occupied. ' Wife Writes off Husband's Debt. Arrears of maintenance totalling £540 wore remitted by Mr. Wyvern Wilson, 5.M.,. in the' Hamilton Police Court, when George Leslie Vivian was charged with failure to obey a maintenance order. The complainant, his wife, told the Magistrate that she wished the arrears to be forgotten. She- said she fully understood' the nature of her request,! and, added that as long as her husband paid her £1 a week, she was not concerned about the. £540 owed her. The. order with respect to the maintenance of the children was cancelled, and the defendant was ordered to pay £1 a week to his wife. The City of Cycles. "When in Christchurch •wo were greatly impressed with the: number of cycles to be found in the city," said a member of the Victorian farmers' party in Palmerston North, ' _nd on inquiry we ascertained there were 60,000 -machines there. We quite believed, the statement; but it would appear that they are equally popular in this city of yours. They are by" no means so common in Victoria." The Opossum Menace. The Auckland City Council on Thursday evening decided to support a proposal by the council of the Auckland Institute and Museum that the Department of Internal Affairs be urged to prevent the further spreading of opossums by withdrawing protection and prohibiting liberation of the animals until more definite and detailed information was' obtained regarding' their effect on forests and plantations (states the "New Zealand Herald"). The council, however, limited its endorsement to such action in respect of the North Island. Comet Reappears. .Geddes's Comet, which was discovered ;so long ago as last June; is still visible to New Zealand watchers (states the "N,ewv Zealand Herald"). On Thursday morning an Auckland astfonomer determined its position as right ascension , 15hr 16min ' SOsec, declination sdeg 50min. south, or 3deg north of the,star Beta Librae. The comet presents much the same appearance as when seen last July and August, th.c tenth magnitude nucleus, being surrounded by a roughly-circular coma perhaps a magnitude fainter and with a diameter of about l.mm. When discovered by Mr. Geddes, the comet lay near the southern celestial pole. It has subsequently moved steadily northward and was for some time lost be-' hind the sun. It has now become prominent in.the morning sky. As its distance from the earth is decreasing more rapidly than its distance from the sun is increasing, the comet's brightness may remain almost unaltered for some time' to come. It remains visible only telescopically. Norfolk Island Fruit. Something in the nature of a surprise packet was presented to Auckland fruit merchants on Friday, when the Burns, Philp steamer Morinda arrived from Norfolk Island with about 150 cases of Island bananas on board (states the "New Zealand: Herald"). Norfolk Island is under Australian administration, and as such its fruit comes under the embargo imposed by the New Zealand Government against Australia about two months ago. After the Morinda berthed the Customs officials refused to allow the fruit to be landed. The greater part of the shipment was consigned to one firm of Auckland fruit merchants, and a telegram was sent to the Customs Department in Wellington, explaining that a misunderstanding had apparently occurred at the,island and requesting permission for the fruit to be landed. The necessary permit was received later in the day and the shipment was discharged before the Morinda left od her return trip. On her last trip to Auckland the Morinda brought a considerable quantity of fruit, which was landed under special permit. The bulk of this fruit had been picked and packed before the announcement of the embargo, and had it not been landed the growers would have been involved in considerable* loss. y A Bush Haven. The beaches in the summer months claim thousands of city folk,: but they are not the only attraction for Wellington people seeking a day out of doors. Around Wellington there is still some wonderful bush, and lately these beauty spots have had many admirers. One of the finest motor drives to be had is that through the AJkatarawa Gorge to Waikanae and back Via Paekakariki. This is a long trip of something like 90 miles. For; those not wishing to drive so far and yet enjoy something of the Akatarawa bush and be able to boil the billy, what is popularly called the Campbell's mill road is a haven. Many motorists during the past few weeks have visited this peaceful, beautiful spot, where tuis and other native birds - sing in the thick towering green bush. It is reached by a turn to the left about three miles from the junction of the Akatarawa road with the main Hutt road. Along the Little 'Akatarawa there are many leafy picnicking places. The road, skirting a river suitable for swimming, is rather narrow, but'the bush is worth the drive. This spot has another virtue. Those who have been there claim that if the wind is blowing in town, the Little Akatarawa is the best place for a picnic.

Assistance to Ex-Soldiers. The adverse economic conditions have resulted in the submission of 830 applications for assistance during the year from ex-soldiers, disabled and fit, who had not previously asked for help, states the annual report of the Wellington War Relief Association. During 1931 the trustees controlling tho canteen an_ regimental trust fund decided to make available a grant of £1000 a month for an indefinite period for administration by the various returned soldiers' associations. This has been continued until 31st August, 1932, but was increased as from Ist September to £1500 a month, at which rate it is to continue until revised by the board. Flew the Southern Cross.. The enviable experience of being permitted to fly the famous monoplane Southern Cross for about 20 minutes on Friday afternoon on the-trip between Athenree and Auckland was enjoyed by the Rev. C. G. Scrimgeour, captain of the Auckland Aero Club, states the "New Zealand Herald." Mr. Scrimgeour has a pilot's licence, but previously he had handled only light aircraft. "It was the greatest flying experience I have ever had," Mr. Scrimgeour said when he arrived at Mangere" aerodrome. He added that the Southern Cross was beautiful to fly, although the wheel control was somewhat •strange to one who had been accustomed to the "stick" of a Moth. He enjoyed the experience thoroughly when he had become accustomed to the controls. The' Southern Cross, a tri^ motored Fokker monoplane, is equipped with dual control, the two pilots, or instructor and pupil, as the case may be, sitting side by side in the front of the enclosed cockpit.' ' Opossum in a House. An opossum which entered a house in Rewa road; Mount Roskill, Auckland, by way of the chimney during the absence on holiday of the .occupants did considerable damage in the .house before it died. It had made ' frantic efforts to escape - from the building (states the "New Zealand Herald"). The animal- had apparently raced around the picture rail in the drawingroom, scratching the wallpaper and smashing ornaments on the mantelpiece. In an attempt V get out of the house it had gnawed into a window ledge. Crockery was broken in the kitchen, sheets covering furniture were torn in shreds, and soot from the chimney was scattered in all directions. The place bore tho appearance of having been ransacked by burglars, but the discovery of the animal's body on-the floor fully explained what had happened. Mission Ship's Bell. The bell of the former Melanesian Mission steamer Southern Cross V, which is in the hands of shopbreakers, has been placed in the mission's museum at Mission Bay (states the "New Zealand Herahl."). There were several claimants for the. bell, but the purchasers of the steamer decided that the museum was the most appropriate resting-place for it. The bell was a presentation one, but the inscription has been obliterated by, the, continual striking of .the outside -with a beater, the clapper having been lost. The bell bears the date 1903, the year in which the steamer was built."