NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 64, 17 March 1933, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Cycles on Hutt Road. .On the motion of Councillor W. Ajppleton, the City Council last night decided to delete from the Hutt Road bylaw the provision that cyclists must have white mudguards, and also the prohibition of a speed for cyclists above 15 miles per hour. A Hare in Willis Street. '■■■''. Strange tilings are sometimes seen in the city, but the sight of a frisky young hare, hopping along the roadway in Willis Street at half-past one in the morning surprised two people recently. Cats are often seen curled up in the middle of the tramlines in. the early hours of the morning in the heart of the city, but a hare is unusual. Bullock Runs Amuck./ Excitement was caused at the Prankton saleyard on Tuesday (states a special service message from Auckland)' when a three-year-old Polled Angus' bullock charged the side of the pen in which it was yarded. Tho blow caused three men who were standing on the rail to fall. Mr. L. Pettit, an auctioneer, was injured in the legs, while Mr. W. Dinnis, a cattle buyer, had his face severely bruised. Several others were.slightly injured. The animal jumped several fences and caused those in the vicinity to run for safety. After reaching the road it made off in tho direction of the Hamil-ton-West Cemetery at W.hitiora, where it . was eventually cornered and quietened. No Friday Collections. ' The AVcllington Returned Soldiers' Association has made application to the City Council for permission to hold a Friday street day, 'and the Mayor (Mr. T. C. A. Hislop) expressed himself at last night's meeting of the council as favourably disposed towards' the request. Councillor W. Duncan said that- the council had already decided that no street' collections should be made on Fridays, and, the council must abide by, that decision. Mr. Hislop said that to put the matter in order he would move that permission should be granted for a Friday collection, but there was no seconder. Accordingly permission was not given. Additions to Hamilton Cathedral. A tender has been accepted--for the erection of additions to St. Peter's Cathedral, Hamilton (states an Auckland special service telegram). The additions will include a new bell tower 17ft square and 56ft high, and a choir vestry, to be built on the south side of the present structure. A peal of eight bells will eventually be installed in the tower, but at present only the tenor bell, weighing one ton, will be placed in position. This bell is now on its way to ,New Zealand from England. The existing entrance porch on the west end of the cathedral will be removed, and a baptistry, entrance, and memorial chapel will be' built. "The eosf~of the additions will he defrayed principally from a bequest of £3000 left by the late Miss Annie McPherson, of Hamilton, five years ago. Street Meetings. Permission was granted the Wellington Labour Representation Committee by the City Council last night to' hold street meetings in connection with the forthcoming municipal elections at localities approved by the City Traffic Department. Tho localities will .be similar to those granted in 1931, and the permission is subject to the approval of the Police Department. Tramway Concessions Declined. Representations were Tccently made by tlie R.S.A. to the : Tramways Committee of the City Council that another concession should be granted to incapacitated returned soldiers, but the requests' have been declined. The association asked that the granting of tramway passes to men who had lost a leg should be extended to those who had lost an arm, that the passes should bo made available to men living in the Hutt Valley, Eastbourne, and Johnsonvillc as well as to residents of 'Wellington, and- that, with respect [to the charge of £5 per annum for passes issued to. men whose incomes exceed £300 per aiuium, the soldiers' pension should be excluded when assessing the income. The council will give further consideration to the last request in six months' time. Helping Justices. In jocular vein, a member of the Honorary Justices' Association for Wellington and district, at the annual meeting last evening, read the following extract from the annual report: "Some of our members have personally taken discharged prisoners in hand and purchased boots, food, etc, for themselves, wives, and children." The chairman (Mr. A. Longmore), " amid general laughter, explained that tho suggestion that members had purchased goods for themselves was due to a printer's error, and the extract referred to aid for prisoners. "In any case it's all right," he said.

Beer Import Duty. Tho Gazette issued last' evening contains an Order in Council reducing the British preferential tariff on ale, beer, porter, and eider from 3s to 2s a gallon, and also exempts from surtax beer and ale from various British Dominions. Soccer on Basin Reserve. The City Council has granted the Wellington. Football Association the use of the Basin. Reserve for Saturday afternoon play (luring tho winter, subject to the association making a cash payment of £iOO,- the council to collect 15 per cent, of the gross gate and 50 per cent: of tho gross stand takings. St. Patrick's Day. Flags flying from public buildings today are an outward sign of the celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Banks are closed, but quite a number of other people besides bank officers have taken advantage of the perfect weather to indulge in a holiday and go to the races at Trentham. Another large crowd will be out at the Rongotai aerodrome late this afternoon to welcome the arrival of the Southern Cross. The Irish national concert in the Town Hall tonight will, as is always the case, prove to be a powerful magnet for those with sympathies towards or blood-ties with the Emerald Isle. The Overlapping Section. Some time ago an overlapping tramway section was created between Thorndon Railway Station and Johnston Street with the object .of endeavouring to induce suburban railway passengers to use the trams, but it was decided that cash fares (2d). must apply. Last night the City Council, on the recommendation of the Tramways Committee, agreed that a trial should be made for six months of a special concession ticket (Is 6d for twelve rides) available between Thorndon Station ana the G.P.0., as well as to Johnston Streets By arrangement with the Railway Department the tickets may be purchased at the railway station. Caught the Wrong Boat. The Maori names of the ferry steamers running from Wellington to Lyttelton and # Nelson so confused Mft S. F. Markham, a former member of the House of. Commons, that- he set out for Nelson and found himself heading for Lyttelton (states the " Christchurch Times")- Mr. Markham intended to catch the Arahura for Nelson and later visit Christchureh, but his inability to pronounce Maori names caused him to direct his taxi-driver to "the ferry." Without further inquiry the taxi-driver took; Mr. Markham to the Rangatira, and it was not until the vessel had left the wharf and was heading for Cook Strait that the English visitor discovered he was on the wrong ship. As a result, he haa now had to rearrange his tour and his visit to Nelson has been postponed. Gold Export Duty. An Order in Council published in the Gazette exempts from export duty imposed under the Gold Duty Act certain articles Of gold plate, jewellery, ' or ornaments. The gold articles exempt from the special duty arc:—Bona fide* heirlooms which have become the property of some person outside New Zealand; or gifts sent abroad by some person resident in New Zealand; or household effects the property of some person leaving New Zealand to reside abroad permanently, and which have been in use in the household of that person or of his family for a period of at. least twelve months. Dust in Bolton Street. The dust nuisance in Bolton Street was alluded to by Councillor ■C. H. Chapman, M.P., ,at the City Council meeting last night. He suggested that some permanent form of paving would mitigate it. The Mayor (Mr. T. C. A. Hislop) agreed that the nuisance was great, but said that tho matter was under consideration by the Works' Committee and would be duly reported upon. Eastern Suburbs Library. There have- been several proposals that a branch library should bo established to serve the eastern suburbs, but no great progress has been made. The question was mentioned at last night's meeting of the City Council, the Libraries Committee recommending that consideration should be given the proposal after the municipal elections. Art of ■ Interviewing Ministers. _ Little benefit results from individuals singly interviewing Ministers of the Crown on important questions of the day, according to a view expressed by Mr. J. D. McMillan at a meeting held in Auckland this week to discuss the gravity of tho industrial situation. In pleading for the establishment of a representative organisation to innuence "the' powers that be," states the "New Zealand^Herald," Mr. McMillan said a lone voice was never heard by those in authority. "If you go alone to a Minister,""he said, "the Minister will shake hands with you, ho will give you 20 minutes, and then he. will say good-bye." (Laughter.) Tax on Motor Vehicles.' The fact that a motor vehicle vajued at £200 in England was liable for taxes totalling £100 by the time it was on the road in New Zealand was quoted by Mr. P. G. Farrell at a meeting of tho council of tho Auckland Automobile Association as an instance of the extremely heavy taxation on motor vehicles, states the'"New Zealand Herald." Ho said that the sum of £100 consisted solely of duty; exchange, and sales tax, and did not include freight, packing, or insurance. Getting Used to Them. A good story, with a moral, about the Hawke's Bay earthquake was told by Mr. Stanley Natuseh during the course of his lecture last night. Early in 1931 two English girls arrived in New Zealand, he said. They had come to teach in a big school in Hawke's Bay. Tho summer term had not yet begun and the two new teachers were filling in the morning of February 3 by gardening. Suddenly they were thrown off their feet, the ground rocked alarmingly, chimne3's fell, buildings groaned and the very earth cried out. Comprehension came: it was an earthquake, and still unable to stand up one girl said to the other, "I suppose we shall have to get used to this sort of thing!" That, remarked Mr. Natuseh, may have shown fear of the unknown, but it showed too a determination to overcome, not merely to acquiesce in, or put up with, circumstances as they are. "Now, our circumstances are that wo live in a country liable to earthquakes, and wo have 'got to get used' to them. We shall,do that better by being always prepared for. them," said Mr. Natuseh. Nucleus Earthquake Organisation. When lecturing last night about the Hawke's Bay earthquake, Mr: Stanley Natuseh said that, summed up in the main, the people acted magnificently. "The measures taken to meet the situation were efficient, and could have been bettered only if nucleus ' organisations had,been in readiness beforehand for such ah emergency," he said. "I commend the movement to form such organisations in Wellington, and hop© it will spread throughout the country. I was not in Napier on the day of the big shake—the opening performance, so to speak. I arrived next day. My first impression was, 'How extraordinarily like war; a scene after a major attack.' The buildings wore wrecked as by a heavy bombardment. The spirit of the people nras 'the same, they were badly shaken, but their "morale was not broken,".