NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 52, 2 March 1934, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Approaches to..Boys'.college. J■',/•".".. r\Cei;tain-;.WQr.ks ; are : -.under ■ consideration by-the'Board of Governors 'of the' Wellington Colleges for the" improvement, of tho approaches to the Boys' College. At yesterday's meeting of.the board tho chairman (Mr. G. Mitchell) said that it was;hoped to bituminise the approaches and also to extend the main sports ground on the .western side so that the angle in the 220 yards running trade would be made less acute. No Penalty Remission. ~ No local body in the Dominion /is empowered to forgo the 10 per cent, penalty incurred on overdue rates struck during the current rating year, 1933-34, according to statements made at a meeting of the Mount Roskill Road Board, the "New Zealand Herald", reports.- The chairman of the finance committee (Mr, A: T. O'Donnell) reported that no.'provision'for the remission, of .penalties on-'rates' levied- in 1933-34 had been made by, Parliament. '' Whether the omission Was an inn ocent one it is difficult to say," said Mr. O'Donnell. "The matter is of vital' interest to local bodies. 'The omission represents only a small; section tucked away in the Act, and it is possible that some, authorities might bo unaware of the position." ' College Laboratories/: . ,:; ;•' .Advice was-received from" the, Education Department at,yestbrday's meeting of the Board of Governors of the Wellington Colleges 'that a grant had been approved. to /cover tlioV-cost <of erecting a laboratory block at the-Ron-gotai Boys' College, whjch'would comprise two laboratories. i'r-in a: detached wooden building^ The'grant would include, the cost of converting tho present, temporary, laboratory into.a classroom.. The Wellington Education Board is being' asked'to allow its architect to carry out the, work, t A request from the! principal of. Wellington College (Miv W. A. Armour) that'^additional laboratory space should be provided at that college met with the reply that,, owing to 'the shortage of funds, tho presoiit accommodation would have ,to. suffice for the present.' Private Enterprise Supported. A decision to continue the practice of haying its printing and stationery supplied by private firms under the tender system was made by the Board of Governors of 'the Wellington Colleges yesterday at. its monthly meoting. The question was raised as the.result of a letter from the Government Printing Office advising that. the" necessary supplies could be obtained from :tliat office. The chairman (Mr. 'G. 'Mitchell) said that'he was; not :4h:-favour tiee,. since it was the business; people of a departure from the- previous -prae-' who were called upon to pay the rates and taxes. '• Fire Brigade Numbers. : Iv order that alarms of fire by telephono shall be given with as. little delay as possible, the Auckland Metropolitan Fire Board is .anxious to have "stickers" bearing" brigade telephone numbers placed on all telephones in the district, states the .'.'Now Zealand Herald," but at a meeting "of the board on. Thursday adyiee was received from ithe district/ telegraph/ engineer that.' the Post "and Telegraph-' Department, could■;not agree1 to "stick--e'rs'' being affixed on: telephones. The chairman said that at one time cards bearing fire.'brigade.'telephone; numbers were."printed and placed;:beside telephones. "These cards,however, wore away very easily, and were liable to get lost.*-. The suggested'-f'3tickers"; would; bo.in tho form of'transfers; which-would take.a long .time.-i.to-; wear away, and; they could easily^be, washed off should' the Post and Telegraph , Department, desire to remove a-.telepnpne to an area outside' thov district, served, by. the board. Tho matter was .left .to, the .chairman to^take what further steps he might consider, fit. ' " .■: Ragwort .Menace. Criticism of what was termed "the Government's inactivity in coping with the Tagwort-menace was expressed at a meeting this week of the Te Awamutu branch of the Farmers' Union, states tho "New-Zealand Herald." It was contended that season after season the- Minister made an announcement which led farmers to expect that tho Government would recogniso the menace as a national matter, or that sodium chlorate—the use of which was the best means of eradicating the pcst —would be imported by the Government, but farmers found, when tho proper season was almost at hand, that the Government had no such: intention. .; In consequence, the-job of clearing'the. weed had been delayed. Resolutions were passed that tho branch was in favour of giving the control pf ragwort extermination to local bodies, but was opposed to the raising ■of the necessary funds by striking a rate, because of the neglect of timely work on Ci-owii and Native lands;- that funds,for this purposo should be provided by the State; and that primarilyI.the Government should bring about .a reduction in the price of sodium chlorate. Improvements at Wigram. . Wigram Aerodrome, as a.result of improvements''carried" out by the: Public Works Department and the" Unemployment' Board, is now one of.,tho.finest artificially-constructed aerodromes in the world, -with better approaches and a bigger area than/have most, military aerodromes in Britain. As far as size, and surface are. cQiicernedj-it should now meet'the requirementsVof the cbun.try for many. y;ea'Ts.,to.;cpme,' 'says, the "Christchurch -Press."'. The Canter-bury-Aero Club has its hangars at the end of this' ground, which enables the machines to take off and land without inconveniencing: service machines.. Runways are "uow.ai-ailablo for ".all sizes of machines^.'.to land and take.off in any wind,, except- for exceptionally. . lug aeroplanes" with" liesavy. loads." Though it is apjjwxently .flat,' the^surla'ce'pj-tli.c aerodToniq, slopes'."gently, to!,allow of. drainage; 'Wigram Aerodrome! which is the only training centre in New Zealand, has first-rate facilities for refresher courses, and as many as a dozen machines can operate from it at the same- time. Though the -Aero Club uses the ground in. the meantime, tho Government has yet to announce its policy concerning tho--relation-of com-, mereial aviation with,"the! ground. ■ Tt is" considered, \iriliknly. that, commercial concerns will be allowed to use the ground, for any length of time. It seems inevitable, therefore, that Christchurch will have to secure a .municipal nirport.

Naval.Ratings. -.: . . . Regulations dealingwitlr extra allowances and passages, of .Imperial ratings in the New Zealand Division of tho Royal. Navy were announced in the Gazette last evening. Men loaned from the Imperial Service are entitled to free passages from and. to tho "United Kingdom, but this right will bo forfeited: (1) When permitted to return to tho United Kingdom before, expiration .of...the:; period for; which loaned— e.g., in cases of urgent private affairs, or on discharge free or by purchase; (2) when permitted to transfer to the New Zealand Division;'.(3) when finally discharged in New Zealand at. own request; (4) by desertion, if not recovered or not claimed. Wool Prices, Mutton Prices. The recent increase in the price of mutton, and. "its effect. on the provision of "winter nieat "rations for those in distress was mentioned at a'meeting of. the Christchurch Metropolitan.Relief Association by ,the honorary director- of. the central relief: depot . (Mr. T.. 11. Cape-Williamson), says " the '.Christchurch ""Times!" "." The. need for" meat would be an urgent one, said Mr. CapeWilliamson. ■. Sheep, w.eie. now too "dear, to .buy: '. He.had'been advjscd..to buybeef now, as many farmers7-we'rel'g.iving up their herds.. The Rev. P.;.R'evell observed that..the wages'tax -was ex ? pected to X ring iri. more than the';fpur; and a half millions expected 6f.it. There might be "some help in that direction. Mr. G. Harper said that farmers were not selling sheep but retaining them for wool growing. ", Modern. Access to Pas.';.-. With the advent of the metalled road a new era had dawned with unexpected suddenness for ; the inhabitants of the Maori pas. suchi as .Banana and Jerusalem, until ■■'recently- dependent solely on the river to'give them access, states the Wanga^iui''/Herald.'' Now motor-ears will;- daily-pass their doors, arid they will have^plenty-of facilities to move about. 'During "the summer time plenty, of. sightseers Twill" use this thoroughfare, which.is.'destinedito.become veiy popular. The' Maori .ripwhas the opportunity to tighten up.; his Kelt and forge., ahead tvu.th.the production of various) commodities for'sale, and it is pleasing to note, that; some of them are already striking /out in #this direction. '-.-•. . -.'; ■ -.', ■"'"'. •'. .-• . .. -.- ■■• ■•" ■ .' ' ■ ■].''. \: '- ' .-- ' Quality of New ; -Zealand Butter^ ,: "If I had to live--in ■'any.',.'-; country other .than. England, I wpuld choose New Zealand,' ' said .Mr. Stuart '; S. Knox, of London, general secretary to the Missions to Seanien, to a ".Christchurch Star" reporter: Mr. Eriox, who" has been visiting Missions in "Australia arid New Zealand, has, been 'impressed with the.beauty of New Zealand,'and particularly .'with, the courtesy: of ■'its people. Both Mr. and Mi-s; Knox "are great supporters of Empire; trade, and it is interesting, to note that in tlieir opinion New Zealand; butter.-is, with the exception of that made on farms from Jersey cow milk, easily the best obtainable in England.. 'In their opinion, it would bo a good thing if tariffs were imposed against Danish arid especially Soviet butter. Mrs. Knox stated that .a number of English' shopkeepers were surprisingly ignorant of the extent of the Empire. Oho had tried to- sell her goods purporting to be Empire grown; when in -reality they were from California. By customers, insisting .on Empire goods the shops soou stocked them, and oven pushed their sale she added. ■ Invitation to Lyttelton. In order to test the facilities -at Lyttelton, it was decided at the hist meeting of'the Port Chnstehureh League to request tho steamship companies concerned to provide that the iuxury liners on. world tours, such^fis tho Lu'rline and Franeoniaj 'should visit Lyttelton on future calls at New Zealand ports, • says- a Christchurch exchange. Speaking on the'subject, Dr. Thackor suggested that''the Mayor of Christchurch should: invite the touring steamers- ;to .'make: Lyttelto'tf' a port of call. If the shipping companies; 'replied to the effect that'the visit could not bo. entertained on account.- of r the prevailing conditions, at Lyttelton, 'their answer would be a-goo'd-argument in favour of. the proposed new port.. The president'-of'--Mie -''Port "■ Ghristchurch Leaguo (Mr. J;.Bongton)'V remarked that the South Island was practically unknown overseas, and that was due mainly to the fact that the commercial and shipping interests in the south were, not supporting projects for port developments...,-..-, .--... -':'.■ Former :■ Aucklanderls Death.. V V \ , r "A uian'"formerly'wel] known iii AuekV land/Mr.,,Tolm; L.'Benwell,-dicd recLnitly at Eagle, Rock,, California-. >'Tlie Star" says that"he fan'one pf -the first "mov-ing-picture plants in- Aucklandi- in, the •old Albert Hall, but it failed, arid after other ventures he started in Devonport. There a disastrous fire burnt; everything ,he had, but he surmourited his difficulties" and later built and successfully conducted the JVictoria Theatre in Victoria Road, Devonport. The day before .war broke out ho sold his theatre, intending to return to his home in the United States, but, considering the voyage unsafe, he . opened the Theatre Royal in Kingsland, doing most of the building with his own hands. In 1918 he sold out and returned to the United States, a rich man. He bought an oil well on the-famous Signal Hill, at Long Beach, California,, and from that built up a considerable fortune. Just recently, he droyc: into the side of an electric street car, and never fully recovered from his injuries. "Hitler Will Not Endure." "I don't think Hitler will endure," said Dr. Walter Williams, president of the World's Press Congress,, in an interview with the "Christchurch Times!" "He is a magnetic- personality, hot nearly so fearsome-looking as his photographs make him appear, but he is ruthless in crushing every idea and school of thought which does not coincide with his own. Persecution is not liniited .to the Jews, although that.is bad enough, in all conscience, ■' but is extended to all who do not see. eye to eye with-him. Four-fifths■of his:people a'rb behind him, but it, is the power of fear and not of affection..} Dr. Williams believes that when it comes to the test—when Hitler is una"ble.'to pro.--vide bread and cheese .for his own supporters;—his system will crash. Tho pendulum will probably swing -heavily in the- other direction, and the upshot might tie the restoration. of the monarchy. In Austria, also, Di-i Williams sees'.signs of the restoration of -the monarchy. . " ". -• ■ - " Removal of a Road.- ' -'.' ". v•= •v. ■ ... . How.a large part of a ..road' had. been dug up arid taken away'Jjy. the Christ-. church City Council to form, a "rdcreatiori'ground at Burwopd was;explained to - members of the' Waimairi County Council by a deputation '^representing the Belfast. Farmers'. TJiion, says'-the' "Times." ."Tlie members of "the deputation complained that- the CitycCouncil, in its ; for" spoil", had'-'dug'irp- a large part -of—-Harris-—.Boad, liaving taken, away the footpath and part of the road' that -had been formed by the county council. The deputation declared that it was doubtful if during tho winter property "owners along ..the road-would be able to get in and out. The chairman of' the council pointed out that soil had been removed .by the City Council from a'- number of roads in.-.tho .county, always,.:.. however, .improving them in the course :of-.the: work. Harris' Koad was an exception and in that case the Oily Council realised that too much of the road, had been removed and was prepared to take all possible steps to. restore if to--its--former condition.