NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 109, 10 May 1934, Page 10

NEWS OF THE DAY

The late Mr. Maasey.

Today is the- ninth anniversary o£ the death of the Et. Hon. William Ferguson Massey. The late Mr. Massey assumed office on July 10, 1912, and was Prime Minister until the time of his death. Peace and History. How were we going to', have peace in the world if we did not know anything of the history of other countries, asked Mr. L. J. "Wild, principal of the Feilding- Agricultural High School, when addressing one of the educational conferences yesterday. He suggested that there was something more in the world than the British Empire and that history: study should not bo confined to British history1 only. There were factors in the modern world, ho added, Such as the. screen, radio, and newspapers, which might be mado far more use of in education than they were at present.' Trout Scale Tests. WUilo in Christchurch on Tuesday, said the chairman of the AVellirigton Acclimatisation Society (Dr. G. IV V: Anson) at last night's meeting of the society, he and Mr. Wiffin had visited the Central Fish Research Committee, and had brought up the question of the branch, of tho Waikanac, which, is being closed for two years. A great deal of interest was taken by the committee in these closed waters, and the hope was expressed that ful; advantage would be taken of the experiment. It was decided that the fish committee should confer with the ranger in regard to obtaining scales from fish in this branch early in the trapping season,, and at a later period, so that any improvement in condition could be noted. Postponement of Soccer. "I don't think we got1 any ridicule last Saturday. It was .the other way round," said Mr. J. M. Coleman at the meeting of tho management committee of tho Wellington Football Association last night when a letter was received from tho Stop Out Club protesting against tho postponement of Association matches last Saturday, and expressing "the opinion that as Soccer got its, fair share of ridicule such a decision as last Saturday's was not in tho best interests of the. game. The chairman of tho management committee (Mr. W. B. Hicks) pointed out that the .postponement of games was a very difficult thing to decide, and said that- in any case it was wise to postpone them last Saturday. Other members of the committee drew attention to the facts that two or three grounds could not be- used and that the great majority of players were well pleased with the decision. Overcrowded Department. During, the past year there was an estimated total attendance in the reference and commercial departments at the central . library of 228,899, an average daily attendance- of 818 persons on weekdays and 347 on Sundays. This represents a total increase of 14,616 persons above the 214,283 persons estimated to have attended the previous year, states the chief librarian, Mr. J. Noi;rie, in his annual report. Lack of space is a difficulty with which readers and staff have to contend in the various reference departments; The really serious difficulty from the point of view of the public is that essential works of reference and comparatively recent back numbers of periodicals have to be stored at Newtbwn library. Public comment on this subject is constant and scathing,- and it will readilybe seen that the efficiency of the reference department as a quickl and comprehensive collator of information is very seriously impaired. Increasing reliance is nevertheless placed on this service by the public, and the libraries are fast acquiring the reputation of.'being able to answer almost any question that may bo submitted. t Besides calling in person, the public have, now acquired the habit of writing in for information, and this and the telephone, service have both added to the scope of the- central library as an information bureau. Anglican Assembly in Melbourne. The announcement that he hopes to be a representative of the Anglican Church in New Zealand at the All-Aus-tralian Anglican Assembly, which will be held;in Melbourne during, the time of the Centenary celebrations} is made in the "Church News "by Bishop WestWatson, .of ChristehuicK. The Bishop states:—"The «ity of Melbourne is celebrating its centenary in November of this year, and the bishops of the province have been invited to attend tho All-Australian Anglican Assembly which is to be held in that city from November 8 to 16. I have been asked to road a paper at the gathering, and with the cordial approval of the Archbishop, am proposing to go to Melbourne in . November., The General Synod is sending a message of good will by me, and I hope to be a representative of the-Anglican Church in New Zealand."

Censorship of Films. Heads of secondary schools found time at their conference yesterday to deal briefly with, the censorship of firms as affecting the childhood of the Dominion, and gratification was expressed in a resolution that about 100,000 electors had endorsed the suggestions made by heads of the Auckland secondary schools with a view to raising the standard of censorship of cinematographic films in New Zealand. It was decided* to renew the request to tho Government "to discharge its responsibility in this matter in such a way as shall satisfy the traditional standards of the community." An A.B.s Discharge. That ho was the proud possessor of an A.B.s discharge was stated by Councillor C. H. Chapman, M.P.,"at the annual smoke concert of the Evans Bay Yacht and Motor-boat Club last night. In 1010, he left New Zealand for a trip Home, and, on reaching Sydney, conceived the idea of working his passage to England. The printer of the Osterlcy having deserted, Mr. Chapman secured his job. "On arriving in Bug-land,"-ho concluded, "I found myself in possession of £28 in wages; my refunded passage money; and ah A.B.s discharge, which I have treasured ever since." Melbourne-Bluff Service. . To give racing enthusiasts an opportunity..toVseo"tlio running of the-Mel-bourne Cup, tho Union Steam Ship •Company's Maheno will begin her service between South Island ports and Melbourne a week earlier than was originally intended. The Mahcho will leave Port Chalmers on October 30, and Bluff" the next day, arriving at Melbourne' on November 4 instead of on November 11. No other alteration lias been made to the- Maheno's sailings. She will leave Melbourne on November 15, as announced previously, on her first trip to New Zealand since she was withdrawn from the service in 1931, and will continue running until next March. Evans Bay Reclamation. ' "Concerning the proposed reclamation of Evans Bay," said Councillor C. H. Chapman, M.P., speaking last night at tho annual smoke concert of the Evans Bay Yacht and Motor-boat 'Club, "the- Harbour Board has rights, received in 1908, which would enable it to turn the bay into a dock. A' wall could be built from Shag Point west, and then north-west to the Patent Slip, which would terminate the existence of Evans Bay as it now is." At the present time, he continued, there were already projected wharves at the. entrance of the bay, facing in the same direction as Pipitea ' Wharf. Others were, planned to run 'at the • same angle; from points along the .western shore. Yachtsmen would be wise to consider matters for their own interests, and impress the Harbour Boavd with the necessity of leaving the bathing: ania .yachting facilities' untouched as long as possible; Schoolboys for Melbourne? • ."Secondary school, headmasters, assembled in conference :! in ■Wellington :yesterday, expressed -very definitely their.! views on the subject of sending a ; team, of secondaryschool athletes from New Zealand to competei at the Melbourne Centenary celebrations.: That their opinion was definitely", antagonistic to such a. proposals by the following resolution - "which was carTied:-—" That this conference thinks it inadvisable to. send secondary ,:sch6ol athletes from 'New- Zealand to > the Melbourne Centenary ■celebrations on the grounds that (1)? it; will tend to have ■an undesirable' influence on the character and general outlook of the boys by givingspprt anundue value in their minds; (2) it will take boys away from school for at least one;month; (3) it will be,contrary to the best traditions of school sport in Now Zealand which regards sport as part of: school life, to be controlled and managed by the schools themselves and not by outsido bodies." linportance of the Harbour. . v "Wellington is undoubtedly one of the finest commercial harbours in the world," said Captain Keane, commodore of the Evans'Bay Yacht and Motor-boat Club,, at the club's annual smoke concert last night. Its facilities for commerce, he went on, were particularly efficient. The Harbour Board had gone' about its business in a very creditable manner, and it was a remarkable fact that the assets of the board were about £, 3,000,000,- whilst the liabilities amounted to 5i,250,000. Five miles of berthing space were.now under the board's controh It had been said that tho farmer was the backbone of the country, but the farmer was helpless without the support . afforded by water communication. The,port facili: ties and transport-provided for the farmers' goods was very elaborate, and the ships which served the Dominion were among the best in the world.- It was a fact little referred to that, the whole of i;He primary produce of New Zealand, was carried, by ships under, tho British flag. British .shipowners had made much money out of the New Zealand trade, and this should do a lot towards equalising the adverse tr.ade balance. . '.-:.- ■ ' -