NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 110, 11 May 1934, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

New Shaw, Savill Ship, Construction of the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Line's new motor-freighter Waiwera, 13,000 tons deadweight capacity, is now well forward, and she will leave London on her maiden trij). to New Zealand on September 12, bringing cargo for Suva,' Port Lytt'eltdn, .and New Plymouth. "She should arrive at Port Chalmers about October 21. The ■ Shaw, Savill Company ha 3 two other jno^tor-ships for the- New Zea-land-England trade now being built. When completed they will be named the Waipawa and Wairangi, The Waipawa will :be ready for commission shortly after the Waiwera, and she should leave London on her maiden trip on November 14. The Wairangi was ordered some- six months after construction started on tho other two ships, so she will not bo in service until 1935. Otaki Health Camp, ' In a report issued by tho Wellington Children's Health Camp1 Association'it is stated that during tho past year about 500 children have benefited by treatment and care at the camp at Otaki. Its object is to help back to health by means of fresh air, sunlight, good food, and regular habits those children who by recent illness or faulty environment and diet cannot otherwise regain their normal condition. Although the cost per child per week is only about 10s, further, funds are needed to enable the camp to be kept open during the winter and spring months. Tho majority of tho children aro selected from the various schools by the schools' medical officers. While in camp the children receive competent' nursing care. '■'... Traffic Inspectors Busy. Mp.st of the cases dealt with by the ■•Magistrate in- the Bylaws Court yesterday afternoon indicated activity amongst the City Council traJHc inspector's in the prevention of all-night parking and the detection of trucks with inefficient hand-brakes. All-night parking is prohibited for more than thirty minutes between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. and yesterday afternoon about fifteen motorists were convicted of the offence and ordered to pay costs, rio fines being imposed because in the majority of cases the defendants stated that they had not left their cars on tho streets all night, but only for a while in the early hours of the morning. Under the motor regulation, which provides that a vehicle must be capable of stopping from a-speed of 25 miles an hour in a distance of 40ft on the foot-brake and v 7Dft on tho hand-brake, four defendants wore charged with having defective retaining brakes. The prosecution stated that somo of tho vehicles tested took up to as much as 200 ft in which to stop with tho hand-brake and some would not stop at all with the handbrake. Varying penalties were inflicted.

Lifo Expectancy. The expectancy of lifo of a young mau 21 years of age was given as 4S years to the nearest year by a witness in the Supreme Court yesterday afternoon. He_was-an actuary called by-tho plaintiffs in- a claim for damages for injuries allegedly caused by a motor collision. The; witness said'that .expect-ancy--was' based on the latest figures availabjo of male, mortality iv New Zealand. Transfer of Firearms. Itsecmed as though there was a great deal of ignorance about the law in regard to the transfer of firearms, remarked Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M., at the JNow Plymouth Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, when lie convicted and ordered Baymond ■ Harry Gardiner to pay costs, 10s, on a charge of delivering possession of a firearm to Albert Sinythe, who did not possess an authority to receive- the rifle. Senior-Ser-geant Turner admitted that what the Magistrate. said was correct. , St. Chad's Church, Now Plymouth. The name St. Chad's for tho new West own Anglican,. Church at New Plymouth was suggested by Archdeacon G-. H. Gavin at the annual meeting of the church on Wednesday. . The archdeacon explained that when Bishop Sehvyn, who was closely connected with the early history of St. Mary's parish, returned to England he was appointed Bishop of Lichfleld Cathedral, of which St. Chad had been bishop about 1000 years before. Joinery Trade Prospects. What are the prospects in the joinery and building trades at the present time? was a question asked by Jlr. Justice Reed of a witness in the Supreme Court yesterday afternoon. '' The prospects at present are not good," replied the witness, who is a vice-president of the Builder's' and Joiners' Association, "but conditions Rt present are exceptional." "Yes, that is true," said Ms Honour. "But there is evidence that things are improving lately, and if conditions do improve, that improvement is likely to be very sudden. There are at present a lot of joiners idle." "Lifo" of Artificial Limbs? ; ■ , "What is the average lifo of an. artificial limb?"' asked counsel of a "medical witness in the Supreme Court yesterday afternoon. His Honour Mr. Justice Heed failed to hear the question distinctly, and asked counsel to repeat it, "I asked what the length of life was, your Honour," replied counsel, "Length,of lifo?" queried his Honour. .'' Of the artificial limb,'' added counsel. "Oh!" exclaimed his Honour, with surprise. "I do not impute there- is life in an artificial limb," said counsel facetiously. Tho witness gave the opinion that an artificial limb would last on aii average eight .or nine years, depending on the youth or age and the weight of tho user. The'cost would approximate £40. ,-.. Fruit Export from Gisbomß. . • That the fruit exports from Poverty Bay to overseas markets during the 1934 season will roach 22,000 eases and make the season the third best in the export history of th,e Poverty Bay fruit industry was the' opinion expressed by -Mr. P.: Everett,- Government fruit expert, speaking at the annual meeting of the Poverty Bay^Fruitgrowers' Association; Mr. Everett stated- that the figures for export' had already passed 21,000/ and there were nearly 1000 more, cases to ship before the closo -of the season. He mentioned, that, of the; fruit shipped' overseas this Benson 14,700 cases had gone to the United Kingdom, 4200, pases to the Continent, 1300 cases to South America, and 800 cases to Canada*' ■ ~ r Busy Fencing Season. • : ; Thousands of fencing posts havo-becn unloaded at Grisborne, recently in preparation, for a busy fencing season by sheep farmers of the district. Judging •b^ tho largo, shipments received many miles of new-fences will be erected and many more miles repaired. Much of this work, states the "Poverty Bay Herald," has been held in abeyance as a result of tho poor prices that were received- for wool arid meat for three years and more, but now that the tide has turned in their favour much of the additional wool and meat receipts is being spent in necessary fencing improvements. . Praise for Task Work. Task work on relief jobs has been criticised at various times, but according to an official.in the Public Works Department who has had much exporienco with relief workers,- the system is proving popular with the men as well ai with the Department. The men had complained a good deal when task work was mooted, he said, but having had experience of it they would not return to the old system. Under task work, the men were given a certain amount of work to do, and it had to be dono. Tho result was that they worked with a will, finished their work, and went home. .There was not tho same amount of grumbling as under the old system, and time was not taken off for stbp'work meetings. The relief job at Gracefield, in the Hutt Valley, was being done under the task-work system, and was going ahead most satisfactorily. Costa of Bands. "It is not generally recognised what it costs to form and maintain a band," said Mr. J. Noble, president of tho Christchurch Bands' Association, at a meeting to make arrangements for the street collection in aid of the city !>ands, reports the "Christchurch Times." "At the outset there is from £700 to £800 for instruments and about £200 for uniforms. This equipment does not, last, either. Some of tho instruments used in some- of the bands should have been thrown away long ago." Speaking on the same subject, Mr, C. S. Thomas, president of the Canterbury Caledonian Society, said that pipe bands were even more expensive. Uniforms cost about £400 to £500, and instruments were also costly. Kunning expenses were exceedingly heavy. Borer in Valuable Timber. Disturbing indications of tho increasing ravages of the borer and other insects in New Zealand's valuable woods were noted by the Rev. W. J. Elliott, of Devonport, during a recent visit to tho Dargaville district, states the "New" Zealand Herald." Having made a special study of tho flcraand fauna and insect life of the Dominion, Mr. Elliott visited tho Waipoua and Trounson Park kauri forests, and made somo investigations in sawmills and. marshy places.; Ho said that even the kauri,.. long thought by soine i to bo impervious, was by no means'immune from infection, while a piece of wellBoaa'on'ed titoki bore ominous' signs of attack.'-. ■• : . .' .- ■'...■■ This Freedom. ' , * i A witness broke the normal monotony of Supreme Court proceedings this morning and raised a laugh by his answer of counsel's; questions. Tho case was ono _in which a young joinery apprentice claimed heavy damages for injuries caused by a, motor collision. "An apprentice is secure in his job, is he no.t?. It is hard to get rid of an apprentice?'? asked counsel. "Yes," responded witness, a master joiner and cabinetmaker, " the Apprentice Board told roe once it's easier to divorce your wife than get rid of your apprentice." "Well, what about improvers?" asked counsel. "Well, things are different with improvers." "An improver is different, more like a modern wife?" suggested counsel. "Yes, he's freer," said witness. "But what's more important," added counsel, "is that the employer also is free?" That was only too true, admitted witness.