NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 23, 27 July 1934, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Last Night's Lunar Eclipse. Cloudy skies as the result 'of tho southerly change in tho weather spoilt last night's,partial eclipso of tho moon as far as concerned astronomical observation. But tho ordinary observer was able to sco tho earth's shadow gradually obliterate) more than half of ,the moon's surface, the moon at times being clearly visiblo through tho passing clouds. T,he moon entered the earth's shadow proper at about 10.30 p.m. and left it at about 1 a.m. ' Wellington Free Ambulance. The- Wellington Hospital Boaid last evening passed a resolution approving of the passing of an Empowering Bill, similar to that of last year, enabling the board to make the usual grant, not exceeding £1000, to the Wellington Free Ambulance. Bicycle Sheds for Schools. _Bicycle sheds are. at present being built by the Education Board at the Bandwick arid Waiwhetu Schools in the Hutt Va;iey. Tho sheds, are forty feet long, and will house about thirty bicycles each. Bicycles are very popular in the Hutt Valley, and the erection of the sheds at those schools will bo much appreciated. ''A Narrow Escape." It is on record that Christehurcli uarrowly*eseapea being a completely Scottish city/states the "Press." In the very earliest days of settlement on tho Canterbury Plains a surveyor named Tuekett made his way from Nelson to Canterbury in search of a suitable site for a Scottish colony. There selnied to him to lie possibilities in tho land on ■which Christchurch now stands, but ho became bogged or lost in the swampy marshes between Lyttelton and the farm established' at Eicearton by;the Deans brothers. This experience led him to abandon Canterbury and_ nake for Otago. There, he choso the site, for Dunedin. Mr. <j: H. Holford related this story when speaking to young farmers who are attending tho educational course in the city. ("That is why Dunedin is Scottish and not Christchureh," ■ho said. • !; Hen Tights Hawk. Several persons at Marulan, New South Wales, were amazed to see an old black hen defend, with beak and claw, her brood of chickens against tho attack of a sparrowhawk, which she fatally injured. The sparrowhawk was seen hovering above the hen and her chickens. Then it swooped. Tho old black hen met the onslaught and managed to manoeuvre the chickens under a house The enemy, pressing hard was ablo to capture one of the tiny birds. The mother, joined issue. In a flurry of feathers, she flew, screeching, at the marauder, and tho two birds came to grips. After some minutes, to the amazement of the onlookers the sparrowhawk retired so slowly that it seemed to bo injured. It flew awkwardly to a tree, and ono of the spectators was about to shoot it when tho bird foil to the ground. When examined it was found that the-hawk was dead. There were deep lacerations in tho nock, indicating the fierceness of thu hen's attack.

City Property Changes Hands. The four-storey building at the corner of Featherston and Panama Streets, opposite the General Post Office, has been sold by Mi-. E. F. Hadfield, of the legal firm of Hadflolcl and Peacock, to Jackson's Corner, Ltd., the negotiations having been put through by Harcourt and Co., land and estato agents. The .property covers the section lot 57 of the Lainbton reclamation, held on lcase-in-.porpetuity from the City Corporation. There is a revaluation every 21 years, the present ground rental being £304 per annum. The building ivas the first feiTO-eoncretc building erected in Wellington, the architect being Mr. Natuseh, and'tho builders, Messrs. Moorhouse and Hadfield. Surprise Visit to Markets. ■ t ■' While passing through tho city yesterday: their Excellencies tho GovernorGonoral and Lady Bledisloe were interested by the activity about thu premises of Market Gardeners, Ltd., and paid a surprise visit.' Lord Biedisloo was particularly interested in tho manner in which the produce and fruit were graded, packed, and prepared, and discussed various problems and the cultivation of vegetables and produce. Lady Bledisloe was somewhat disappointed at having missed tho morning flower.sale; and ,expressed a dosiro to bo present when- a flower sale was in full swing. The viceregal visitors conversed with several of the dealers, including somo of the Chinese fruiterers, her Excellency also talking .with some women who,wcro busy with their household buying. Capital and Labour. In an article in the diocesan orga*n of recent date, Dr. Bnrgmann, Bishop of Goulburn, New South Wateß, said that Australia had thousands of idle hands and a considerable accumulation of idle capital. If the capitalist no longer had the wit or imagination to devise profitable ways of using his capital, and thus providing employment, was it rational or possible for the State to stand by and allow both capital and men to rot in idleness? In the face of such dire need, he said, there should surely be some way in which the State could bring together this capital, or its monetary equivalent, and the unemployed, and put both to work for the good of Australia. If the capitalist could do it; well and good. Tho country had waited a considerable time for private enterprise to meet the need. It could not wait much longer. Governments must act soon, or expect reactions. Salmon Spawn Distributed. Although the , quinnat salmon spawning season which ended late in .June was -one of flooded rivors, interfering with1 the trap ping and stripping operations ~in the streams in tho South Island, 200,000 eggs were sent to Hokitika, and '25,000 to Tasmania, whero it is proposed to establish the quinnat ■in the lakes. There socms to bo a difficulty in establishing quinnat in tho Tasmanian streams but it is contended that,they have proved good sporting fish wheu acclimatised as landlocked lake fish. Tho stripping ■of Atlantic salmon in the south was interfered with by snow storms, but nevertheless 20,000 Atlantic ova were also sent to Tasmania. Local distributions of quinnat eggs have not been so necessary recently, as thoy have been proved to be established in many of tho New Zealand rivers. Last year the first of these fish was caught in tho Wairau by an angler. Apparently ■■ the Wairau has not repaid the stocking of some years ago as well as other rivers. Driest Winter at Gisborne, While the winter continues to be the. driest known in the Gisborno district for a very long time, farmers are beginning to take a serious view of what1' might happen if summer comes without copious rain during tho next few months. The.surf acq of tho ground is damp from recent showers, but the subsoil contains no moisture, states the "Poverty Bay. Herald.'" The country everywhere looks in great conditions at present. There- has been just sufficient rain on- the light country to keep the grass green, while these conditions, have been ideal for the heavy country, which is usually soggy in the winter, but which is. now free from surplus moisture and looking at its best. .Yet, if the land'is not given a good soaking between now and the summor the grass -.will dry up with remarkablo rapidity, and unless farmers protect themselves with early planted crops they'might be faced with a serious '■ shortago of food during tho hot weather.