NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 23, 28 January 1935, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

For Knowledge of Native Plants. Tho institution by Lady Bledisloe and himself of a small endowment to provide at least ten shillings- annually for a child of the Paihia school displaying the most knowledge of nativo bush plants or who has been most instrumental in preserving them from damage and destruction was announced by the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe, at Paihia on Saturday, states a Press Association message from Russell. The gathering was one in which pakeha and Maori united to express regret at the ponding departure for England of their Excellencies and to present Lord Bledisloe with a watercolour painting of a waterfront view of the Waitangi National Estate. Lord Bledisloe said he would like to feel that from Paihia th«re would always radiate among the children of New Zealand a knowledge and love of the incomparable treasures of New Zealand's bush," which were unparalleled in their beauty, their variety, and their botanical interest throughout tho world. Auckland Ex-Soldiers. With 2800 members, the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association now has easily tho largest memborship among branches of the New Zealand association, states the quarterly report of the Auckland body. At the last meeting it was decided that a delegato should attend the conference of the Anti-War League in Wellington on February 3. Attacked by Bull. A savage attack by a Jersey bull was made upon Maurice Clarke, aged 11, while spending a holiday at a relativo 's farm on Thursday (states a Te Awamutu correspondent). The boy was riding a pony when the bull rashed and gored him in the right leg below the knee. The boy was unseated and scrambled into a small enclosure close by. The bull directed its attention to the pony, but the latter escaped serious injury.. The lad's injuries required several stitches and hospital treatment. Pictures of the Kiwi. Among the individuals and organisations which responded to the complaint made recently by Sir Henry Fowler, the eminent English engineer, that he could not buy a picture postcard of a kiwi, was the Zoological Society, Auckland (states the "New Zealand Herald"). The society's honorary photographer, Mr. B. S. Lediard, forwarded a photograph of a kiwi to Sir Henry prior to his departure and also gave him details of a motion picture film of the kiwi in the possession of the society. In' a letter thanking the society Sir Henry said that what ho had been trying to obtain were postcards suitable for sending to his little "granddaughter and some other small friends. He was suro the photograph would prove of interest when he got Home. A proposal is now before the society to make available to the public from its extensive collections a series of studies of New Zealand birds in popular form. . New School Uniforms. With a view to making it more distinctive, some changes are to be made this year in the uniform of pupils attending the Otago Boys' High School (states the "Otago Daily Times"). Probably the most important'is that relating to the school cap. The small cap to which the public has become accustomed through long usage, but which in many cases is scarcely visible on the heads of the boys, is to be replaced by a much larger one, similar to that now worn by the pupils of many other secondary . schools. The new cap, however, will be similar to the present one in the respect that it will be navy blue with white piping between the sections. The nature of the clothing to be worn by pupils has also been laid down more definitely than before. In the past boys had been required to wear dark clothing, preferably navy blue or dark grey, but a clerical grey suit with long or short trousers has now been specified. The correct shirt for school wear will be a light grey flannel tennis shirt, with which tho school tie will be worn. White shirts and collars will be permitted for evening wear. Only dark boots or shoes will be allowed. Socks . worn with long trousers must ajao be dark, while the regulation school stockings, black with blue and white tops, must be worn with shorts. The amended uniform is to be made compulsory in 1936, but all pupils entering the school this year for the first time will be expected to wear it. Sailors Who Miseed the Train. Men from H.M.A.S. Australia who missed the last trains back to port during the stay of the ship in Lyttclton were not forced to spend the night roaming the streets, states the Christchurch "Press." For the first few nights that this happened the men were quartered at the railway station, but Mr. A. J. McEldowney, of the Young Men's Christian Association, came to their rescue and provided shakedowns for them. At the winding-up meeting of the entertainment committee held on Friday he stated that the first week that he and his officers had gone round the streets on bicycles offering a lodging for a night to the men, who had averaged about 20 a night. For these he had provided a mattress and some hot, coffee in the morning. The numbers increased steadily till in tho last week in port anywhere from 50 to 60 men were supplied with quarters. Altogether 664 beds had been supplied, and tho men eamo in from 10.30 p.m. to 4 a.m. They were awakened at 5.30 a.m. "The late arrivals did not want the coffeo very much, as they wanted to sloop as long as possible," said Mr. McEldowney. He said that the cost to the association would be £9 15s.

City Council Picnics. The Wellington. City Council's offices wi# be closed tomorrow, when the council's inside stall will hold their annual picnic at Williams Park, Day's Bay. The outside staff will hold their picnic on Thursday, and consequently the practice wickets on the reserves will not be available to cricketers that evening. Shark! Swimming calmly along at St. Clair Beach tho other day, a Southland visitor chanced to look downward and saw beneath him. a black form keeping p'aoe with him, states the "Southland Daily News." "A shark!" was tho first thought that came into his mind, and he hurriedly made for safety. Only when he readied the shore did ho realise that the joke was on Mm. The <(shark" was only his own shadow thrown through the unusually clear water on to the sandy bottom. Winner of Cricket Trophy. A last-minute opportunity was presented to Wellington cricketers on Saturday of qualifying for the trophy presented by Mr. C. M. Bay, of Te Mahia, in the form of a fortnight's holiday in the Marlborough Sounds, to the batsman with the highest score in tho club matches up to the end of Jaauary. The conditions were well-nigh ideal for run-getting, and one of the secondgrade batsmen seized the chance with both hands. This was D. Morgan, brother of the senior player, who scored 241 runs for Wellington against Midland, hitting eight 6's and thirty-three 4's. His second-wicket partnership with Monteath produced 314 runs and •was not broken until the score was over 400. Tho previous highest score was 218. Gore Boy's Feat. A remarkable achievement was accomplished by a Gore boy, Harry Holmes, son of Mr. H. A. Holmes, proprietor of the Begent Theatre, Gore, who cycled from Gore to Christchurch and back during the school holidays, states the "Southland Times." Only twelve years of age, this lad set out bravely and reached Christchurch, a feat that would bo envied by many more experienced cyclists. After spending a short vacation with relatives there, he commenced the return journey and reached homo safely. Considering the amount of traffic on the road during the holiday period the saf a completion of so long' a trip was a very creditable performance. A Scot's Fortune. Speaking to tho toast "Scots at Homo and Abroad" at the Burns anniversary celebration on Saturday night, the Mayor (Mr. T. C. A. Hislop) referred to the courage and enterprise of the early pioneers of New Zealand and told. a humorous story relating to his grandfather. Among thosev who came out to settle at Dunedin were Mr. Hislop's grandfather and Mr. John Anderson. Instead of staying at th# Scots settlement, Dunedin, Mr. Anderson went to Christchurch. Some time later he was twitted with having deserted his fellow-Scots in favour of the English. His reply was that he had come out to Now Zealand to make his fortune, and he thought he could do it better amongst tho English than amongst his fellow-Scots. When the laughter died down a little, the Mayor added that judging ■ from how well John Anderson succeeded, ho almost thought that his (Mr. Hislop's) grandfather might have gone to ChristchuTch, too. Silver Foxes for New Zealand. A project which might not only relieve the Dominion of its deer menace, but also result in the. establishment of a new and .profitable primary industry, was outlined last week. Tho suggested scheme is tho establishment in the uplands of Canterbury, of silver fox farms or ranches. The silver fox is the most sought-after of all Canada's fur-bear-ing animals, for, being comparatively rare and of great beauty, its pelt is esteemed even above that of the beaver or the mink, and individual skins have realised as much as £300. As tho fur is of better quality when the animal is reared in a fairly cool climate, it has been suggested that the ranches would prosper if located in tho foothills of the Alps. In New Zealand tho problem of feeding the stock would be simplicity itself, as there are ample supplies of doer and rabbits to bo had for the shooting. In this way the new industry would help greatly in keeping down these pests and at the same time making them economically useful. Eoxes in Canada are mostly fed on offal, it is said,'as the price of fresh meat, even of rabbits, is prohibitive. It is contended, that with tho bettor feed available !in New Zealand the pelt-growth of the animals would be superior to that in Canada.