NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 69, 18 September 1936, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Co-operation with Beautifying Society.

The City Council last evening unanimously agreed to a suggestion from the reserves committee that Councillors J. Burns (chairman) and L. McKenzie should act as representatives of the council on the Wellington Beautifying Society and that the Director of Parks and Reserves, Mr. J. G. MacKenzie, should continue as technical adviser to the society. Agreement on Bathing 1 Shelter Site. The offer of the Wellington Harbour Board to lease the site required for the erection of the bathing shelter at Oriental Bay for a period of fifty years at a peppercorn rental has been accepted by the City Council. A sinking fund of i per cent, on the cost of the building is to be established. Milk Sales Still Higher. A report presented to the City Council last night by the acting chairman of the milk committee, Councillor L. McKenzie. stated that the milk sales for August averaged 5678 gallons daily, which was 368 gallons, or 6.93 per cent, in excess of the sales for the corresponding month of last year. By the same comparison, cream sales showed an increase of 18.2 per cent. The sales of milk to nearby farmers averaged 284 gallons daily, as compared with 145 gallons for the corresponding month of last year. "Chalking the Hippo." "The young bloods at Ginga, a place near the Ripon Falls," saiG. Mr. Justice Ostler at a gathering of the Wadestown and Highland Park Men's Society last evening, "have invented a new sport, 'chalking the hippo.' At night the hippos come ashore into the long grass. The game is to creep up to one, chalk your, initials on its south end, and then get away. A young gentleman of the name of Husky Wickham, on the eve of going away for six months*, leave, passed through this place, and, after becoming 'oiled up' in the approved way, got the idea that he would love to lead a chalking expedition. He actually got one initial on the hippo, placed correctly on its southern end, when it turned round and faced him., He got such a fright that he tripped and fell on his face and, the hippo came after him and gave him a fearful bite. They had to put 38 stitches in him. He spent two months of his leave on his face in hospital." "Coronation" Souvenirs from Japan.

A prominent Wellington commercial firm has received a letter from oiie_of its representatives drawing attention to a curious feature in connection with the manufacture of "Coronation" souvenirs and their importation into New Zealand. Preparations are being made by manufacturers in England to cater for a big demand in various parts of the Empire in May of next year, in time for the King's Coronation. The writer states, however, that large orders from all over New Zealand have already gone to Japan. These orders include, amongst others, thousands of Union Jacks and New Zealand flags for school children at ridiculously cheap prices. For some time past there have been in English trade and other journals illustrations of English-made souvenirs of all kinds. These have been copied by Japanese manufacturers, and most of the British national Coronation souvenirs of many classes of goods will therefore come from Japan. These goods can be bought at less than half of the price of the English goods.

Modern Snake Medicine. On his recent African trip, said Mr. Justice (Ostler in an 'address to the Wadestown and Highland Park Men's Society last night, he came across a snake farm where the owner had perfected an anti-snake bite serum guaranteed to be a 100 per cent. cure. This man, realising, that some of the venom of the twenty or more venomous, and some very venomous, snakes was alkali venom and some acid, had conceived the idea of mingling the venom of all these snakes when compounding his serum. This he injected in increasing doses into a few old horses he kept for the purpose until they could almost stand any form of bite, and from them he drew the foundations for the serum. A boy who worked on the "farm" had been bitten nineteen times, but the serum had saved him. On one occasion a small native lad had brought him three consecutive bags of highly venomous snakes, which he welcomed, as he needed many to "milk" when preparing his serum. His curiosity aroused by finding in the bag one peculiarly marked snake, he went at once to see if the snake with the same markings was still on the "farm." When he found it was not, he realised that this youthful burglar, who had sold him back his own snakes so repeatedly, must have come in at night and taken the highly poisonous reptiles, running a tremendous risk for a few shillings.

Summer Time Again Soon. On Sunday week, September 27, Summer Time comes into operation again, and the advancing of the clocks by thirty minutes will have the beneficial effect of lengthening the hours of daylight after the day's work is done. The immediate effect will be to make it daylight until well after 6.30 p.m., although this will be counterbalanced by an apparent later rising of the sun. Summer Time will continue in operation until the last Sunday in April. Drain Through the Basin.

Replying to a question at the meeting of the City Council last night whether the laying of the stormwater drain through the Basin Reserve could be completed before the .cricket season, the City Engineer, Mr. K. E. Luke, said that that was not possible. It would be about six weeks before the work reached the Basin and probably it would go on for three months, but the cricket ground would not be interfered with.

Poor Prospect for Skiers. Prospects of there being sufficient snow for weekend skiing sports at Kime Memorial Hut are not good. Snow which fell on Sunday night covering Tabletop below Field Hut melted before the hot sun on Monday,' leaving only the higher peaks covered. Conditions during the week have not been good from the snow sportsman's point of view. Heavy rain has fallen during the last few days and the ranges have been obscured under heavy mists. Temperatures have been mild and there is now little, if any, snow at the skiing grounds.

Post Office in Town Hall. On the occasion of the conference of the Empire Chambers of Commerce, a special post and telegraph office will be,opened in the Wellington Town Hall from October 1 to 7 inclusive. A special'date stamp will be provided for the office, complete with distinctive wording. As has already been announced, special postage stamps arc to be issued in commemoration of this conference, but no special first day covers are to •be issued. Hundreds of philatelists will be desirous of having the new stamps cancelled with the special date stamp at the Town Hall on the first day of issue, and the Post and Telegraph Department is making provision to meet their wishes.

Pan Pacific Rotary Conference. • The next Pan-Pacific Rotary conference will take place in Wellington during the first week in March, 1937. This conference is held every two years, the last having been held at Manila, but next year will be the first occasion upon which New Zealand has been honoured in this respect. Between 200 and 300 Rotarians are expected from overseas, including dele-, gates from all the countries bordering the Pacific—China, Japan, Canada, the United States, etc. To this number will have to be added several hundred New Zealand Rotarians, so the task of preparing for the conference is one entailing considerable work in order that arrangements may run smoothly. Previous conferences, before the last at Manila, were held in Honolulu, Sydney, and Tokio. > Clifton Terrace Access. The question was raised by the Mayor (Mr. T. C.'A. Hislop), when the report of the works committee was before the Wellington City Council last night, as to whether anything has been done in connection with making a start on the improvement of the access from Cliftoh Terrace to Wellington Terrace. The chairman (Councillor W. Appleton)" said that the difficulty was that the land had had to be taken under the Public Works Act. After inquiring from the City Engineer, the Mayor said that the position was that word had been received this week from the Public Works Department that it would have to give approval to the scheme because it went over the tramway reserve. "When are we going to get on with the job?" he asked. "We have been two years doing it." Councillor Appleton said it was not the fault of the works committee, which had been pushing on with the matter.