NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 2, 4 January 1937, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Mushrooms at Titalii Bay. Owing to,the very moist weather experienced recently in the Titahi Bay district, mushrooms have become very plentiful, and some gatherers have collected large basketfuls with very little difficulty. Anything to Declare? Amendments to the Customs regulations affecting passengers from overseas came into force with the New Year. Hitherto it has been sufficient for passengers to state verbally whether or not they have dutiable goods. Now, however, they are required to fill in a form which is to be shown to the officials in the examining sheds when luggage is being presented. Study in Vain. After making a sufficient study of Esperanto to enable him to welcome in that language delegates to the eighth New Zealand Esperanto Congress, the Mayor of Christchurch. Mr. J. W. Beanland; has found his efforts in vain, as the congress has been indefinitely postponed owing to the outbreak of infantile paralysis (states a correspondent). Mr. Beanland was word perfect in his brief address, which he was to have made at the New Year. Early Administrator. The anniversary of an event of interest in the early history of Auckland fell yesterday, for it was on January 3, 1854, that Lieut.-Colonel R. H. Wynyard, "chief officer in command of her Majesty's military forces within- the j colony of New Zealand," was proclaimed as having taken the prescribed | oaths and assumed the office of administrator of the colony, an office he held until September 6, 1855. The Governor, Sir George Grey, had left for England by the Commodore on the last day of the old year. At the time of his appointment as administrator Lieut.Colonel Wynyard was also superintendent of the Auckland Province.

Safety for Bathers. For the protection of bathers using ' the Waikato River during the holiday ■ season, box-lines have been provided by the Hamilton Life-saving Club. Lines have been placed at the motorists' camp and the rowing club's pavilion, and near other popular bathing areas (states a Hamilton correspondent). The lines are contained in boxes set in a prominent position on posts, and full instructions are given for their use. A bell is also provided on the box and should be rung when an accident occurs. The bells are connected with the telephones of the houses above the bank, and owners have been asked to notify the police when the bell is heard. New Route for Motorists. The metalling of five miles of clay road that will complete a new allweather route linking Taranaki with the centre of the North Island will be begun after the holidays and should be completed soon after Easter. The road will provide a new alternative route for motorists travelling between Wellington and Auckland for, instead of following the main road through New Plymouth to Te Kuiti, they will be able to turn off at Stratford, traverse the Paparata Saddle, where is to be seen some of the wildest country in the North Island, and go through the Tangaralcau Gorge to Taumarunui, which is within more easy access of National Park. Ambulance Officers' Keenness. The keenness with which officers of the St. John Ambulance Brigade perform their duties at sports gatherings is generally known, but the zeal displayed by three young officers at Waiheke on Friday must be hard to equal, states the "New Zealand Herald." To attend the New Zealand motor-cycle Tourist Trophy race at Ostend two of them walked four miles in the rain from Oneroa and another an even longer distance from Onetangi, only to find on arrival that the event had been postponed until January 29. Notwithstanding their damp walk, they cheerfully asked to be advised when their services would be required again and commenced the long trek home. By Cycle from Auckland. A leisurely seven-day trip by bicycle from Auckland to Wellington was completed by a fifteen-year-old Mount Albert Grammar School boy, Bob Page, yesterday. He left Auckland at 7.30 a.m. last Monday, and stopped at 5.30 p.m. to camp for the night at Te Awamutu. Next day he was fortunateenough to be given a "lift" by car, which took him as far as New Plymouth by Tuesday night, and in that town he stayed with friends on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Leaving at 7 a.m. on Saturday, he rode all that day and camped for the night at Bulls, completing the journey to Wellington yesterday, his time of arrival here being about 4 p.m. A tent, sleeping bag, and a haversack were his luggage, and his expenditure on the trip was 5s lOd for food and 3s 9d for a carrier which he bought at Hamilton when his sleeping bag began to weigh rather too heavily in the haversack on his back. He intends to ride back home if the weather will let him.

Signs of Sagging. Reports that the floors of the Douglas and Rothwell Wards at the Waikato Hospital had shown indications of sagging have been received by the Hospital Board, states a Hamilton correspondent. The defect was reported to the Health Department by the board's architects, Messrs. Edgecumbe and White. A technical adviser to the Department inspected the buildings, and following his report the Director-Gen-eral of Health (Dr. M. H. Watt) advised the board to engage' a structural engineer to report on a remedy for the trouble. The board decided to employ Mr. J. R. Baird. assistant engineer to the Hamilton Borough Council, whose services were made available by the council. The chairman of the board, Mr. J. J. Ryburn, stated on Thursday that Mr. Baird had not yet submitted his report, and it was not known'whether the remedial measures to be taken would involve the evacuation of the wards. The board had been assured that there was no immediate danger of the floors giving way, and that there was no occasion for patients to feel anxious. The Douglas and Rothwell Wards were built about ten years ago. Critic of Mr. Sullivan. Criticism of the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, | Minister of Industries and Commerce, for his reply to the secretary of the Canterbury Manufacturers* Association (Mr. T. Hyde) was expressed by Mr. j H. C. Urlwin, a city manufacturer! (states the "Christchurch Star-Sun")., In the course of his reply to a statement made previously by Mr. Hyde, j the Minister said there was not suf-1 ficient evidence that hardship had! been imposed on local industry by I overseas competition. Mr. Urlwin de- j clared that the Minister's criticism was most unfair. In his own case he had j experienced the difficulties facing! manufacturers. He had offered to find; employment for two hundred persons j within two years if he was given en- j couragement in establishing the bake-j lite industry and to that end had produced plenty of evidence. The full de-j tails of the proposal had been given to officers of the Department of Indus-1 tries and Commerce, but words were. all that had been received' in return j and in spite of the information given to the Department no advice had been received that anything had been done. He suggested that the Government might take a tip from Mr. Sullivan and give the people deeds and not worda,