1 NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 18, 22 January 1937, Page 8

1 NEWS OF THE DAY

Income Tax. The due date lor the payment oJ income tax is Monday, February 8 and additional tax will accrue if the tax is not paid on or before March 1 The demands will be posted from the office of the Commissioner of Taxes about the beginning of the month, anc persons not "receiving a demand should communicate with the Commissioner Speedway for Wanganui. Permission for the construction, of e ipeedway track around the football trea at Spriggens Park was sought bj he Wanganui Metropolitan Rugby Jnion in a letter received at this veek's meeting of the Wanganui Citj Council, The letter stated that the rack would be about 20ft in width vith electric lights each half-chain, ind that the average distance between he track and the playing area would >e eight feet The council decided to [ive its approval to the proposal prodded that the engineer and the chair nan of the works committee report tc he council on the scheme. The Rugby Jnion sought a three-year lease of the [round in view of the heavy expense n preparing a track. Smcrgency Outfit. Partly as an experiment, a first-aid lutfit has been placed in the charge of i petrol station north of the Silverdale chool by the St. John Ambulance Brigade, acting in co-operation with he Automobile Association (Auckand), states the "New Zealand ierald." The locality has been chosen lot because it is a specially dangerous >ne, but because it is ccntral for a arge volume of traffic on the Great forth Road and adjacent roads. A :ign has been erected to direct motorsts to the outfit in the event of an iccident, and if the service proves of ralue in emergency it will probably be ixtended to other traffic routes. Payment for Annual Holidays. "It is not a bit of use you quoting rour Geneva conventions to me until hey become law," said Mr. D. I. Maclonald to Mr. G. T. Thurston during the Canterbury Radio Workers' dispute in Conciliation Council on Wednesday (re>orts the "Press"). The point at issue >etween the two—one an employers' md the other an employees' assessor— vas the allowance of annual holidays in full pay in the industry. Mr. Thurson said that the statutory annual holilay was in sight for the workers of few Zealand. Mr. Macdonald: "Yes. t will be brought up before the _,abour Government next goes to the >oll." Mr. Thurston: "You are not suggesting that it will be used to catch rotes, are you?" Mr. Macdonald: "I im not libelling the present Government; all of them would like to do it. There are no annual holidays in any of the engineering awards." Mr. Thurston: "I wish I was as ccrtain of winning a ticket in Tatts as I am that | annual leave on full pay will come, and very soon." Mr. Macdonald: "Yes. but without joking about Governments, it I will be a year or so yet.''

Misleading Traffic Signs- I "There are quite a number of signs in Wellington that are misleading,' ) said Mr. .1. H. Luxford. S.M., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday. "It often happens, particularly in streets where traffic is only allowed to go one way, that, one has to stop and work out which way is meant. Such signs could be better indicated by the use of an arrow." "Stranded in Amcrica Club." The shipping strike on the Pacific Coast of the United States of Amcrica caused the formation of an unusual club, according to Mr. C. G. McKcliar. a Avell-known Christchurch business man. who returned to the city on Wednesday after nine months abroad (states the "Press"). Mr. McKellar was one of many Australian and New Zealand residents whose plans for returning home from the United States were upset by the strike. "There were 700 of us from Australia and New Zealand who were affected by the strike," lie said on Wednesday in an interview, "so we formed ourselves in a 'Stranded in America Club,' with headquarters in | the Clark Hotel. Los Angeles. We held weekly meetings to welcome new members. and the hotel Eave us free dinners on these occasions." Mr. McKellar added that some of the members had broadcast to Australia and New Zealand from the top of the hotel through Longbeach station, and another time from KFI, the station on top of the Packard building. So far he had not ascertained whether the broadcast had been received in New Zealand.

Recording Device for Irrigation To estimate the flow of water through the diversion race on the Levels Plain irrigation scheme in South Canterbury, to measure the amount used and to check any possible losses, the Public Works Department at Temuka is considering the installation of a recording device which has not been used extensively in New Zealand (states the "Press"). The device is a dual recorder giving a comparison of water levels at two different points, being calibrated to indicate the flow in cusecs. The twinrecording apparatus may be attached to a special channel-a Venturi Flume and if employed will be placed in the diversion race -from the Opihi River According to statements made bv one of the Department engineers, very few of these recorders are made except in Colorado, and information about the installation is being sought from the University of Colorado. Some check on water flow is considered essential in every irrigation system. In Canterbury systems, where there is not a sufficient head of water to .allow the satisfactory use of a weir for measuring purposes, the venturi Flume is particularly suitable, and accordingly the information is being sought as to the adaptability of the recorder for use with the flume.

Queensland Sugar. Queensland is credited by work sugar technologists with haying most efficient mills and methods o cultivation, and the peatest capacity nf anv sugar-producing aiea in ln< worldf remarked Mr. F. C. Ker, man ager of the team of visiting Queens land bowlers, to a "Post" representa tive yesterday afternoon. Althougl the sugar industry took second place to wool in his State, and dairying wa: third, sugar mills and plantations ab sorbed the largest number of workers The output of cane this year was est* mated at 700,000 tons, 55 per cent, o: which was for local consumption, anc 45 per cent, for export. All sugar-cam areas in Queensland were registerec (or assigned, as it was called) anc were under the control of the Centra Sugar Cane Prices Board, and the prices of the commodity were fixed With the exception of two cane mills in New South Wales,' Queensland wa: the only Australian State, producing :ane sugar; Victoria had some beet sugar plantations. Also a member o the party is Mr. J. Allison, genera nanager of the Isis Central Sugai Mill, the largest mill in the sugai area. Meteors and Fireballs. "An important feature of the sec tion's activities lies in the collcctioi >f data concerning meteorites and fire )alls in this country," remarks ; sulletin, issued by the New Zealanc Vstronomical Society, dealing wit! ;he work of the meteor section. "Thi: ispect of our work brings the sectioi requently before the notice of tin jeneral public and creates an interes n meteors which it is hoped ulti nately will provide additions to thi •anks of our regular observers. Tt 'acilitate the collection of fireball dab rom the general public and the promp lotification of any particularly inter ■sting objects, agencies have beer :stablished in eleven centres wel icattered over the two islands, the najority of agents being persons wit? ixperience of meteor observing. A 1 •eports, collected are forwarded to the lirector for examination and publica ion. In the period covered by thi: •eport data of eight fireballs hav< jeen collected from 187 observers, anc 14 isolated reports of bright meteor: lave been received." STotable Jade Casket. A small casket and lid of intricately :arved dark green jade were the :entre of attraction for visitors to th< exhibition of Chinese art at the Auck and War Memorial Museum or Wednesday afternoon (states the "Nev Zealand Herald").. The reason foi .heir particular interest was that thi •asket has been lent to the exhibitioi ] y Queen Mary. The casket, whicl itands only 6iin high,, is modelled ir he shape of an ancient bronze, be ongs to the Ch'ien Lung period, anc was cut from a solid block of jade t was displayed at the Koyal Academ; Sxhibition of Chinese Art in 1935-36 tnd arrived from London by the Napiei Star on Wednesday morning. Sb Chinese roll pictures from the A. W 3ahr collection were also brought bj he Napier Star. Five of these picture; ire painted on silk and one on paper md they belong to the Ming and Earl: Ming periods. Three were displayet it the Eoyal Academy Exhibition. iYild Dog Menace. Raids by wild dogs are creating con siderable nuisance in Suva (states thi suva correspondent of the "New Zea and Herald"). Heavy losses of fowl: lave been reported by householder! whose best efforts to keep their poultrj iecurely fenced have been renderec ibortive by the cunning shown by th< inimals in digging their way under leath stout netting. Numerous com jlaints have been made," but matter: vere brought to a head when foui iomney Marsh rams imported frorr tfew Zealand were attacked at tht quarantine station and three of then dlled. The ferocity of these parial logs was indicated by the fact tha' he rams were large, strong animal md also by the fact that the dogs at acked an attendant who attempted tc Irive them off. The wild dog menace vhich has been steadily growing xr. Suva during the past two or three rears, is due largely to the habit ol he Indian community of keeping straji logs about their places. Many Indians lave religious scruples against taking inimal life and unwanted pups are illowed to live and take their food vhere %ey can get it. The numbers >f ownerless dogs are also increased by ndians returning to India and leaving heir dogs behind. It is thought many >f these animals live in the scrub )ehind tine Indian settlements at the lack of the town. At night they go in icarch of food, which is more easily ibtainable in the fowl runs o£ the resiicntial areas. A police officer carrying i email rifle in his car has recently ■xtcrminatcd a number of stray floss.