NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 104, 4 May 1937, Page 10

NEWS OF THE DAY

Native Seeds Wanted. An appeal to citizens for seeds of native plants and trees was made by Mr. R. L. Macalister at last night's meeting of the Wellington Beautifying Society. The society, he said, had the means of bringing up the seeds in nurseries, having found from experience that seeds did better than plants, which, taken from their tender bush surroundings, were apt to wither and die on the windy hillsides. The society had 23,000 seedlings in nurseries and they would be available by the end of next y^ar. He .would like to see the nursery output raised to 50,000 a year. New Traffic Legislation. The proposed new traffic legislation, whereby all boroughs with a population of under 6000 will not receive any revenue from drivers' licences and fines, was discussed at the meeting of the Upper Hutt Borough Council last evening. Last year the council received £182 17s 6d from drivers' licences, £32 6s 2d from court fines, and £6 from taxi licences. It was decided to protest to the Government against the proposal. Appeal for Earlier Meetings. The councillors of Upper Hutt are apparently becoming restive over the manner in which the meetings drag on until midnight or even later, although the order papers do not contain a great deal of business, and at last night's meeting of the council Councillor G. H. Guthrie made an appeal for earlier meetings. He asked the Mayor to enforce the standing orders and Councillor W. Greig supported him in this. The public business of the council was completed at 8.50 p.m., but there was a lengthy list of business to be taken in committee later. Loyalty in Speech. The speech of New Zealand is English, but the speech of Australia is "Australian," according to Mr. J. P. Perry, a retired Viennese banker who is visiting Christchurch (reports the "Press"). "New Zealand is, I 1 think, the most loyal of Great Britain's possessions," he said. "She is very much more loyal than Australia. My impression was that the Australians were more self-contained —they are Australians first and foremost. In New Zealand the people are British. You can tell it in the language. In New Zealand they speak pure English; but in Australia they speak—well, Australian." After Twenty Years. One of the men who attended the annual reunion of the Australian Imperial Forces Association of New Zealand at Christchurch on Saturday evening was making his first visit to Christchurch for twenty years (states the "Star-Sun"). He came from Winchester, South Canterbury, to attend the function, and he remarked that it was the first time he had been in Christchurch since, he returned from the war, in which he served with the New Zealand Forces. There had been no occasion for him to come to Christchurch previously, he explained, and it was only at the earnest request of a friend that he made the trip for the reunion. Australian Air Services. Little regard for some of the air services in Australia is held by a Wellington professional man who returned yesterday by the Awatea from Sydney. He and his wife, he said, wished to fly from Mascot Aerodrome to Brisbane, and arriving at the ground at the appointed time they took their places in the machine. After about a quarter of an hour's wait the pilot asked them to leave the machine as he wished to make a trial flight because a new engine had been installed. Th.c trial flight over, it was suggested that the passengers have morning tea while the generator was changed. Eventually the flight commenced, but there was a certain apprehension on the part of the passengers when on nearing their destination the pilot decided to cut out one of the engines on i.ecount of accumulation of oil. At Mascot, said the passenger, the ground-work. left much to be desired. Late Sir James Carroll. Authority for the reconstruction of the Timi Kara Memorial meeting-house at Wairoa, on a site at Waihirere, has been given by the trustees appointed by statute to administer the funds. The contract is in the hands of Mr. R. J. Wills, of Tikitiki, whose work has given satisfaction to the sponsors of several other structures of the kind, including those at Ngaruawahia, Waitara, Kaiti, and Tokomaru Bay (reports a Gisborne correspondent). The amount involved in the Wairoa meet-ing-house contract has not been disclosed, but it is understood to be in the vicinity of £4000. Until recently financial considerations had held up progress with the scheme to erect a permanent Maori memorial to the late Sir James Carroll at the place of his birth, but within the last week arrangements have been completed by which the necessary funds have become available, and accordingly instructions have been given for the erection of the building on a silo at Waihirere, on the outskirts of AVairoa I township. The spot is a secluded oneoff the main road on land made available by the Maori people oil the district.

This Freedom. He was a man who succeeded in imparting an air of prosperity to a small number of passengers waiting at the tram stop, but somewhat assertive in demeanour as if in compensation for the size of his wife who stood beside him. The pah: took their places in the tram, but it was not till the conductor came round that the climax arrived. A look of the utmost horror spread over his face as he searched his pockets one by one without result. There followed a subdued whisper to his wife, who carefully measured out a threepenny piece and a copper and handed them over. It was not such an important man who passed them on to the conductor, who could not conceal a smile. Passengers who gave the man the benefit of the doubt decided that he had left his wallet at home (remarks the Christchurch "Star-Sun"). Pianos at a Discount. A number of old pianofortes came up for sale at an' Auckland auction room a few days ago. They had been | stored for many years, and were badly damaged by borer and moth. The condition they were in is attested by the prices realised, for six sold for £5, and one made only lls 6d. Nevertheless, there were 'bargains among them, for some of the walnut and mahogany timber had resisted the attacks of the borer insect, and was aandamaged. When one of the most decrepit of the instruments was "under the hammer" a wag among the buyers bid Is 6d. "Don't be too rash," was the auctioneer's reply. Sleeping Berths on Trains. "I think the charges made by the Railway Department for sleeping berths on trains travelling on most of the lines in the Dominion are ridiculously high, and I would not care to do much travelling at the present prices. This opinion was expressed by Mr. A. G Argo, a prominent business man of Durban, South Africa, who is at present touring the Dominion, in an interview with the Christchurch "Press." "It seems that £1 for a sleeping berth on the trip from Auckland to Wellington is a.ridiculous charge, when in South Africa the charge is only 3s even if the trip takes two days, and without any difference for distance travelled. For the sake of tourist -trade the Department should reduce the charge to ss, which would be ample," he added. When Firemen Fall Out. One fireman, as naked as on the day of his birth, wrestled savagely with a fully-clad opponent on No. 1 wharf on Saturday night; another found his way into a cell at the Police Station; the steamer Port Caroline was delayed more than 12 hours in her departure from Timaru; the Shell • Company's Paua was unable to discharge her Timaru cargo of bulk spirit and heU to proceed to Lyttelton with it—and all because Saturday was the end of the month and the crew of the Port Caroline were celebrating payday in true sailor fashion (states the Timaru "Herald"). In the past recalcitrant sailors have provided frequenters of the waterfront with many lively scenes, but, in the opinion of some whose work connects them closely with the departure of overseas vessels, the spectacle provided by the men of the Port Caroline was the most disgraceful in the modern history of the port. Apparently annoyed at the plutocratic mode of transport employed by his fellow-fireman, who arrived at the ship in a taxi, a burly Irishman immediately picked a quarrel and the pair decided to have it out on the wharf. The Irishman, who weighed about 16 stone, immediately peeled off his coat and shirt for the fray. Unfortunately, he did not stop at that. To the speechless amazement of. a number of spectators, he rapidly divested himself of his nether garments and, in a twinkling, was squaring up for the fight naked. The effects of the chill night air were apparently offset by the warmth of the glow radiating from within him, for he straightway "waded" into his adversary and the "donnybrook" was on. The fight lasted about 20 minutes, during' which time the pair staged a stirring bout under "rafferty" rules for the entertainment of a small knot of sailors and a gallery leaning over the ship's side. Both men were badly out of condition and were probably relieved when they were parted by a policeman and escorted on board.