NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 147, 23 June 1937, Page 10

NEWS OF THE DAY

Mails to Transfer. Owing to an alteration in the schedule of the motor-ship Wanganella, which is now to leave Auckland on Saturday for Sydney, mails from Wellington for Australian States, Ceylon, India, China, Japan, Straits Settlements, Egypt, South Africa, and Italy will now be carried on tho Maunganui, which is leaving Wellington on Saturday at 6 p.m. for Sydney. Arrival of Waiana. From Auckland and Portland, the Union Company's new motor-ship Waiana is now expected to arrive at Wellington on Saturday on her first visit to this port. The Waiana is to replace the Wingatui in the East Coast cargo trade, and is a vessel of about 33G3 tons gross, and has a-deadweight carrying capacity of 3850 tons on .a draught of 19ft 6in. She came out from Barry (Wales), via Safaga, in the Bed Sea, calling at Colombo. She will later continue discharge at Dunedin. New Ships Named. The names Kaipara and Kaikoura have been chosen for the two motorships now building by the New Zealand Shipping Company for the M.-A.-N.Z. Line Service in the Mon-treal-New Zealand trade. The vessels are single-screw motor-ships of 5900 tons gross, with a deadweight carrying capacity of about 9000 tons. They will have a service speed of about 13J knots. Waiwera's Fast Passage. The Shaw Savill, and Albion Company's motor-ship Waiwera recently completed another very fast run. She ■left Melbourne on May 9 for the United Kingdom, and arrived at Hull on June 12, after an exceptionally speedy passage, making the passage from C^pe Town' to Hull in fifteen days. The Waiwera some time aga completed the trip from Liverpool to Cape Town in 15 days 14hrs 12min, 19 hours behind the record. (from Southampton) of the old Union liner Scot set up in 1893. The Liverpool route is 134 miles longer than the Southampton route, the difference being equivalentto about eight hours' running. Finnish Barque Coming:. According to Australian exchanges, the Finnish barque Penang has been fixed to load phosphates at the Seychelles Islands for New Zealand. The Penang, one of the few surviving vessels of her type, is a barque of 2010 tons, and is owned by Gustaf Erikson, of Mariehamn. She was built at Bremerhaven in 1905. Record Bonus Payment. The directors of the Levin Dairy Company decided yesterday to make a final payment of 2£d per lb for butterfat supplied during the year ending May 31. As a result of this the average payment for the season will be slightly more than Is 2d per lb. The bonus is the highest paid by the company. There has been an increase of approximately 20 per cent, in manufacturing costs, representing a little more than Jd perlb of butterfat. Last year's payments averaged 12Jd per lb. Ten Thousandth Passenger. Last week Union Airways carried their ten thousandth passenger over the Palmerston North-Dunedin route, and if this first good round figure has built up slowly during the first eighteen months of operation the second ten thousand should be far more rapidly passed, for greater use is being made each month of the interisland service between Palmerston North and Dunedin, and the Welling-ton-Auckland service will commence on Sunday with' the New. Zealand public well impressed with the value of fast transport. . Rcwi's Last Stand. The Te Awamutu Historical Society is keenly interested in a,project for a talking picture based on1 the epic defence of Orakau in the closing stages of the Waikato War in the sixties of last century. Twelve years ago the. story was produced as a silent film under the title of "Rewi's Last Stand," the filming taking place near Eotorua, with Maoris in that locality prominent throughout the picture. If present plans are carried out the new talking version will be filmed near Te Awamutu. The hastily-constructed earthworks where Eewi Maniapoto and his gallant band made their historic defence are about six miles from Te Awamutu. Five Million Club. Messrs, K. Baxter, A. Black, A. Pai--lane, and W. N. Pharazyn have been appointed to assist on the two research committees of the New Zealand Five Million Club. Of these research committees, one-is .engaged in investigating causes for the falling birth-rate in New Zealand with the object of suggesting methods whereby such causes may be disposed of or mitigated so that a natural increase to a desirable social and economic maximum in numbers of people may be secured. The order of reference of the other committee is to consider principles and methods for adding to the population of the Dominion by immigration from overseas of suitable immigrants, such principles and methods to have relation to the maintenance of the living standard of the people, the full utilisation of the natural resources of the Dominion, and the development of sound social, economic, and cultural standards of national well-being. A Mexican Scourge. Describing upatorium, the Mexican devil weed, as a worse pest than ragwort, the North Auckland 'Forest Society adopted a resolution viewing with concern the spread of the plant and drawing the attention of the Minister of Agriculture to the need for vigilant control measures. One speaker alleged that the plant had been introduced to the north by bad grass seed about ten years ago. He traced its existence to Mexico. It grows to a height of eight feet of impenetrable growth, and is not eaten by stock. If allowed to grow there is a danger it will prevent access to bushes by forming a thorny ring round their fringes. The Housing: Survey. Though in a few instances in other centres the inspectors who are carrying out the housing survey required by the Government have met with some opposition, in every case due to a misunderstanding upon one point or another, the Wellington City Corporation inspectors have generally found the way made easy for them by householders. The survey has been delayed to some extent, however, by the shutting, up of houses and apartments when both heads of the house are away all day, and to get over this a good deal of evening inspecting has been done. This arrangement is not very satisfactory, apart from the fact that the hours of duty are made unduly long, and where houses or apartments are found closed forms are left asking for a time convenient to the occupiers. If these are filled in promptly the delays and long hours will be largely avoided. The survey of Berhampore has been practically completed, and the main work at present is in the Mount Victoria section of the city, where, on account of tlTlarge proportion of.subdivided lioi"vk more detailed work occupies more Line j than in the outer sections to be surveyed, i