NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 128, 26 November 1937, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Hutt Out-patient Service.

Approval of the appointment of an extra junior house surgeon—if it was considered necessary—with a view to giving an out-patient service at Lower Kutt was given by the Wellington Hospital Board last evening. Sunday Attraction. An addition to' the parking prohibitions has been decided upon by the City Council on the length of the seafront road past the aerodrome between Moa Point and Kingsford Smith Street, 1 for, particularly since the commencement of the Wellington-Auckland air service, this section of the Marine Drive has been badly congested with standing and sightseeing cars on Sunday .afternoons, and it has been necessary to detail traffic men for this special Sunday duty.. The aerodrome surface is hidden from Kingsford Smith Street by a high iron fence, so if Wellington people want to see planes land, as they do, they "will have to pay for admission to the aerodrome, for the rule —described by an overseas visitor 'as unique—still holds, and those who are interested must pay to indulge their enthusiasm: "Baths Closed 12 to 1 p.m." A proposal made to the City Council yesterday afternoon from the- reserves and baths committee that the Te Aro Baths should be closed on Saturdays and Sundays between 12 and 1 p.m. was not enthusiastically received. The Mayor (Mr. T. C. A.Hislop) said that he thought that quite a few bathers would want to use the baths between 12 and 1 o'clock on Saturdays. Councillor R. A. Wright said there would be an outcry. Councillor W. Duncan, speaking for the committee, said that those were slack hours, and the idea was to allow the staff to eat their midday meals. As there was little likelihood of the proposal being accepted, it was agreed that the committee should discuss it further. The council gave full support to a proposal that during Swimming Week next month learners and instructors should be granted free use of the baths on production of signed passes. Evening op the Alphabet Yesterday afternoon the City Council briefly discussed a suggestion that, to avoid the possibility of electors, taking the easiest course when marking a voting paper with many names on it by starting with the candidates the first letters of whose names are A's and running out of choices before the W's and Z's are reached, the papers should be printed in batches, so many thousands starting with A, so many with B, and so on.; Councillor P. M. Butler asked what was wrong with replacing the present system with the proportional representation system. The Mayor (Mr. T. C. A. Hislop) replied that that hardly came into the question at the moment. Councillor W. J. Gaudin suggested that the different arrangements ot names would make counting rather awkward. The Mayor agreed that it would take longer, but he thought that the idea might well be referred to the Municipal Association. This was agreed to. Billeting of Athletes. As visiting athletes would be put to a fair measure of expense wKenthey visited Wellington next month in connection with the British Empire trial meeting, the chairman of the Wellington Centre of the N.ZAA.A. (Mr. A. C. Kitto), at a meeting of the centre last night, suggested that some billetng scheme might be introduced. Members agreed that it would be a very graceful act, and even if only a small number of visitors could be billeted out, it would be a matter of some satisfaction. Delegates were asked-to bring the question before their clubs at the earliest possible moment and a comfet^p to go more fully into the matter Si to receive names of people willing to billet a visiting athlete. National Council of Sport. -•The legislation does not propose to paralyse Action «nmtto.veofr«* hue s«A lvS 8 £ Club at their luncheon yesterday on "The Purpose of the National Council oTsport^ He considered the only challenge to disease was physical fitness and well-being and that people should strive after that ideal. "If we can infuse this spirit into the nation we will develop a real burning desire to smash down the growing statistical PosZn of ill health that we have reached," he said. The Y.M.OA. would be of great assistance to the Government, he pointed out, if its co-opera-tion was forthcoming. Md for Prisoner* During the past year .the Welling, tdn Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society has met various appeals for help. Some that have been met are: Beds, 157; meals, 479; clothes issued, 73; rents paid, 20- boots issued, 26; fares paid, 25; groceries supplied, 41. In order to assist in obtaining employment or relief, union dues have been paid in a number of cases, as have also unemployment levies in arrears. The only cash grants which have been made have been mainly for food and lodgings en route to homes or employment. As usual, a number of articles, mainly clothing, have been redeemed from pawn. Shortage of Farm Labour. A Wairarapa farmer says that despite statements to the contrary, labour was walking off farms to take work on Public Works (states a Wairarapa exchange). It was, he said, happening every day. The result was that farmers in many instances were compelled to engage inexperienced men for skilled labour such as ploughing, and in that connection he mentioned an incident which came before his notice recently. A man, apparently unused to driving tractors, drove one over a bank, and the loss to the farmer concerned was in the vicinity of £350. Horses and implements were too, expensive these days to be in the hands of anyone who came along, he said. Not only would the farmer suffer, but the manufacturers would also be affected, ■ because if suitable labour could not be secured to manipulate machinery farm- ; ers would not buy it. The "New Morality." "Of all the changes in this modern world there are none so great as those which affect the relations of sex to the family life," said Mr. F. W. GUllgan, M.A., in an address, "The Citadel of the Home," at a Wanganui League of Mothers function. The speaker (reports the "Wanganui Chronicle") said that until recently family life had been regarded as a rock upon which depended many things, but with the teachings of a "new cult" which advocated new ideas on the subject, this rock had been shaken, and the effect was becoming apparent in many ways. The teachers of the so-called new morality found many adherents,in the world of today. Mr. Gilligan conceded that with modern conditions the reactions of men and women must be in accordance. He thought, however, that this "new morality" was an insult to man generally,- as it tended-to underestimate the best in him, reducing him to the level of the animal.. He said that it was up to those who thought of such things to make a stand for family life and show it as being superior to any other cult.

More Beds in Use. The daily average number of beds occupied at the Wellington Hospital last month was 724.39, compared with 718.26 for October, 1936. Hospital Schoolroom. The Wellington Hospital Board last, night approved of an offer by the Crippled Children's Society to equip fully a schoolroom at the children's hospital. Lost and Found. The starboard anchor and 60 fathoms of cable, which. were lost from the British Phosphate Commission's steamer Tymeric when she berthed at Castlecliflf, Wanganui, recently, were recovered when the vessel sailed for Westport. The anchor, which weighed approximately 31 tons, and the cable, of which the weight was about 13 tons, were lost during berthing operations. The anchor was located by the Harbour Board's staff and was attached to a winch on the vessel by a length of 2000 feet of steel cable. Each link of the anchor cable had been tested to withstand a load of 120 tons. When the Tymeric commenced to leave the wharf, states the "Wanganui Chronicle," the steel cable was wound in until the broken length of cable was on board. This was connected to the length of chain on board the ship and the lost anchor and chain wound in. This task only necessitated a slight delay in the departure of the Tymeric, an* was carried out without difficulty. Watching New Zealand. "Tremendous interest in New Zealand's first Labour Government is being taken in England," said Mr. F. W. Hobbs, a former president of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, on his return from a visit to Britain, states the "Press." "British people regard our Government as being a body of idealists who do not realise that they ere up against a very practical world. They generally feel that the New Zealand Government will meet difficulties which will force it to face the realities of trade and world economics. Meanwhile they are just awaiting Results, but New Zealand loans would not be popular in- spite of the huge sums seeking investment." ' "New ZwUanders* Death." "Overseas death by drowning is called the New Zealanders' death,'" said Mr. G. G. Gardner, at a meeting of the Waimairi County Council when the clerk read a letter from the National Committee of Swimming and Life-saving, asking for the council's, help and assistance in the forthcoming "Learn to Swim" week, reports the "Christchurch Star-Sun." "There are so many deaths from that cause in the Dominion that we have earned an unenviable reputation. You cannot pick up the paper on any night, without reading . that someone has been drowned. It is 'the New Zealanders' death,' all right." The council decided to assist the committee as far as possible. The Waimairi Beach Life-Saving Club also wrote asking the council's help, and the council decided to make a donation of £25.