NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 50, 27 August 1938, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Harbour Tug's Service. Although the estimate of the cost of refloating and repairing the Auckland Harbour Board's tug Te Awhina is at least £5000, the vessel when recommissioned will, it is considered, be good for another twenty years' service, states the "New Zealand Herald." The Te Awhina, which is now 30 years old, was built on the Clyde of first-class materials, and had always been kept in a good state of repair. j Information Passed On. Australians take their cricket seriously. A Sydney man, who has lived in Christchurch for many years, was a passenger on the night train from Sydney to Melbourne when the fourth Test was being played, states the "Press." At every wayside station the travellers opened the windows and asked, "What's the score?" The whole population of the remote stations was listening to the "ball-by-ban" description, and was able to give the exact score, with details as to how the. batsmen were out. The last progress report of the game was received by the travellers at 2 a.m. from some enthusiasts listeningin at a station, almost four hours' run from Albury, on the border of New South Wales and Victoria. Crystallised Wind Screen. Fractured in such small pieces that from a distance they looked like a crystal honeycomb, parts of a wind screen on a fairly new car were to be seen in a New Plymouth garage recently. Though the glass was a quarter of an inch thick and was of the type known as unshatterable, it was completely chrystallised, and slight pressure from a finger would break it mto small pieces resembling brewers' crystals. It is understood the car had been up Mount Egmont and that the damage was the result of cold. It is not uncommon for motor-car panes to be split by low temperatures, but Mr. H. J. Wood, of the North Egmont Hostel, said this was the first time he had heard of a wind screen being shattered. Car Charged by Bull. To be charged by a bull when crossing a paddock is ■• quite a normal experience at times, but a motorist recently received a variation of the usual experience, states an exchange. Near Kawakawa a bull was grazing at the roadside when it was struck by a piece of metal thrown/ out by the tyres of a passing car. Considerably enraged, the beast swung on to the road and charged full tilt at a car which was following. The car received the impact on the panel of the door, and although the beast seemed unharmed, the owner of the car was last seen gazing ruefully at a considerable dent in the side of the vehicle Supplies of Rainbow Ova. "It looks as if our lakes are going to suffer this year," said Mr. R. B. Soanes at a meeting of the council of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society when a report was received | from the fish committee stating that (the Internal Affairs Department could I not supply any rainbow ova this season, reports the "Press." It was also stated that neither the Otago nor the South Canterbury society could supply ova. It was suggested during the discussion on the report that in future the society should stipulate that the Internal Affairs Department should supply an equivalent number of rainbow ova for brown ova bought by the Department from the society, but no decision was made on the proposal following an indication that the suggestion would be considered by the fish committee. Votes for Pensions. , Discussion on the vote for the Pensions Department in the House of Representatives yesterday was limited to a single question, which was asked by the Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Hamilton asked whether in view of the coming social security legislation the House would be passing the Pensions Department Vote for the last time. "Will the Department go out of existence?" he asked, "and will this be the last time that we will pass a vote for pensions?" Mr. Parry: j "Pensions will be absorbed in the Social Security Department." Mr. A. S. ilichards (Government, Roskill): "We will have the same medicine in future, only it will have a better label." The Minister of Education (the Hon. P. Fraser): "We may have to have a Pensions Vote next year because of the lap-over in the financial year."