NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 99, 24 October 1938, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Speed Estimates. Speed estimates again were the subject of comment by Mr. Justice Blair in the Supreme Court, Hamilton, states the "Waikato Times/ In the course of the hearing of a motoring fatality case, counsel asked a witness if he could estimate the speed of the accused's car. from certain of the results of that speed. "You might as well say," commented his Honour, " 'here is a man with a black eye: What is the minimum amount of strength required to give it him.'" Moslem Month of Abstinence. Tomorrow in the world of Islam begins the month of Ramadan, the Moslem Month of Abstinence. From the time the new moon is visible until the following new moon it is incumbent to fast from dawn to sunset, dawn being defined as the, time when a white thread can be distinguished from a black one. This fast is one of the five pillars' of the absolute requirements of Islam, the last ten days of the month being particularly important. Only the sick and those on a journey are excused, but even they must carry out the fast at another time. Courtship of Albatrosses. The curator of the Canterbury Museum (Mr. R. A. Falla) has gone] to Dunedin to take moving pictures of the courtship of albatrosses at Taia- J roa Heads, states the "Press." The films which he is taking will complete a collection possessed by the museum, showing the life cycle of the albatross and including pictures of nesting, hatching, and the growth of the young birds. The mating season has now be- j gun, and some interesting films should be obtained, as albatrosses behave in an interesting manner during courjtship, performing a kind of dance and other antics.' - Bounty on Politicians. An Australian who does not approve of New Zealand's treatment of deer has offered, in a letter that has been received by an Invercargill resident, a bounty of an unusual type. "I am enclosing a postal note for 10s," he writes. "Will you please pay subscriptions for me into every Deer Stalking Association in New Zealand until this amount is exhausted. If there are not sufficient deer stalking associations to i absorb this amount of 10s, please start ; some more—and please notify all associations that I will pay £1 a scalp for politicans or any other people who still advocate deer slaughtering as it l#is been carried on during the past year or two." Good Snapper Fishing. The fine weather of late has been a boon to Wanganui fishermen, as it has enabled them to make regular trips to the fishing grounds beyond the Castlecliff bar, which, at the present time, abovmd with snapper, xeports the Wanganui "Chronicle." One boat berthed at the Town Wharf recently with a haul of more than twelve dozen snapper, several large hapuka, and a variety of other fish, while dangling from the masts were several young sharks, varying from two to four feet in length. The sharks were a constantfnuisance to the fisherman, commented one of »the boat's crew. He displayed the remains of a full-sized snapper which had been torn in half as it was hauled in. Gardens at Naval Base. , In keeping with the improvements which are being made to the general lay-out of the Devonport Naval Base, Auckland, is the attention being paid to the base flower gardens and lawns, states the "New Zealand Herald." A recent addition is a rose garden in front of the main administrative block, where several dozen rose trees have been planted, giving promise of a fine display in the next few months. Clover Avenue, the main roadway leading to Calliope Wharf, which ha s already been made distinctive by the erection of the figure-heads of old sailing-ships, is also looking particularly neat and well-kept, and a long line of hydrangeas at the back of the lawn will shortly add extra brightness to this part of the base. A Wasted Record. Much has been made of the fact that the English mail which arrived in Auckland last Friday reached New Zealand in record time, but that record is of little use to the,people who live in the backblocks such.as Lower Hutt, for they will not get their mail until tomorrow. That will be sixteen days after the mail left London, a quarter of that time being spent on the insignificant lap between Auckland and Lower Hutt. Twelve days for thousands of miles, and then four days for a paltry few hundred. The mail reached Wellington on Saturday morning, but it was not sent out in time for the Lower Hutt postmen to deliver it on that day. With _ Sunday and today's holiday intervening, it will be tomorrow before the mail is delivered. New Zealand Loyalty. The loyalty of New Zealand has never been called in question, writes a correspondent from London, and when the threat of war loomed large New Zealanders in Great Britain lived up to the best traditions of their country. In the short space of a few days the High Commissioner was inundated with offers of service from New Zealanders of all ages. More than 200 young men and -ex-servicemen of all ranks —from colonels to privates— placed their names on a list of those wishing to join the Dominion forces. Doctors and nurses offered their services unreservedly to the Government, while elderly people who could take no active part in a war wished to place their cars at New Zealand's disposal if war should be declared. Officials at New Zealand House believe that if an appeal had been made by the High Commissioner at least 700 offers of assistance would have been forthcoming* Supervision of Orphanages. Some concern was expressed at the annual meeting of St. Saviour's Guild at Christchurch on Friday about the effect of the provisions of the Social Security Act on existing orphanages, states the "Press." Mr. J. G. L. Vernon said that the Act provided for the payment of 15s a week for orphans, but that depended upon the definition of an orphan. "We cannot give any forecast yet as to what we shall receive, but I think we shall be under a lot more supervision in the future," he said. Bishop West-Watson, who presided, said that probably the minds of the people were unsettled as to what now would be the sphere of charity, and whether they could afford to contribute twice to the same cause. "Things are changing rapidly as the State is taking over more and more of these institutions. I hope that during the year we may be able to have a conference of representatives of the various orphanages and discuss the position as it affects us," said the Bishop. __..

Manganese at Onekaka. The location of an extensive manganese deposit is reported from Onekaka, whre a survey is being carried out by the Government to determine the" economic possibility of developing the iron ore field in that district under the State steel works project, states the "Christchurch Star-Sun." Manganese plays an important part in the production of steel, and it is considered that the discovery made during this week enhances the possibility of the successful initiation of the Onekaka scheme. It is also reported that the survey of the' iron ore deposits is proving highly satisfactory. Tank Filled with Ash. To have the' petrol tank of his car filled with furnace ash while the car was left unattended on Friday night was the experience of a Christchurch motorist, states the "Star-Sun." He left his car parked in a right-of-way leading out of Hereford Street. When he returned, and sought a reason why the motor would not start, he found that the tank was chock-a-block with ash, which had mixed with the petrol to form a muddy slush. Painstaking work must have been required of the person who filled the tank, as it was necessary to pour the ash "down the narrow spout. The tank-cap was nowhere to be found. The car was taken to a garage, where it required nearly three hours' work to empty and clean the tank. The motorist, in a hurry to fill an important appointment in the country, left Christchurch just before 11.30 on Saturday morning with the knowledge that, at any time, he might be held up with a blocked petrol pipe. i