NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 151, 23 December 1938, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Seasonal Greetings. i Many messages conveying Christmas greetings and good wishes for the New Year have been received fc>y "The Post." These ar^ gratefully acknowledged airrf heartily reciprocated. Invisible Ink. i Amongst other notices pinned up outside the Post Office are shipping and meteorological reports. The latter mii elude a chart of the daily rainfall throughout the year, but its value to anyone who wishes to consult it is practically negligible, for it is filled in witti ink that apparently fades as soon as it is exposed to light. Here and there a figure is dimly' discernible- but as. a record for anyone to consult the chart is valueless. For any use that it is, it might just as well have been filled in with invisible ink. Membership of 10,000. Nearly a. thousand new members had been added to the strength of the -Automobile Association, Wellington, this month, said the chairman of the executive (Mr. E. A. Batt) today. At the last executive meeting 475 were elected, and since then a further 375 had come in. This brought the total membership to 10,000. He had made proposals to the executive for a comprehensive expansion of the public office to cope with the unprecedented membership calling for services. It was hoped to provide more accommodation facilities early in the New Year. Pickpockets in City. Making the most of the Christmas shopping crowds, pickpockets have been active in the city during the last few days, and several cases involving large sums of money were reported to the police yesterday. In one instance a Chinaman was relieved of £100, in twenty £5 notes, at the markets, and other instances, some also involving comparatively large sums, have occurred on tramcars. People who carry round large sums of money are advised to keep good care of them while in crowded stores or transport vehicles. Buried Forests. Besides tapping a supply of pure water for the Normanby township of 1000 gallons an hour, a well bored within the town board district has disclosed that the land surface in the vicinity was once 105 fee', lower than it is now, states The Post's" representative. Two distinct former land surfaces were discovered, the first 40 feet down and the second 105 feet At each level there was a buried forest, and much mixed volcanic rock scoria and pumice. There was also evidence of two eruptions. The timber is remarkably well preserved, the texture being tough and stringy without any signs of decay. Child's Life Saved. Tragedy was narrowly averted by the prompt action of a small girl, aged eight, wbo immediately raised the alarm when she saw her cousin, Brian Andrews, aged seven, a son of Mr. and Mrs. T. W. Andrews, of 124 Chapter Street, fall into the Avon River in Dallington, states the "Christchurch StarSun." The accident occurred where the river runs parallel to Lansdowne Terrace. The river there is about five feet deep, and has a treacherous bottom. Several people searched' frantically along the river bank for some time for a sign of the child, who was at length discovered lying face down on the bed of the river about a hundred feet from the point where he fell in. Mr. Andrews brought him to the bank-with great difficulty, owing to the nature of the river bed, and successfully applied artificial respiration, the child now being none the worse for his experience. Mr. Andrews said he hoped that the occurrence would serve as a warning to parents in the district to keep a strict watch on their children. Landmark Destroyed. Criticism of the action of employees of a power board in destroying a pohutukawa tree at Maketu, which, he said, was nearly 100 years old, was expressed by Mr. H. Tai Mitchell when the Rotorua Borough Council was considering a letter from t^e Auckland Provincial Centennial Council in regard to the planting of trees along the Auckland-Rotorua highway as a Centennial memorial, reports a Rotorua correspondent. Mr. Mitchell stated that the tree had been at the side of the main road and had been cut down during power line extensions when a deviation of only 10ft would have saved it. He thought that when the Government was suggesting to local bodies that they should plant trees as Centennial memorials steps should also be taken to ensure that a curb was put on the practice of power boards throughout the Dominion of chopping down trees during power line extensions. Not Forgotten. There are between thirty and forty former soldiers in Wellington who have to be cared for in hospitals or homes, but they are not forgotten by their more able comrades. During the last few days a representative! of the ellington Returned Soldiers' Association has been actively engaged visiting Victoria Hospital, Central Park Hospital, Ewart Hospital, and similar institutions to carry good wishes to the ex-soldiers there. A certain amount of provision for these men at Christmas time is made through the Sarah Ames Trust, and.this was subsidised by the R.S.A". to enable each man to make Christmas a festive occasion. The men made it clear that they appreciated the cheery visit of a fellow ex-serviceman as much as the provision of Christmas cheer. Work on Farms. Further reference to the question of farm labour was made by the' Minister of Public Works (the Hon.. R. Semple) in an interview last evening. He said that as a result of numerous representations made to him about the release of publ' works employees to assist with seasonal work, he had approved of public works workmen taking up farm work during the period the works were closed down for the Christmas vacation. Such approval, said Mr. Semple, was conditional all the time that the men were not to •ompete with other labour. Only where there was a definite shortage were the men to offer their services. "I am prepared to co-operate to the fullest extent possible to assist the farmers with their seasonal work," said the Minister. A Risky Business. Though there will always be the motorist whoI'will give a pedestrian s lift in an emergency, the majority of car drivers are far too sensible of the damages they may have to pay in the case of injury to the fortuitously acquired passenger to make the granting of free rides a habit. The Automobile Association, Wellington, in fact, advises its members not to do so. The chairman of the association's executive (Mr. E. A. Batt) said today: "We recommend our members, on the ground of the liability which may be incurred, not to take the risk." Mr. Batt spoke of the case in which a person was lent a horse to ride, without being warned that it might kick. The horse did kick the person lent the horse, and he was awarded damages. There were instances where persons merely witnessing motor accidents had secured damages because of the effects upon them, and in one such case abroad the defence that it was not necessary for the woman to look at the accident, was of no avail