NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 91, 19 April 1939, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Cracked, But Hardly Broken.

Light, drizzling rain fell last night and this morning fin the city and suburbs. Although ihe amount of rain which fell was very slight, it was none the less welcome lafter the long dry spell, and the genej/al hope is that there will be heavier fails in the immediate future. The drovvght may- be said to have been cracked., but hardly broken. With a change of;- wind to a southerly direction, official forecasters expect further falls, bu£ whether a muchneeded downpoinr eventuates or not remains to be :se<en.

Cars and Impo/rt Restrictions.

The fact that^ under the import control scheme so< far preference shown to other British industries had not been extended) to the motor, industry,' is commented on by Mr. L. C. Cunningham, export manager for Rootes, Ltd., London, exporters for the Hillman-Humber-Con-imer Combine of cars «nd commercial .vehicles. Mr. Cunningham is spending, three weeks in the Dominion. British business people, he said, were sympathetic' with the objective of the Government, realising the necessity of some action to conserve New Zealand's London funds; but he believed that that object might have been furthered, during the first six months of this year, by curtailing imports of foreign and second-hand cars. Second-hand cars had been brought to New Zealand in increasing quantities in the last few years,. but the business was of no real use to the manufacturing industry in Britain or to the established trade in New Zealand. sjStaff, showroom, and plants in Now Zealand, which had been based on a. volume of trade averaged, presumably, over the last two years or so, would present problems if the suggestion that the Government intended to restrict imports of motor-cars drasticgilly during the second six months of 'this year were carried out.

Milk in Schools,

The drop in milk production because of the dry weather has made it aiecessary for the quantity normally ;; supplied to Wellington schools to be I reduced temporarily. Milk will be distributed on two days this week and three days next week, after which it is hoped that regular supplies will be reinstated. The Minister of Health (the Hon. P. Fraser) last night oxpressed regret at the necessity for this course. Mr. Fraser said • that owing to the unprecedented drought conditions the shortage of milk in the Wellington district had developed much more rapidly than had been anticipated by those in charge of the city milk supply, and because of this milk was not available for children in the Wellington schools every day. Arrangements had been made for the distribution of milk to the schools on two days of the present week—Tuesday and Friday— and on three aays of next week—Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Responsible officers of the Health Department and the Internal Marketing Department, in co-operation with the Wellington Dairy Farmers' Co-operative Association, were busy searching and negotiating for suitable supplementary supplies. It was hoped that this effort would be successful, and if so normal supplies to schools would be restored. The question of extending the sources of a safe supply was under consideration, and it was hoped that the difficulties attached to the problem would be overcome.

Centennial Visitors.

The council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce decided last evening to write to chambers of commerce throughout the Empire and the United States of America regarding the Centennial celebrations. If representatives of such chambers visit Wellington they will be entertained by the chamber.

With Their Eyes Open

No one could say that the 70 recruits who enlisted at the Drill Hall, Buckle Street, last night, did not enter the army with their eyes open. In full view of the newcomers while they waited to fill in their papers and be sworn in were sections of soldiers in uniform going through the routine of marching, forming fours, and other necessaiTy, if tedious, operations involved in military training.

Traffic Officers Turn Out,

News reached the City Council traffic department last night that, judging by the large number of cars in Buckle Street, there was apparently a big demonstration' of some kind on at the Drill Hall. Traffic officers set out fpv the Drill Hall to assist with the ftraffic, if necessary, but found when they arrived there that the cars lininjg both sides of the street belonged to some of the 70 recruits who were being sworn in. "That's just another indication of the good class of recruit we are getting now," said one of the miStary officers with a smile.

Made in Czechoslovakia.

.Nazi Germany's incorporation of Chechoslovakia in the Third Reich rraeans little or nothing to some local importers of goods from that part of Eiurope. Apparently there is no intention to alter the designation "Made in Czechoslovakia" from those goods. Letters received direct from the former Czechoslovakian factories dated as late as last month still have the goods decribed in the old way. One importer said that the factories were still carrying on as if hjothing had happened. There had been a change of ownership and that was all.

Annular Eclipse of Sun.

Of little interest to New Zealand, seeing that it will be visible only in Alaska arid round about the North Pole, an annular eclipse of the sun will take place tomorrow. The period of totality will last 110 seconds. This is the first of the four eclipses due to take place this year. The next will be a total eclipse of the moon on May 4, which will be visible in Wellington in the early hours of the morning. On October 12 the sun will be totally eclipsed in the region of the South Pole, Wellington being treated to a partial eclipse, and on October 28 there will be a partial eclipse of the moon.

Jewish Immigrants.

Several members of the council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce expressed the opinion last evening that New Zealanders should do more to help Jewish refugees, who would make good citizens. A report from the junior chamber recommended that representations should be made to the Government regarding the admission of Jews, and the chairman, Captain S, Holm, said he agreed something might be done. A member suggested all unemployed men should be absorbed before aliens were admitted, but another said that New Zealanders should remember that their country could hold many more people. The Jews had been severely discriminated against and they made excellent citizens and nationals. More immigrants should be encouraged and there was no reason why Jews should not be included. Mr. P. E. Patrick moved that the matter should be referred to the legislation committee for inquiry and report, and this was agreed to.

The German Outlook,

The propaganda machine of Germany is such that, in a crisis, a man will march to war, in the view of Mr. L. C. Cunningham, manager of the export division of Rootes, Ltd., London, who was in Czecho-Slovakia and Germany last September, and who is now in Wellington. The German, he says, is used to discipline, and makes a good soldier, but no one in Germany really wants a war. Last September the people did not realise there was any possibility of war. They had been led to believe that the Sudetens wanted fusion with Germany, and, because of the suppression of news, they did not understand the attitude of Britain and France. The Germans in the Czech area wanted relief from an unfavourable economic situation. There had been unemployment in Czecho-Slovakia for several years, and the Germans had held out hopes of work for all. There was a shortage of labour in Germany, and those who had gone over the frontier had obtained work immediately at remunerative rates.

Maori Craftsmanship.

The deposit on loan in the Canterbury Museum of a collection of 32 small adzes found at Motukarara has raised some interesting questions, states the Christchurch "Press." According to the acting-curator and ethnologist of the museum (Mr. R. S. Duff) they are probably the work of craftsmen of the second, if not the first, wave of Maori settlement in the South Island, moa-hunting tribes who turned out more careful and skilled work than the Ngaitahu, who came later from the North Island. The adzes have been placed beside collections from Sumner, Rakaia, and Marlborough; a noticeable similarity is shown, as all collections are marked by the absence of greenstone, and the presence of highbacked adzes with short-cutting edges among the heavier and broader kind. The collection, sent to the museum by Mr. W. Thompson, should, because of the way in which it is arranged, compared with the Rakaia, Sumner, and Marlborough collections, prove very interesting to those who study Maori craftsmanship at different periods of settlement, and what it indicates.