NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 5, 6 July 1939, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Kowhai as National Flower?

"I would like to see the kowhai established as our national flower during the Centennial celebrations," said Mrs Knox Gilmer at the annual meeting of the Wellington Horticultural Society last night. "Now is the time for horticultural societies to ask definitely for that to be done."

Territorials Not Outside Law

"He thought because he was a Territorial that he would be outside the regulations," said a Transport Department inspector in the Christchurch Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, when a motorist was charged with exceeding the speed limit of thirty miles-an hour along Riccarton Road, states the "StarSun." The inspector said he had checked the offender's speed at 44 miles per hour, and the only explanation given was that he had been late for a parade at 7.30 p.m. "We will treat it as being 40 miles per hour," said the Magistrate (Mr. E. C. Levvey), in imposing a fine of £2 and costs.

Heart Timber for State Houses.

The specification by the Department of Housing that only heart timber should be used for the weather boarding of State houses, criticised recently by the West Coast Sawmillers' Association on the ground that it was causing the accumulation of non-heart timber and thus making it necessary for the mills to close down temporarily, is also considered undesirable by the Canterbury Builders' and Contractors' Association, states the "Press." At a meeting of the association members commented that air-dried ordinary timber should be used in Canterbury Such timber was perfectly suitable, it was said, and its use would reduce building costs by 25 per cent. The president of the association, Mr. J. B. Johns, assured the meeting that all information possible about the suitability of ordinary timber had been submitted to the Director of State Housing (Mr. A. Tyndall) during his visit to Christchurch recently.

Meals for Country School Children.

An effort to meet the need of providing country school children, who sometimes come to school from long distances, with hot meals in the winter, has been made by the teacher at the Ashburton Forks School, states the "Press." The children are supplied with hot cocoa at 10 o'clock every day, and at 12.45 the gong sounds for a hot luncheon. The girls of the school take turns at preparing the meals. An electric stove has been installed and the pupils are very enthusiastic about the scheme. The butcher and the baker call regularly, and the menus are varied to a considerable extent. Figures showing the average consumption of each pupil indicate a distinct development in appetite since the scheme began. Financially, the scheme is a very satisfactory one for the parents, the charge on them for each meal being trifling. The parents have undertaken to supply the milk and vegetables, while gifts of such. commodities as honey and jam help the scheme along.

On Which Ground?

Confronted with the problem of which of the two local Chatham Cup semi-finals to be played on the Basin Reserve next Saturday should be on No. 1 ground, the management committee of the Wellington Football Association last night resorted to drawing from a .hat Swifts and Petone are to meet in one game, and Waterside and Seatoun in the other. Those in favour of the former match being on No. 1 ground reduced Petone's championship lead and Swifts' recent run of success as reasons for their desire; on the other hand it was argued that the facts that Waterside hold the Chatham Cup and that Seatoun beat them in a championship game last Saturday justified the placing of their game on the principal ground. Invited by the committee to express their opinions, three reporters present differed One suggested Swifts and Petone on No. 1 ground, one Waterside and Seatoun, and the other commended the idea of Messrs C. Ballard and E. J. McQueen, members of the committee, that the question should be decided by chance Mr R. Gilpin, another committee member, then drew from a hat the names of Swifts and Petone as the teams to play on No. 1 ground, leaving No. 2 ground to Waterside and Seatoun.

First Snow of Season. Although no snow has fallen in the city or suburbs, patches, on the surrounding high country indicate that winter is very much here In tha Hutt Valley this morning about 7.30 j o'clock there was a brief fall of light snow, an entirely local effort confined to the area round Silverstream. The Tararuas naturally have a thick mantle of white on them, this being only the second time this winter for [them to be so coated. The sky having I cleared last night, there was a slight 'frost in evidence this morning, but [temperatures did not fall as low as might have been reasonably expected from the prevailing conditions. Al- [ though barometers are still very low, [the weather this morning was showling a marked improvement, as was only to be expected seeing that races are on at Trentham.