NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 47, 24 August 1939, Page 12

NEWS OF THE DAY

Harbour Redemption Loan. Of the Wellington Harbour Board's redemption loan of £291,000 already £265.900 was in hand or in sight, stated the chairman of the board (Mr. M. A. Eliott) at the board meeting last evening. Renewals amounted to £188,500, and new money was represented by £77,400. The balance required was £26,000. The loan was opened for subscription early in July. Hares Attack Seedling Trees. A number of young trees planted by the Taihape Golf Club on their course, with the object of beautifying their property, have been destroyed by hares. The young trees were planted prior to the recent snowstorm that swept the district, and hares found the bark and tender shoots somewhat tasty when there was no other food to be found. The remainder of the trees have been protected against another possible invasion of the pest. An Aurora After All. Apparently there was an aurora after all on Tuesday evening. A report has been sent to the Carter Observatory from Paraparaumu indicating that a faint display was visible fromj there. That it was not seen from Wellington is probably due to obscuration by city lights—the aurora being very faint. That was about 7.30 p.m. Somej four hours later a good display was j seen and photographed in the southern j part of the South Island, but at that time it was cloudy in Wellington and nothing was seen locally. Zoning of Papers. No consideration has been given to the zoning of daily newspapers for the purpose of checking competition, according to a reply to a question given by the Minister of Industries and Commerce (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr. J. O'Brien (Government. Westland) asked the Minister if he would take steps to zone the area in which daily newspapers published in New Zealand circulate. "Large city newspapers are today invading the territory of provincial publications, and unless this unfair competition is stopped many country Newspapers will be forced to cease publication, thus causing widespread unemployment among country journalists and printers," Mr. O'Brien said. "The proposal to zone areas in which newspapers .may circulate has not been given consideration by the Government," the Minister said. "The honourable gentleman, however, is informed that the question will be examined." "Centeennial," Alas! It should be just as hard to make "pereennial" out of "perennial" and "bieennial" out of "biennial" as "centeennial" out of "centennial," but some New Zealanders are making that peculiar mistake, says the "Centennial News." The word "centennial" was chosen officially because it was assumed that everybody would know how to pronounce it. Of course, there are still differences of learned opinion about the pronunciation of "centenary"—of which there are at last three versions current —but there is only way of pronouncing "centennial" correctly, which has the first "c" short and the stress on the middle "ten," which also has a short "c." It does really rhyme with "perennial." Vegetables for Health Camp. A great many people grow vegetables for themselves. If they planted an extra row and earmarked it for the Otaki Health Camp, the children in that institution would benefit and something would be accomplished towards reducing the increasing cost of supplies. This is the suggestion of Dr. H. E. Gibbs, who is anxious that money subscribed should go towards the cost of treating more children instead of being paid away in increased costs of management. Both amateur and professional vegetable growers could help in this way. Depots could be established for the reception of produce, and the Railway Department would carry the vegetables free to Otaki. Dr. Gibbs said that should anyone be willing to help the Otaki Health Camp in this way he would be grateful if they would communicate with Mr. C. Meachen, secretary, care of the St. John Ambulance Association, Wellington. Right to "Squeal." An emphatic denial that the unemployed, by making strong' representa tions to the Government for the provision of work, were in any way disloyal to the Labour Administration was made by Mr. J. Rodgers, chairman of a meeting of seasonal workers which met the Minister of Housing (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong) in Christchurch on Tuesday, states the "Star-Sun." "Some of the remarks made from the floor this afternoon might suggest that we prefer a Nationalist Government," he said. "I want to give an emphatic denial to any suggestion of this sort. Nobody is going to make capital out of it. We are solidly behind the Labour Government and there is no antagonism behind our requests." In thanking the meeting for this assurance, the Minister said that the right to "squeal" was one of the privileges of democracy. Even in the Labour Party caucus there was some straight talk. "We are not like a string of sausages, all thinking alike," be added.

"Big Jobs Before Long." "Before long some thousands of men will be employed at Onekaka," said the Minister for Housing (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong) at Christchurch on Tuesday afternoon, when he explained the Government's measures to find work for the unemployed of Christchurch, reports the "Press." Thirty men from Christchurch were to be sent to Onekaka, stated the Minister. A man: Is that in New Zealand? (Laughter.) "I can tell you that there will be big jobs going on at Onekaka before long," replied Mr. Armstrong. "There will be a terrible lot of building. A model village is to be built before the steel works begin, and much [development work is needed before the steel works are erected. There are many men there now, and before long some thousands of men will be employed at Onekaka."