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Evening Star, Issue 25619, 20 October 1945, Page 6

After some years as Judge of Western Samoa he had come to the conclusion that the Samoans were living to-day much as the Israelites did in Old Testament days, Mr W. C. Harlcy told the Kaikohe Chamber of Commerce, states the ' Auckland Star.' There were some startling points of resemblance. One was that the ordinary court-room oath had no effect in preventing lying by native witnesses. The court secretary said there was an oath used by the natives in their own councils which would ensure the truth. This oath, roughly translated from the Samoan, ran: " I swear to tell the truth and if I do not, may tho Lord do so to me and more also." That last bit, Mr Harley said, was almost word for word an Israelite oath recorded in the Bible. "We don't know what it means," he added, " and -we don't know what the Samoans mean by it—but it certainly produced truthfulness among our witnesses." Trial by oath, an old Anglo-Saxon custom, -was also in vogue among Samoans, and apparently was just as effective as it was reported to have been in ancient Britain.

The "engineer has reported to the Gas Committee of the City Council that there are now ample stocks of coke, and the system of rationing which was instituted in June last has been discontinued. Authority has been granted the engineer to investigate the possibility of installing plant for the mechanical handling of coke. Under the present system all coke sold has to be hand forked into sacks at ground level and the sacks lifted on to lorries. This is a slow, dusty, and disagreeable method of handling. A further report will be submitted to the council when 1 the investigations have been completed. Discussing juvenile employment a representative of tho Vocational Guidance Association stated that there are practically no young people available for work at present, and that this position will probably continue until Christmas. While the extreme demand experienced a- year ago has eased off somewhat, there is still plenty of work offering except in a few of the more popular occupations. Even hero, however, it was noticed ihat_ an electrical engineering apprentineslrly, requiring up to thrco years in a. suitable secondary school course, had gone unclaimed.

During next weak ths " pasties" will continue their sale of health stamps. The actual sales by posirner. and postwomen up till lost Eight amounted to £l2O. In addition, tha P. and T. Ladies' League has snld in the boxes at the Chief Post Office and Town Hall, health stamps to the value of £I2G 13s 9d.

Tho Union Steam Ship Company announces that arrangements have been made fox- tho re-entry of British vessels into the cargo trade between New Zealand and tho west coast of the United States. Commencing in November, monthly sailings, both north and south, will be resumed by vessels operated by the British Ministry of War Transport under the agency of the Union Company in recognition of its long-established operations in the Pacific trade.

On the amount involved—£l9,l22,l9l —it was a record day in the House of Representatives yesterday for the passage of Estimates. The total put through to date is now £60,875,535. The classes put through yesterday were those for the departments under the control of Mr Jones and Mr Parry, and some big sums were involved, such as £7,000,000 for Social Security, £5,907,825 for the Post and Telegraph Department, and £4,268,833 for war and other pensions. The major Opposition criticism was directed at tho size of tho radio license fee, of 255, and as a protest an amendment was moved that the vote for the broadcasting account be reduced. Tho amendment was defeated, and the House rose at 5.30 p.m. until Wednesday, owing to Monday toing Labour Day.—Parliamentary reporter. Contractors for the supply of uniforms for the tramway staff have notified the City Council that approval lias been given to increase tho price by approximately £2 19s 7d for each uniform. This increase is about 35-£ per cent, on the iprssent cost, and will amount to about £498 a year. To make carrier pigeons fly faster and deliver messages even moro quickly, the Royal Air Force has introduced the urgencies of the eternal triangle. Just before the male bird is carried off, he is shown the disturbing sight of his mate billing and cooing with a rival. Jealousy is said to increase his return speed by 25 per cent. But the fastest record, 68.7 miles an hour, was made by a jealous hen.

Tho attractive little wliito heather plant, regarded by many as a thing of beauty, '. is spreading so rapidly over a largo area of Nelson's low hill country that it has become a nuisance, deserving classification as a noxious weed. At a meeting of the Waimea County Council it was reported that an estimated area of 60,000 acres of the Moutere Hills, between Mapua and Wakefield, was covered with the heather and the opinion was expressed that it would now be impossible to eradicate it. Members of the council wished that something could be done to check its further spread, but as tho plant had not been declared a noxious weed no action was possible at present.

During September 111 samples of milk were taken from vendors by the cliief sanitary inspector of the City Council, and only three failed to comply with the regulations. Two prosecutions in cases in which milk failed to reach tho required standard were successful. '

The British destroyer Undaunted, which'was at the Devonport naval base for eight weeks for refit, left on Thursday. She held her trials in the Hauraki Gulf *on Monday. The Undaunted was operating off the coast of Japan with the British Pacific Fleet task force before she came to Auckland for refit.

As the result of repair work to the post and telegraph lines in the South Island damaged by gales, floods, and snow, many of those lines were better now than before the trouble, said the Acting Postmaster-General, Mr Jones, in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon, when paying a tribute to the work of the men who had carried out those repairs. When the lines were being put in'-order again, said the Minister, opportunity was taken to put in new material, and make a number of improvements which otherwise would have been deferred.

" Each month," said Lieutenantcolonel L. W. Nickerson, U.S.M.C, in an address to the Auckland Rotary Club, "I get literally hundreds of telephone and office calls from people asking, ' Can you help us locate Bill Smith? He was an American we met while he was in New Zealand and entertained in our home. We have corresponded, but we've not heard from Bill lately. We are worried and wonder if he is all right. I know this is a trifling matter. to bother you with . . '.' That friendship is not a little matter to me. I would go to any amount of work to help that New Zealander contact his American friend," commented the speaker. "' Why? Because my future security depends upon the continuation of that friendship and its million counterparts." Anxiety at the number of young girls leaving school to take up work, was expressed.by the principal of the Southland Girls' High School. Miss M. W. May, in a report to the Southland High Schools' Board. The report stated that one month ago the number on the roll was 419. To-day it stood at 408. " A disturbing factor is that six of the leavers are young girls newly turned 15, immature, and with less than two years' secondary education, who have been lured by the bait, of high wages," stated tho report. In a report from the Boys' High School, the rector, Dr G. H. Uttley, stated that 25 boys had left since the beginning of tho year. The roll now was 357, ... ..._. -^