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Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, Issue 208, 1 August 1928, Page 6

“A child goes to school curious and ignorant; he leaves still ignorant, but no longer curious,” was a criticism to which primary schools were formerly liable, declared Mr K. Eoss, M.A., in lecturing to the W.E.A. class last evening. Rough head seas and gales nearly all the way from Sydnoy delayed the arrival of the Marama at Wellington until about 4 p.m. yesterdy. Under ordinary circumstances the vessel should have arrived about 7 a.m. The voyage was so rough that few passengers came through the ordeal without suffering from seasickness. The Marama received no damage. The vital statistics for Palmerston North for the month of July are as follow, the figures for the corresponding period in 1927 being given in parentheses :—Births, 46 , (50) ; deaths 32 (19) ; marriage notices 25 (18) ; and marriages by the registrar 9 (7). It will be noted that there is_ a slight decrease in the number of births and an increase in the number of deaths, while marriages and marriage notices have also increased. A gale with almost hurricane force blew all day on Sunday in Paeroa. A largo brick and reinforced, concrete wall, forming the front of a garage in the courso of erection for Mr Evan S. Thomas, was blown to tho ground. It was 22ft high, and offered a large target to the wind. It was only completed on Friday afternoon last .and the cement, being “green” could not withstand the pressure. On falling, the wall carried away telegraph wires and cables. Mr Thomas estimates the loss, apart from the loss of time, at £IOO. Tho Optipians Bill, designed to provide for the registration and regulation of opticians, which was read a first time in the House of Representatives yesterday, varies in some particulars from its slaughtered predecessor of last session. Tho use of tho term optomotry has been abandoned, and tho period during which an applicant for registration must have practised is increased from three to four years. A further amendment made to tho qualification aspect offers registration to applicants who have passed theoretical and practical examinations in “methods of estimating errors of refraction to the human eye and in prescribing and adapting lenses to correct them.” Wise housewives specify “Radium” when they order boot, floor or metal polish and thus get tho best and choapest.—Advt.

The Mayor, Mr A. J. Graham, has received a donation of £5 towards the unemployment fund from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous.

A marked decrease is shown in the number of local and district bankruptcies for the past month as compared with July', 1927, when six petitions were filed. Last month, only one bankruptcy was recorded, the liabilities being £l6B 17s 2d and the assets £lO, leaving a deficiency of £l5B 17s 2d. It is now fairly certain that the Financial Statement will be presented to the House of Representatives on Tuesday next. If that is the case it is expected that the debate on the statement will commence on the following Friday. Main interest in this year s Budget will centre round the intentions of the Minister of Finance in regard to income tax (states a AVellington paper). So far no hint on the subject has been dropped. An amendment to the Engineers’ Registration Act is to bo introduced in the House of Representatives by Mr AV. H. Field (Otaki) with the object of giving licensed or registered surveyors who have had practical experience in engineering an opportunity to register as engineers. The bill provides for application being made within twelve months of its becoming law, and proposes that a certificate of registration or license from the Surveyors’ Board shall be conclusive evidence in support of the application. A flaw in the present system regarding the committal of patients to mental hospitals was described by the In-spector-General (Dr. T. G. Gray) in his annual report to Parliament yesterday. Dr. Gray stated: “Arrangements were concluded with the Police Department last year to ensure that no patient should be conveyed to hospitals in police vans, and that officers on escort duty should wear mufti ; but there is still a serious flow in our systempatients are still occasionally lodged in prison pending examination and committal. This can only bo remedied by the erection at the main general hospitals of small observation blocks to accommodate between six and a dozen patients pending determination of their cases.”

Recently at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, twelve of the Ancient Society of College Youths, by permission of the Dean and Chapter, rang a peal of Stedman Cinques, consisting of 5007 different, changes on the 12 bolls. In order to prevent any distraction of the ringers from their task the band were locked in the bell tower during the whole period. They rang each of the bells single-handed, including the great tenor bell, which weighs 62cwt. The Ancient Society of College Youths was founded in 1637 by Lord Brereton. ' It is said to be the oldest bell ringing society in existence and has members all over the world. The band who rang the peal in St. Paul’s came from Birmingham, Derby, Haselmere, Caversham and Bushey, as well as from London. The last occasion on which a peal of Stedman Cinques was rung in St. Paul’s was in celebration of the Armistice in 1918. The method of ringing known as Stedman Cinques was composed by one Fabian Stedman, a printer, of Cambridge, about 1640, and he taught it to the members of the society who visited him there.