NEWS OF THE DAY

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 110, 12 May 1939, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Citizens’ Lunch Club. Mr. F. A. Sandal, Massey College librarian, speaks on “Old Roman France” to-day. The chairman will be Mr. A. M. Lascelles. Defective Cycle Stands. Palmerston North has a particularly difficult problem in parking thousands of cycles. A mechanic points to sunns obvious defects which call for urgent attention. The openings in many stands aro too wide, causing serious damage to the wheels. Every soeond bicycle should be raised four inches from below so that it may be parked or removed without the handle-bars being obstructed by others. Unsightly Hoardings. The protest of the Wellington Beautifying Society against the use of disfiguring hoardings in rural and urban areas was supported at a recent meeting of the Town Planning Institute of New Zealand which urged that large advertising hoardings be strictly regulated, and that in those places where advertising hoardings were permitted strict control be exercised in order to eliminate unsightly advertisements. The institute decided also that the Wellington Beautifying Society should be approached with a view to calling a conference of interested parties soon. Praise for Minister A tribute was paid to the Minister of Education, Hon. P. Fraser, by Mr. W. G. Black, chairman of the Mana-watu-Oroua School (Committees’ Association, yesterday after he had received a deputation from that body on the subject of the provision of an assembly hall for the new intermediate school in Palmerston North. He said that he was very sincere in what he had said. They realised that the money resources were not unlimited and they had every confidence that he would be fair to all. They did appreciate his recognition of the value of an assembly hull and his assurance that they would ultimately have it. Doctors Don’t Know Everything “Doctors aren’t gods; they are just humans like you and me,” declared Sir Hubert Ostler when summing up in a case before a jury in the Supreme Court yesterday, in which a patient sued a doctor for damages for alleged negligent treatment for lumbago. “Doctors don’t know everything and, although medical science has made great strides, the doctors themselves will admit they don’t know everything,” his Honour added. ‘ ‘ There is quite a lot they don’t know, and every honest doctor will tell you that is so with these rheumatic complaints. Often doctors must act on no better knowledge than that acquired by trial and error.” Delay in Delivery of Fertiliser Farmers in the Waikato are concerned at the delay in the delivery of fertilisers, in some cases from six to eight weeks. They fear that when the fertilisers arrive it will be too late to apply them. If the paddocks are not top-dressed dairy production in the spring will be affected. Two dairying authorities said that a fall in production in the early part of next season was inevitable, if farmers could not obtain fertilisers to promote pasture growth. Top-dressing in the early autumn was impossible because of the dry spell, and it was essential that paddocks should be manured at present, if the maximum value was to be obtained. Lighter Chairman Wanted! With the best of intentions, speakers in deputations to Ministers of the Crown press the merits of their case, seeking every opportunity to impress them with the need for something to be done for the district or city as ihe case may be, but one speaker yesterday laid himself open to a humorous saJJy by Hon. P. Fraser, Minister of Education. The chairman of the Whakarongo School committee, Mr. E. Henaghan, who by no stretch of the imagination could be called a small man, in demonstrating that portions of the floor were weak, stood on one board and said that he could put his loot through where lie liked. * 4 What you really want then is not a new school, but a lighter chairman,” remarked the Minister drily. Duties of Ex-Servicemen * ‘ There is one question to-day that faces us as individuals—one regarding which frankly there may be some slight divergence of opinion though in which in the main we aro certain to be unanimous. This is whether we are satisfied and feel justified ib assuming that our duties to our country ceased on tho day on which we were granted our discharges from active service,” states the annual report of the Palmerston North Returned Soldiers’ Association adopted at the annual meeting held Wednesday evening. “In other parts of the Dominion our fellows have- answered this question in no uncertain voice, and we are confident that our own numbers, too, will not be behind if and when some concrete suggestion is made to them. For years now, when other bodies were quiercent, tho N.Z. R.S.A. has advocated a policy of national defence for the Dominion. It is only recently, however, that anything has been done towards our members setting the example. During the past year much has been achieved to prove that our associatiou has not confined its efforts to the passing of meaningless resolutions. In other centres very positive steps have been taken to demonstrate this and similar action is commended to the ex-service-men of Palmerston North as an appropriate gesture to the community.” There was no discussion.

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