NEWS OF THE DAY

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 173, 25 July 1939, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

Arbor Day Tree Planting. The Palmerston North City Council intends observing Arbor Day on August 2 with planting at Fitzroy Tark, Terraco End, Straying Stock. Seventeen head of stock were placed in the Palmerston North city pound during June and the fees received amounted to 11s 2d. Opossums Protected. There is to be no opossum trapping allowed on the reserves of the Palmerston North City Council at Tiritea this pear owing to the area being depicted. Automobile Association Membership. An addition of 00 members was reported at the meeting of the Automobile Association (Aianawatu) last evening. The total now stands at 3411. Missing Juror Fined. Failing to appear when his name was called for jury service in the Supreme Court at Palmerston North yesterday, Frederick William McSweeney was fined £2 by Hon. Mr. Justice Blair, unless cause could be shown. Centennial Memorial. The Palmerston North City Council last evening rescinded a motion to make a public appeal for subscriptions towards the city’s share of the cost of the Pctone beach centennial memorial and instead, pay the amount of £l5O direct. Increased Electrical Load. The Palmerston North city electrical engineer, Mr. J. W. Muir, reported to the City Council last night, that the city’s electrical load on June 13 was 10 per cent, bigger than, for the corresponding peak load in the April-June quarter last year. Motorists and Sodium Lights. That motorists proceeding up aud down Fitzherbert Avenue at night would get more advantage from the sodium vapour lights if car headlights were dimmed, was the opinion voiced by Cr. W. B. Tcnnent at last evening’s meeting of the City Council. City’s Meat Menu. The following stock were slaughtered at the Palmerston North abattoir during June, for meat purposes: Cows, 2(39; heifers, 170; bullocks, 33; calves, /J; ewes, 977; wethers, 1049; lambs, 70; pigs, 20G. Stock condemned: Four cows, four sheep, six pigs. Fees received: £395 0s 6d. Wanganui Library Changes. Important changes in the library system at Wanganui were forecast, at* a recent meeting of the Wanganui City Council when the chairman of the Library committee proposed the establishment of a book club on the lines adopted in Palmerston North. It was announced that the Juvenile Library would be free from October 1. Expensive Whitebait

AY hitebait m very small quantities has been reaching the Wellington market. The price has eased slightly from 7s to from 5s Gd to Gs a pint, and it has been retailing at an advance on thoso figures. These prices are slightly higher than at this time last year, but that is attributed to the lateness of the season and tho fact that catches so far have been very small.

Examination Changes Possible '‘Even when I was helping to carry out the examinations I thought there was too much examining of secondary pupils,” said Mr E. T. Norris, former registrar of the University of New Zealand, when speaking to the Palmerston North Itotary Club yesterday. Mr Norris said that the November examinations were held in SO centres, auding: "But that will be reduced before long because there are going to be changes. ’ ’ Lord Rutherford Poor Teacher The fact that, although Lord Rutherford, the famous /nentist, had been a remarkably successful man he had been a failure as a teacher of mathematics was mentioned by the former registrar of the University of New Zealand, Mr E. T. Norris, in speaking to the Palmerston North Rotary Club. Rutherford had been a contemporary of his at Canterbury College and,he recalled Professor Bickerton giving him a basement in the college building in which to carry out his first experiment. He had been assisted by Mr Erskine, who became a distinguished engineer. “Magic Eye” Controls Lights The street lights of Lyttelton are now switched on at dusk and switched oil in the mornings by a “magic eye,” a small apparatus operated by a photoelectric cell. As the daylight begins to fade, the cell puts into operation a scenes of relays which close the circuit to light the lamps, the procedure being reversed in the mornings as soon as the daylight is sufficiently strong. Once adjusted, the apparatus is quite independent of the human element and will, for instance, turn the lights on earlier when the afternoon is dull and heavily overcast than when the sky is clear. It is believed to be the first of its kind in New Zealand. Historic Homestead Pulled Down One of the oldest buildings in the Wellington province, the well-known homestead at Heretaunga, Hutt Valley, is being pulled down by Boy Scouts who will use tho wood and iron for the buildings of the Centennial jamboree. The homestead was begun within a year or two of the foundation of Wellington by Mr. Richard Barton who arrived in 1840 and was one of the first settlers in the Hutt. It took some time to construct and because of its size was a place of some note in the early colony—a house of 22 rooms at a time when Government House -was no more than a five-roomed cottage. Four Universities ‘ ‘ Of course the only solution that will be satisfactory will be the establishment of four universities,” said the former registrar of the University of New Zealand, Mr E. T. Norris, to the Palmerston North Rotary Club yesterday when speaking on the future of the university education schenle in tho Dominion. It was rather remarkable, he added, that in 1878 thero were sbiiie men with vision who reported in favour of ono university for the whble of New Zealand and as far as ho could recall the town they had in mind was Nelson, which would have been admirable for tho purpose. Massey College, which was established in 1926, would eventually become a university in itself.