LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21716, 3 February 1934, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Narrow Neck Beach Further improvements are being made to the Narrow Neck Beach, and an area adjacent is being transformed into a recreation ground. A shower for the use of bathers has been erected on the ground and a rustic fence is being built along the seafront which faces the cliff.. Native trees are to be planted in the area and seats will be set about the grounds. Post-box Rifled A post-box at the corner of Remuera and Minto Roads was rifled shortly before midnight on Thursday, and it is believed that a number of letters was stolen. A passer-by noticed that the lock had been broken off the box and reported the matter. It is thought likely that the box was broken open by the person responsible for similar offences in Green Lane, Onehunga and Epsom within the past few weeks. Flamingoes from London Zoc Two flamingoes, a male and female, from the London Zoological Gardens were brought tq Auckland by the New Zealand Shipping Company's liner Ruahine, which arrived from London yesterday afternoon. Four flamingoes were placed on board the Ruahine at London, but two died during the voyage. The pair which arrived were taken to the Auckland Zoological Park, where they will be placed with others of their kind.. Heavy Railway Traffic The approaching end of the school holidays was responsible for very heavy traffic on the railways yesterday, four extra cars being required both for the afternoon and limited expresses. The inward express due from Wellington this morning also is particularly large and the train from New Plymouth, which usually joins it at Taumarunui, will precede it to Auckland as a separate train. The special trains taking Maoris to Waitangi are another factor contributing to a busy period. Relics from the Bounty A large hand-turned copper screw from the rudder of H.M.S. Bounty was brought by the Ruahine yesterday from Pitc-airn Island. The Bounty was scuttled by the mutineers in 1789 a*d in November of last year the rudder was observed by one of the islanders and with considerable difficulty recovered. Proof of the ingenuity of the earliest settlers on Pitcairn is shown in a perfectly-made copper nail, one of those used in the construction of the first houses. This was also brought on the Ruahine. University Salaries " Except in Australia, where there was a small cut of about 5 per cent in the higher salaries, in no place did I find that any cuts had been made in university salaries," said Professor Burbidge yesterday, speaking of hi 3 observations while abroad. ''ln America there have been no cuts, in England no cuts, in Germany no cuts, though admittedly the salaries there are low. We in New Zealand had a cut of 20 per cent in one year. Neither did I find anywhere else a university superannuation scheme approaching ours in badness." Agriculture Scholarship Seven applications for the John Court scholarship in agriculture have been received by the registrar of Auckland University College, Mr. M. R. O'Sliea. They will be considered at a meeting of the University Colleg9 Council on February 19. The scholarship, which was instituted some years ago, is of £4B a year for four years and is open to persons in the Auckland Province. There is no age limit. It is usual for the first year to be spent at Auckland University College and tho other three at Massey College, Palmerston N North. The Rhine Compared " The Rhine is a much over-rated river," declared Professor P. W. Burbidge yesterday, whose recent tour abroad included a voyage down that famous river. "It is nothing like the Wanganui, which offers an infinitely finer spectacle. It is nice, yc-fi know," he added, " but our land is wonderful for scenic beauty. When you come back to Auckland you cannot fail to be struck with its beauty—except where man has made it ugly. A conspicuous illustration of this is to be seen in the bare, treeless cemeteries about Auckland, which are in marked contrast to the well-planted 'gardens of peace' that one finds everywhere abroad." Deaf Children For School A party of 28 deaf and dumb children from various places in the- Auckland province left by the express yesterday afternoon on their return to the School for the Deaf at Sumner. It will be a year before the majority of them come back to their homes again for a holiday, owing to the cost of travel and the long distance. The children attend special classes for speech and the different methods of understanding what is being spoken, and the length of stay at the school depends on the progress they make. It was noticeable that many "conversations" were being carried on between tho children in the carriage before the express left, and they were able to understand ono another perfectly well. Pleasure Cruise' Concluded After a pleasure cruise of two and a-half days the Wanganella returned to Auckland from Whangaroa and the Bay of Islands at 8.30 a.m. yesterday, and the vessel later left for Sydney. The 330 excursionists, the largest number to take part in a northern cruise this summer, were unfortunate in experiencing almost continuously unsettled weather. While that circumstance restricted sight-seeing on shore and caused the abandonment of the visit to the Great Barrier, the excellent entertainment programme on board fully compensated for other disappointments. A letter expressing appreciation of the attention given to the passengers' comfort was largely signed and was presented to the commander, Captain G. B. Bates. Hearty Singing of National Anthem Rarely has the National Anthem been sung in Auckland with greater vigour than was the case yesterday following an address by Sir John Sandeman Allen, a member of the House of Commons, at a joint luncheon in his honour given by the Chamber of Commerce and the Royal Empire Society. Sir John stressed the importance of various units of the Empire standing together in the world crisis, and the debt owed by the nation to tho King for his wisdom in connection with the forming of the National' Government. The hearty singing of the National Anthem revealed the extent to which the audience had been impressed by the eloquence and sincerity of the speaker, and its agreement with his statements.;