LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22406, 30 April 1936, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Conscience Money A shilling conscience money has been received by the contest committee in charge of the recent Highland Pipe Band contest at Wanganui. The contributor did not forward any reason with his shilling, but it is considered that he may have passed a gatekeeper during a rush period at tho gates. Band Contest Profit Disappointment with the small credit balance of £36 at the recent band contest at Hamilton was expressed by tho chairman, Mr. J. 11. Fow, at a meeting of the contest committee this week. Tho balance-sheet showed that receipts at tho fixture totalled £2BO and expenses £244. Tho hope was expressed that the Dominion band contest would be held in Hamilton in 1938. Thelts from Graves Complaints have been made recently to tho Christchurch City Council that (lowers are being stolen from graves, in some cases soon after tho flowers have been placed. In a report to the council the reserves department, which controls the cemeteries in the city, stated that it was almost impossible to detect the thieves, but if some publicity was given to the complaints it might be a deterrent. Counsel and Witness "No matter how foolish counsel's questions may seem, please endeavour to answer, but do not got into an argument with him," said Mr. Justice Callan to a witness in the Supreme Court yesterday. "It is counsel's right to ask you. questions," added His Honor, "and your pleasure to answer them, but you must not ask questions yourself. It may seem unfair to you, but that is the way things are done here." Shorter Hours lor Children Maintaining that because adults were endeavouring to get a 40-hour week there should be a corresponding reduction in the hours of school work for children, a member of a meeting of householders in the Sydenham school district, Christchurch, moved that home work should be abolished. After a brief discussion the motion was carried, and it was recommended, that the incoming committee should take action in the matter. Waitakere Park The proposal made by Mr. H. E. Vaile that part of tho Waitakere Ranges should be set aside as a national park was endorsed at a meeting of the Auckland district council of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture this week. The council decided to attend to tho preparations necessary to complete the scheme, and a public meeting is to bo called of all organisations likely to be sympathetic to set up a joint committee. No Collective Security "When I was in Auckland some years ago I described the League of Nations as resembling a gentleman's club appointed to deal with courteous people," said Dr. Charles T. Rolls in his address on Palestine in the Town Hall last night. "My estimate of the League has proved correct. That it has lamentably failed to stop the persecution of Jews in Germany and the invasion of Abyssinia is ample proof that collective security does not exist." Unlighted Bicycles Unlighted bicycles, which have been tho subject of complaint by motorists each winter for several year past, were on the Great South Road, One Tree Hill, in large numbers shortly after dark last evening. Motorists driving through light rain had tho greatest difficulty in distinguishing the cyclists, the majority of whom were riding machines that either bad no lamp or reflector, or had the reflector at such an angle as to be useless. Criminal Sessions The quarterly criminal sessions of the Supreme Court, which will open in Auckland on Tuesday, will be conducted by Mr. Justice Fair and Mr. Justice Callan. The list promises to be considerably shorter than usual, and so far only 11 cases have been set down for trial. These include a charge of negligent driving so as to cause death, a charge of personating a voter at the election, a charge of theft from the person and ono of burglary. Hundreds of Rabbits Swarms of rabbits have been infesting the Wanganui Airport for some time. Considerable difficulty has been experienced in keeping them away from the greens of the golf course, where they are wont to make their burrows. The rabbits como down from the waste of sand hills surrounding the aerodrome for the succulent young grass. At night they are to be seen in hundreds on the landing ground and on the road leading from the main road to the airport. Customer's Odd Payment Odd payment for 101b. of onions, costing ono shilling, was made to a New Plymouth fruiterer this week by a man in a neat suit and a new hat. Lifting tho onions off the counter the man put down in exchange four pennies, two crumpled stamps, a threepenny notebook and an old tram ticket with four sections unpunched. Without making either explanation or excuse tho customer tucked the onions under his arm and walked out of the shop, leaving a very astonished man behind the counter. Polite New Zealanders Tho people of New Zealand are the most polite in the world—or so Mr. Byron H. Fan-ell, a Los Angeles visitor, has found during the few days he has been in the country. Mr. Farrell said in Timaru last week that ho had never encountered such well-mannered shop assistants as staffed the Dominion's stores. Nothing was too much trouble for them. They did not mind going up even seven floors in tho elevator to satisfy a purchaser's requirements and were always bright and smiling. "Why," ho laughed, "tho waiters in tho hotels even say 'Thank you' when you take your food from them. I guess all this does not reflect too well on my own country, but it is nevertheless true." Sirens on Motor-cycles To reduce tho risk of injury to tho Christchurch City Council's traffic inspectors when they aro endeavouring to overtake speeding motorists, sirens aro to be fitted to their motor-cycles. This decision was made by the council's traffic committee, which advised the council that the chief traffic inspector had submitted a report about the risks the mounted traffic inspectors were frequently required to incur when they were trying to overtake speeding motorists. These risks were increasing daily with the higher speed motor-cars could attain. It had been suggested that if sirens were fixed to tho inspectors' motor-cycles they would have the effect of slowing down speeding motorists. The committee had accordingly arranged for sirens to be fitted.