NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11659, 25 October 1923, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

A narrow escape from losing the fingers of one hand befel Hazel Pates, a lourteen-year-old girl, when recovering a ball from a drain in Parnell. She was reaching down the drain when the heavy iron cover, which was being lifted by another child, slipped back into ixs place, and severely jammed her fingers.

“Why I’ve seen a ‘boy’ on the Mararoa who was the biggest man on the deck,” said Mr IV. T. Young, at the Conciliation Council yesterday. “He stood six-feet' throe, had a heavy moustache, and was receiving £2 10s per month. There was another ‘boy’ who was 45, his wife was the cook, and he was the boss of the ship.”

“We are getting along very well together, the last twelve months have seen a marked improvement in our relations and there is no knowing where it will lead us,” said Mr W. IT. G. Bennett, representing the shipowners, to Mr W. T. Young, seamen’s union secretary, at the Conciliation Council yesterday.

“It was one of those war-time abuses that crept in said Mr W. G. Smith, at the Conciliation Council yesterday, when referring to the Seamen's Union’s request for a “smoko” of twenty minutes in the morning and afternoon. “You lose more time through not giving it than you would if you did allow it,” said Mr W. R. Clarke.

The Grand Master of the Oddfellows Lodge, speaking at Masterton, said that consolidation was not ne.sessary for any better mode of Lodge investments, as the funds were all in a sound position, but it was apparent that, on the huge surpluses of the various lodges, Die contributions were too high, and with a centralisation scheme they should be able to considerably reduce the rates of contribution?.

The housing question was touched upon by the Rev. C. H. 'Grant Cower, speaking at the Anglican Synod at Auckland. Mr Cowen said that in the St. Matthew’s parish he came into contact with many workers, who were suspicious of the Church, because they thought it took the part of the employers and “bowed down to capital.” 'Every working man was entitled to a decent homo, hut in many cases landlords were taking advantage of the present shortage of houses to demand exorbitant rente.

_ Another motoring mishap befel Mr K. Williams, M.P.' for Poverty .Bay. While motoring to Gisborne to attend the show his oar went over the bank, near Arakihi, on the inland Tolaga Bay road. The driver of the car, Mr Jack Penny, was seriously injured, hut Mr and Mrs Williams and other passengers in the car fortunately escaped. Mr Williams previously met with a similar accident last year, with severe injuries to himself, on the Tolaga Bay coastal road, which is at present blocked by a heavy slip, traffic being consequently diverted inland. ■

“Labour was not out altogether for higher wages and shorter hours,” said the Rev. W. G. Monckton, in addressing the Anglican Synod at Auckland. Though it could not express itself in so many words, it really wanted a recognition of the dignity of labour—and workers struck to show their imports anoo. And they did not want payment on a strictly “cost of living” basis, for in that they would see a parallel drawn between themselves and the animals. They wanted an interest in business, and not to be treated merely as machines. The fall of an exceptionally large meteor at sea was witnessed by the crew of tho steamer Trelyon, which arrived at Auckland from Montreal. The incident occurred at 7.50 p.m. on October 14th. The chief officer, who was on watch at the time, states that the sky was brilliantly illuminated, and' a distinct hissing sound could be plainly heard. The meteor fell to starboard of the Trelyon, and seemed to drop in the sea about ten miles astern. It was such a remarkable occurrence that the incident was noted in tho logbook. In a lecture on Maori migrant plant names at the Auckland Institute, Mr J. H. Hudson said the English adventurers to New Zealand had faced an oven more alien flora than had the early settlers of New Zealand and Virginia. One of the trees for which the eyes of the starving migrants from the far Pacific Islands must have looked eagerly in vain was the cocoanut. Among the imported names were those of such plants as the kumara, taro, and ti, among the rightly transferred, the ako, nikau, rata and whau; but the origin of the names of some of the best-known New Zealand trees was unknown, such as tlic hinau, kauri, kowhai, manuka, rimu, totava, and kaivvaka. 1

The prospects of a good season “ n New South Wales are considered bright. The rain in August was below the average, but the heavy falls during the preceding two months had removed any anxiety. Reports by wheat-growers throughout the ISttite bliow that during the current season the total area sown'was 3,877,0-10 acres, or a decrease of rather less than one per cent, on the area sown in 1922. The area, however, to be reserved for grain is 355,500 acres more than was harvested in the preceding year, and is tho largest area for grain since 191718, wh ;r: 3,329,970 acres were harvested. J.n 1922, wheat was grown on 18.007 holdings, and in the current Reason 17,793 growers have furnished returns.

Prior to the commencement of the Southbridge sports, in his remarks when declaring the new grandstand open, the Hon. Sir R. Heaton Rhodes emphasised the value of physical exercise for the well-being of tho people. The education authorities nowadays were recognising in the schools that the body as well as tho mind had to be developed. While not wishing to disparage tlie student or hookworm, it had been shown in the past that that type broke down in times of stress. The field of sport, no matter of what type, was calculated to promote long and valued friendships; one learned to appreciate one’s opponent, and to play the game for the sake of the side and not for the individual.

The wealth of material for the student of Maori ethnology to ho found in the songs of the Maori tribes in Taranaki was com me li ted on by Dr. P. H Buck in New Plymouth. “Tile songs of the Taranaki Maoris,” he said, “go back not only to the migration to Now Zealand, but also to tho migrations in Polynesia. The songs aro older than those of any other tribes ill New ZenInnd, and the purity of the language will be of great value to tho student of ethnology.” Instancing one particular noiiit concerning the data to he found in tlie songs of old Taranaki, Dr. Buck said it wns definitely known that the Aotea canoe, front which the Taranaki tribes claimed descent, came from Rniatea, in the Society Group, near Tahiti. Their motto is: “We will never be lost; we come of the seed which wns sown in Rangiatoa.” hut the dropping of the “ng” sound by the Tahitians has shortened the name of tlie island Raiatca.

A number of prisoners will appear for sentence on Friday morning before Mr Justice MacGregor.

Tho Court of Appeal will sit again to-morrow morning for the purpose of dealing with certain of the remaining fixtures, and to deliver judgments.

The foundation stone of the Hall of Memories at the Waitaki Old Boys’ School will be laid by His Excellency the Governor-General on Thursday, November Ist. There will be a gathering of old boys in the evening.

Referring to the subject of the new automatic telephone exchange in Dunedin, Mr E. A. Shrimpton, chief telegraph engineer, said that the department had determined to make every effort to have the new exchange in working order by the time the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition was opened.

“Under the 1920 agreement you brought under you the best seamen in the world,” said Mr W. T. Young, secretary of the Seamen’s Union, at the Conciliation Council yesterday. “And now, under this award, those men are leaving you. Hundreds of them have already left or gone to Australia.”

“Whattlers” are said to be a pretty numerous body in Australia. They are not a new religious sect, nor are* they a new political party. They are, in short, excessive drinkers —the type who are not content with one drink, or two drinks, or, say, three, but who say, “What’ll yer ’ave” so often that they finish up by getting drunk. They are “Whattlers.”

"Hie superintendent of the Wailii Fire Brigade informed the chairman, Mr Wallmutt, that the brigade had disbanded, and that he, as superintendent, would not oontinue to hold office. This decision is pursuant to the terms of the resolution confirmed at a meeting of the brigade to the effect that if telephones were not installed in the members’ houses as formerly, the brigade Would resign.

A stir was caused at Kumeu, when a fire, which was .being used to destroy waste paper a.nd rubbish in the school grounds, got out of hand, and, catching the scrub, made rapid progress in the direction of the Huapai Fruitgrowers’ Co-operative Association’s packing shed. A coll for assistance was responded to by about 20 fire-fighters, who beat out the flames just in time to save the building.

When delivering judgment yesterday in a will case in winch the question of religion had entered very considerably, the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) said: “Numerous cases could be cited to show—and I know of none to the contrary—that a father-has a right to make a condition of a gift in his will that the recipient shall at the time he is to receive the gift be of a certain religion.” His Honour added that there were instanoes in which that has been applied, both with regard to Protestants, Catholics, and Hebrews.

“The character of the shipping trade of New Zealand has changed completely in the last 20 years,” said Mr W. G. Smith at the Conciliation Council yesterday. “Look at the coastal passenger traffic; that has almost disappeared where you have competition with the railways, except between Wellington and Lyttelton; you - can’t very well get the railways there. And where you used to have a coastal trade you now have as well an overseas trade which has developed tremendously and which is competing with the 6hips of all the world.” “We knew that it is not uncommon for people to ohange their religion. We have had many examples of it m history, and even examples of it in modem times,” declared Sir Robert Stout, Chief Justice, in the Supreme Court yesterday. “John Knox was at one time a Catholic, then an Anglican, and then a Presbyterian. Martm Luther wan a Catholic, and became the most vigorous of Protestants. Then we have had John Newman and Manning, two of the most eminent Anglicans, becoming Catholics, and many examples could’be given of a change of religion at the present day. Futher, it is Wrought by the various churches that what is termed conversion is a .praiseworthy thing, and not an improper thing when people become of an age to determine their own religion.” In the course of a judgment in tho Supreme Court yesterday, tho Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) made interesting reference to a case in which the question of the religion of the parties bad entered. He went on to say that a Roman Catholic father had allowed his two infant children by a deceased Protestant wife to be brought up in the Protestant faith until one was 15 and the other 11. Afterwards he applied to the court for an order that the children might be thenceforth brought up in tile Roman Catholic faith. The court would not grant ouch an order, having regard to the conduct of the fattier and the ciorumstancea of the case. There are many authorities to the same effect, which it was unnecessary to cite. But there was no authority showing that if it was a condition of a legacy or grant that the person who received it shall he of a certain religion that the allowing of a person when young to bo brought up in that religion would dispense with the condition.