NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11855, 14 June 1924, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Matters are well in train in preparation for the coming session, which opens on Thursday, .Tune 26th. The Prime Minister stated yesterday that the Government’s legislative programme is well forward.

"I am very sorry to have to say, gentlemen,” said Mr Alexander Webster, clerk to the .Ellesmere County Council at a recent meeting of that body, “that in all the years I have been here this is the first time I have had to sue for rates.” The statement gives eloquent proof of the financial soundness of tho ratepayers in the Ellesmere county.

A Chertsey farmer, giving evidence in the Supreme Court at Christchurch, said that he had been told that a tractor would plough fifteen acres in a day, working day and night. Crossexamined he said that it could he done by engaging three men for it. He added tltat on one occasion he had worked for six weeks without going to bed. ,

“It would he a good idea to have distances in court marked off,” said Mr Wyvern Wilson, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court, Christchurch. “We are constantly having it put to witnesses what is the distance from here to there (in the court-room). The magistrate’s comments followed cn a discussion with counsel as lo ceitain measurements.

Much amusement was caused at the Napier Supreme Court when a witness, on being asked why ho had paid for certain goods with notes instead -of by cheque, replied: ‘‘l had excellent reason -for not giving a cheque.” “What was the reason ?” queried counsel, with the air of one about to drag forth some important point. “I had no money there,” was the laconic rejoinder.

The Lord’s Prayer, written in characters so small as to occupy space equal to only one-fourteenth part of a threepenny piece, is the treasured possession of Mr H. Weaver, of Northcote. Auckland. This remarkable penmanship is tho work of the late Mr D. C. Wilson, once Whangared county engineer, and is believed to be as small as any writing in the world. The writing was done with tho aid of an exceptionally strong lens.

The question of whether a parent, under the compulsory attendance regulations, can be compelled to send Lis children to a school several miles away when another one a short distance away is full, came up for decision at the meeting of the Taranaki • Education Board at New Plymouth. The regulations provide that the obligation to send children to school is just as binding in this case as under ordinary circumstances.

“A few rabbit.skin fur coats on poles and miles of photographs—that is the main impression left with one after a visit to the New Zealand court at tho Empire Exhibition,” writes a Scotsman to an Auckland solicitor. The writer goes on to say that the displays at the Canadian and Australian courts were splendid, and concludes that. Now Zealand could have done equally well—lie was quite sure the court could not be representative of the attractions and resources of a country of which he had heard so much that was favourable.

What sounded uncommonly like evidence from a murder trial was spoken from the witness-box at the Police Court yesterday, when a, witness was giving evidence in regard to a handbag he was in the habit of taking into a hotel each evening. “What was in the bag?” queried the defendant’s counsel. “I had a ‘baby’ in it,” confided witness. “And do you still carry the baby in the bag with vou?” pursued counsel. “No; the ‘baby’s’ neck got broken, do now there are two square faces.”

Tho Tofua’s cargo of about 14,000 cases of bananas from Fiji proved disappointing, as at least 40 per cent, were in a very had condition, and had to ho destroyed. The fruit is of good quality, but the fact that the cases were very wot, some actually having fungus growing on them, indicates that the fruit was exposed to the wet after beinlg cased- The result was that the fruit became heated, and ripened too quickly. The 150 cases of mandarin* brought by the Tofua are in even a worse condition than the bananas, and about 75 per cent, had to be destroyed,

“In carrying out the work of connecting up new subscribers during the past year it is of interest to note that 11,000 poles were erected. The,, majority of those are ironbark, and were, therefore, purchased outside the country,” stated"Mr Shrimpton, the chief telegraph engineer, in a review of telephone matters at 'Christchurch. The opening of the Otira tunnel has made it possible for the department to tap tho supplies of silver pine poles available on the West Coast and since the opening of the tunnel arrangements have been made which it is hoped will result in the whole of the Canterbury requirements of small noles being supplied from the West Const.

Tho majority of people are probably unaware that the colouring of some birds’ plumage is not absolutely permanent. This interesting fact was lnontioned by Professor Johnson in his address to “Colour in Nature” at Auckland. After a prolonged hath, or after a heavy deluge of rain, he said, the pink colouring on a parrot’s head often “ran,” and the feathers would look very washed out and bedraggled for some time afterwards. Tin's washing out of colour often nrnctncerl some vorv queer effects, continued the lecturer. who greatly amused his audience by his suggestion art to the awkward results that would ensue if human hair suffered tho same disability as that of bird plumage when exposed to overlong immersion, or to a shower of rain.

The librarian of the League of Nations has agreed to supply the Wellington Public Library with copies of the League’s publications. The chief librarian of the General Assembly Library notifies ecess privilege holders that all books must Le returned on or before Monday, Jane 23rdA Press Association message from Christchurch states that a heavy southerly wind and heavy rain prevailed there on Thursday night. Snow fell on the Cashmere hills. Though applications for passports from Wellington for abroad have shown a falling-off of late, the past year lias been, described as a record regarding the number granted from this city. Ernest Samuel F'reiich, electrician, of Riddiford street, has filed a. petition in bankruptcy. The firet meeting of his creditors will be held on June 18th, at 11 a.m. The shop property owned by the City Council at the corner of Luxford street and Adelaide road, and held for street-widening in the future, is to have £175 spent, upon it for repairs. The Tararua Tramping Club, at a recent meeting, unanimously resolved that, in their opinion, the Wliakapapa site under consideration for the National Park Hostel is the best site available. The City Council has decided to pay the following substfiTes:—Royal Humane Society £5. Wellington Boys’ Institute £2O, Sailors’ Friend Society £5. This is the first grant made to the Royal Humane Society. The other subsidies are annual payments. At the meeting of the New Zealand Football Association a letter was received from the Auckland Football Association asking for confirmation of suspensions of certain players for misconduct. As reports of the misconduct alleged were not forwarded, confirmation was deferred pending receipt of the necessary information.