NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12074, 27 February 1925, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

The council should obtain a report showing the cost ,of preparing pits for bigger animals at the Zoo, said Councillor W. H. Meadowcroft at last evening’s council meeting. This would improve the appearance of the Zoo very much, and councillors would like some, information, on the subject befye they went to the polls.

A young man "who mounted the steps of the Palmerston North Post Office w-as evidently in love (says the “Manawatu Times - ’). He was the owner of a most detached air, and seemed quite oblivious to events about him. Slowly he wandered up to the slots in the wall, and! dropped a parcel of fresh fish through l that marked “Parcels,” solemnly tucked under his ar.n a letter he was carrying, and ethereally wended his way back to his starting place.

Painful abrasions were suffered by a 15-year-okl youth, Alan having, at the premise® of Messrs Ambler and Co., Albert street, Auckland, where he had just a few minutes before commencedl work as a. machinist.. His clothing was caught in the belting of a power-driven sewing ma'chine and he was dragged off his feet. A four-year-old boy, Alan Osborne, of Birken head, suffered a fractured thigh when he jumped off a yacht lying on the beach. Both cases were admitted to the Auckland Hospital.

Congratulations on tb© English cricket team's performance in the fourth test against Australia were cabled to the captain, Mr A. Gilligan, by the president of the New Zealand Rugby Union, Mr H. Frost. Mr Frost received the following leplv from -Mr Gilligan:—“Delighted with your message. The English cricket team desires to extend its warmest congratulations to the famous All Blacks on their return home after their triumphant tour and magnificent performances.”

“The question of public conveniences has been niaae a great deal of,” said the. Mayor (Mr R. A. Wright) last night. “But do you know that there are 19 public conveniences in Wellington ? That is apart from any which the Harbour Board have—and every public-house has its convenience. Mind, I am not saying that there should not be more. The trouble is that in the heart of the city, where they are needed, we cannot get land save at a tremendous price, and the streets are so narrow that conveniences cannot be cut. in themri'

The Hospital Board has accepted a tender for three tons of butter at Is 3 7/8d per lb.

A request for the electric lighting to be extended from Island Bay to Haughton Bay was refused for the present by the City Council last night.

Authority has been granted by the City Council for the installation of a complete lighting system at Thorndon Baths, at an estimated cost of £25.

Two passengers travelling to Australia on the Aorangi missed the boat at Suva. They went for a motor drive, and the vehicle broke down.

The consent of the Minister for Health has been leceived by the Wellington Hospital Board to raising £50,000 Ho. 2 debentures loan.

A request for a compulsory tram stop to be made at the junction of Monorgan road and Broadway, Miramar. is refused by the City Council.

The City Council has decided to take steps to have the Khandallah swimming pool taken under the Public Works Act for the purpose of erecting and maintaining tnereon public baths.

“We don’t pauperise the community by giving them free education, therefore we should not pauperise them by giving them free hospital treatment." —Mr C. H. Chapman at the Hospital Board’s meeting yesterday.

A clearance way of 40ft in width is to be cut through the plantation on the Town Belt in the vicinity of Goa street, Kilbirnie, an the pine trees are too close to the high-tension transmission line which runs between Evans Bay power station and the city.

The works committee reported to the City Council last night that they had considered a plan of the ladies’ rest room proposed to be ' erected at Market Place Reserve, submitted by the city engineer, and the approval of the council for this was given.

A beautiful phenomenon was witnessed at Oxford during the progress of a nor'-wester. As rain fell the whole of the north-western side of Starvation Hill, right to the summit, was wrapped in a rainbow mantle. The prismatic colours made a diaphonous covering of such surpassing beauty as not readily to be forgotten by those who witnessed it.

Water melons, Maoris, aAd the Tolago Bay races are, inevitably associated, but this year the succulent melon was absent. Surprise was expressed by many visitors at this unusual state of affairs, and before the races a native was questioned on the subject. “No, no water melon this time,’’ he said. “Te season bad.” Then he mournfully commented, “Py korry, I tink it be a very dry meeting.”

A gardener who uses oil-of-tar to destroy the weeds in his lawn, told a Wanganui reporter that the liquid would destroy even blackberries —roots and all! .He was most enthusiastic about the preparation, and stated that druing all his experience as a gardener he had never used a more reliable “killer.” Whether or not the blackberry would be affected’ remains to be prov ed.

“I attribute it to the epidemic of infantile paralysis,” said the chairman of the baths committee (Councillor T. H. Hughes) at the Carterton Borough Council meeting, “but the attendance has fallen off to nothing. The caretaker is m attendance day after day, and never sees a swimmer. It is only waste of money keeping open, and I think we had better close the baths for this season, as from the, end of this month.” The council decided to adopt the suggestion.

“I am told, that some farmers of Taranaki don’t believe in top-dressing their land,” remarked the Hon. R. F. •Bollard in a speech at Stratford. “It seems to me that by top-dressing much of the land would be greatly improved. But do you know what a critic of the Waikato said to me the other, day: ‘Since.’ he said, ‘the farmers of the Waikato began to top-dress their farms the land in the Waikato has risen some' two feet higher 'above sea level.’ ” (Laughter.)

A peouliar coincidence respecting .the similarity of names was revealed in the Supreme Court at Palmerston North when a petition for divorce was being heard. The name of the husband petitioner was an uncommon one, and when a woman of the same name was called, it was naturally expected that the relationship was to him. However, although the woman boro the same surname as the petitioner, she was an aunt of the respondent’s wife, and no relative whatever of the petitioner. The judge commented upon the peculiarity of the coincidence.

A gentleman with a delightful civic spirit stopped dead in the Palmerston North Square (says the “Manawatu Times”) and gazed fixedly at two cars which were parked side by side on the other side of the road. His expression conveyed the impression that he had been mortally offended, and judging by the direction of his gaze, the two vehicles had something to do with it.. ‘ ‘Both bearing the same number,” he murmured fiercely—and eure enough, they were. “Might mean a nice piece of trouble for the police,” he muttered. But his disfavour was in a measure uncalled for, as both cars, though the numbers did look curious, belonged to the one garage.

The American tourist party, ’after visiting Rotorua, were impressed duly by the sights, and later, at Wairakei, their enthusiasm was aroused by the wonderful sights of the famous swimming bath. The ladies of the party got the male guests at Wairakei House to shorten their swimming hours, so that the ladies could have longer in hot water. One lady exclaimed in ecstasy: “Gee! This is a bit of heaven below,” but what impressed the party most of all was the glowworm chamber at Waitomo. They reckoned not half enough was made of it, one gentleman describing it thus: “It is like an ancient temple lit with a thousand lights.”

Many farmers are under the impression that they are the hardest-worked people in the country, and that the city workers have a very easy time of it (remarks an exchange). Recently a young farmer, who was on a brief holiday in tlie city, was taken to some of the fjpbtories and foundries at one of the busiest times of the day. The young farmer was asked which kind of life he would choose if he had the chance. He replied that although the farmers worked long hours- compared with the factory and foundry workers, he already was longing to get back to the fresh air of the country. It had brought home to him that city life was not all lavender any more than country life was a bed of loses.

I The All Blacks will be here on March ! 17th. It is advisable before entertaining any of the players privately to make sure that you have a nice attractive home to invite'them to. R. Leslie Jones, 101, AV'illis street, has a lovely ; home for sale in a nice suburb for much j below its true valfie on £IOO deposit, | instant possession.—Advt,

Yesterday the Senate of the Univer sity of New Zealand decided that tel. junior scholarships should be awarded on the 1925 examination. ,

The work in connection with the widening of The Terrace at the top of Woodward street is to be put in hand by the City Council as soon as possible after March 31st next.

Regulations and conditions under the Government Accident Insurance Act, 1903, in reference to motor-car insurance, are contained in the “Gazette” published yesterday.

Authority has been granted by the City Council for the payment of half cost towards the construction of a ladies’ rest room and conveniences at Lyall Bay, the estimated cost of the building being approximately £7OO.

The hospital’s gas bill for December was £lO7 2s, or over £2l in ex cea3 of the preceding December; water £BS against £49; electric light £35 against £37; heating and power £23 against £2O,

A return showing the loans falling due for the next five years, and their interest and sinking funds, was asked for by Councillor C. H. Chapman at last evening’s council meeting. This would be valuable, he said, and the council would know where it stood.

Mr W. Goss, a well-known Christchurch merchant, received a cut on the head and left shoulder through his motor-car going over a bank near Kaikoura. in attempting to avoid a collision (states a Press Association message from Christchurch).

The use of the Basin Reserve has been granted the Newcastle Steel Works Band of Australia on Sunday afternoon, March Ist, free of charge, for the purpose of holding a hand performance, with the right to take up a collection.

“Professor Seagar is right, the hoard of moderators was, to a large extent, a failure. I wash a member of it; but I don’t know that that was one of the reasons,” said Dr W. Andersen at the meeting of the University Senate yesterday.

The City Council decided last evening that an additional area of 2 roods 13 perches should be granted the Victoria College authorities as an extension of the Marine Laboratory site at Island Bay, the corporation to have the right of access to the shingle bed as required.

Yesterday the University Senate decided that the Hayden Prize for 1924 be awarded to R. W. Connor (Otago University), and that the subject for the 1925 essay should be: “The British navel problem of to-dav compared with the problem during the period of the Napoleonic warn.” Proposing the toast of Parliament at the Accountants’ Society’s dinner last night, Mr James Brown (Dunedin), said that the Prime Minister, by his great and strenuous services during the war, had deserved the sincere thanks of all citizens of Dunedin—(loud laughter)—of .New Zealand, he meant to say. (Laughter and applause.) *

Yesterday the University Senate decided that, in alternate years, a travelling scholarship in law of a value of £2OO per annum, tenable for two years, be approved, and that the teachers should be requested to prepare the necessary regulations and submit them to. the next meeting of the hoard of studies.

Up to the present the maximum sum which a university student might receive; in fees in one year has been £/S0 on bhrsaries and £BO under the national scholarships. Yesterday the University Senate decided to increase both amounts to £IOO, and to endeavour to have this sum applied to the present year.

The Senate of the University of New Zealand was equally divided yelterday on the subject of giving set • books in English for the matriculation txaminafion and of asking the professors to provide a syllabus. Professor J. Mac-millan-Brown, Chancellor of the University gave liis casting vote against the proposal.

* “We in New Zealand and Australia have no idea of the heavy burden Great Britain is carrying,” remarked Professor B. Angus, of St. Andrew’s College, Sydney, who is on his way hack to Sydney after'an extended trip abroad. ‘I feel proud of the manner in which tlie Old Country is surmounting the greatest difficulties and I feel sure that her grit and wonderful determination will be reworded.”

Two senior scholarships in law, as recommended by the law and ad eundem committee, were approved by the University Senate yesterday, and teachers are to be requested to prepare the necessary regulations and submit them to the next meeting of the board of studies. Previously there has been only one senior scholarship in* law awarded in the honours in law examination, and valued at £7O.

“To my knowledge for the post fifteen or twenty years there has always been at least one abnormal paper—you might almost (call it a peak paper which has thrown the whole examina tion out of balance. Surely we have the right to give the children, reason able papers ; yet the examination* has been defeating this end for twenty .years.”—Mr J. Caughley,. Director, of Education at the University Senate yesterday.

In future any university student who prepares a thesis for honours will have attached to the copy of his thesis sent the examiner a typewritten, statement showing what the relation of the professor to the student has been. Pro, fessor T. A. 'Hunter explained the ne cessity of this to the University Senato yesterday, stating that some professors revised their students’ theses and others regarded the effort as a test of the Btudent’s capacity to do independent work. **

Mr W. E. Best (president of the New Zealand Accountants’ Society), speaking at the convention dinner at the Empire Hotel last night, remarked that the community was getting into the habit of consulting members of their profession on business and other matters—some of them not strictly, perhaps, connected with accountancy. He himself had even been consulted by a widow Client on the question of remarriage. (Laughter.) Speaking in reminiscent vein at the dinner of the Society of Accountants at ■the Empire Hotel last night, Sir Francis Bell recalled that the Hon. Mr Macandrew, a Dunedin member of Parliament in the old days, had a great belief in unsinkable ships, and session after session would bring forward a resolution to the effect that we ought to have unsinkable ships; til! one day the Hon. Vincent Pyke put an end to it by moving, as an amendment to the resolution, “and unburstable balloons.” (Laughter.)