NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26228, 12 August 1946, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Stabilised Sunrise A plan for sunrise to be “ stabilised” at 7 a.m. every day, thus taking the maximum advantage of daylight saving, was submitted by the principal of the Wanganui Technical College (Mr A. H. Larkman) to the Central Hawke's Bay. Electric Power Board. Mr Larkman’s suggestion was to advance the clocks one minute each day for the 180- days from the beginning of July to the end of December, and to retard them one minute each day from the beginning of January to the end of June. This would mean that sunrise would be at 7 a.m. throughout the year, and sunset would vary between 4.30 and 11 p.m. Mr Larkman emphasised the saving in power. I) eci sion on the question was deferred.

Perch Plentiful

A suggestion that perch should be excluded from the bag limits imposed in the fishing season is to be referred to the Angling and Research Committee of the Southland Acclimatisation Society for a report. This was decided (the Southland Times says) at a meeting of the council of the society. Mr G. Hoffman said that there were thouands of perch in the rivers of Southland. If a minnow were cast three or four perch would be after it. He was afraid that if something were not done to limit the number -of perch they would in time denude the rivers of trout.

Danger from Wild Horses The danger caused by wild horses, which had increased in numbers during the war period, on the main roads in the southern end of the. county, was brought to the notice of the Matamata County Council by a farmer of 'Tokoroa. He said that wild horses, confused by the lights, had recently dashed into a car. He suggested that arrangements should be made to employ someone to shoot them. It was agreed to write to the Transport Department suggesing that it approach the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Parry, in order to secure expert deer cullers to do the job.

Naturalisation Work As a result of the lifting of wartime restrictions on naturalisation, the pressure of work on the branch of the Department of Internal Affairs handling this has mounted steadily, states the annual report of the department. Eighteen certificates have been issued under the Act'of 1928, and on March 31 there were on record 700 applications receiving the detailed invesigation and careful consideration that must necessarily precede the admission of an alien to British citizenship. Declarations by British-born wives of aliens of their desire to retain, while in New Zealand, the rights, but not the status, of a British subject numbered eleven. Five alien wives sought British nationality. Acorns from Windsor

Acorns from the Royal Park at Windsor, sent to New Zealand in 1937, have grown into fine oak trees at the Christchurch municipal nurseries, and at a civic Arbor Day ceremony to be held shortly they will be planted in Victoria Park. The acorns were sent to New Zealand by the Royal Automobile Club to mark the Coronation Of the King and Queen (the Star-Sun says) and the Automobile Association (Canterbury) had handed the acorns to the City Council. Each acorn was put into a pot and placed in a hothouse, and they are now healthy trees. sft or 6ft in height. Some have been given away to schools from time to time, and there are fifty left to be planted at Victoria Park. Organ Recital

An attractively varied programme was provided at the after-church organ recital in the Town Hall last night by Dr V. E. Galway, the city organist. The first part of the programme consisted of compositions by Bach and the second portion was of a varied nature. The programme was as follows:—Choral Prelude “Farewell Will I Give Thee ” (Bach), Slow Movement from the 3rd Organ Sonata (Bach), Prelude and Fugue in G major (Bach). Choral Prelude ‘‘l Come Before Thy Throne” (Bach), “ Angelus ” (Cocker). Sonatina in A minor (first movement, Karg-Elert), “To Music” (Schubert), march “ Pomp and Circumstance,” No. 4 (Elgar). Dr Galway was assisted by William R. Clarke (pianist), who played Arabesque (Schumann) and Rhapsodie in C major (Dohnanyi).

Greymouth Harbour - While improvements are possible, no new developments of harbour facilities at Greymouth are anticipated as a result of the recent visit by the two British engineers, Messrs E, J. Buckton and A. J. Clark. The engineers have yet to compile their report, and gave only a brief outline of their impressions to members of the Greymouth Harbour Board. Confirmation of the existence of a strong littoral drift up the coast from the south to the north was sufficient to condemn most of the proposed schemes in the eyes of the engineers, and it is believed that they will for this reason not be in favour of an entirely new harbour at Point Elizabeth or North Beach, Cobden. Improvements, with some modifications, to the existing port of Greymouth are, however, apparently favoured by the engineers

Pinus Timber for Flooring With the shortage of timber for flooring in housing construction one of the most common causes of delay, and with no supplies in reserve, an official of the State Forest Service in Wellington suggested the specialised use of pinus insignis. The annual production of Pinus insignis and other exotic forest trees had steadily increased and now exceeded 80,000,000 board feet. It was clear, he said, that the supply of rimu would not last forever. Produtcion had decreased, and, although determined efforts to increase it were being made by the sawmilling industry, prewar production could not be greatly exceeded, nor could other indigenous building timbers be expected to play a moer important role. The use of pine for house building was by no means new. It had long been accepted in Europe, America and latterly in the southern hemisphere. It was the degree of abuse of which a timber was capable that decided its use. In recent years grading rules had been developed so that timbers might be used to the best advantage.

Hostess of Anzac Club Among the thousands of British servicemen who spent cheerful hours of their leave at the Anzac Club in New York, are a host of New Zealanders who (the Evening Post says) will remember a countrywoman who did so much toward their entertainment—Mrs Molly B. Green, the wife of a British naval man. As a result of her efforts hundreds of men were found homes where they could enjoy a brief respite from their war duties, To-day Mrs Green, who was widowed when her husband lost his life in the Indian Ocean, is in Wellington without so much as a bed-sitting-room for herself and her ten-year-old son. Since leaving Westport, Connecticut, her summer home in the United States which was a second home to a legion of New Zealand air force and naval men, Mrs Green has, in her own words, “ lived in suitcases.” She does not disguise the fact that, after returning to her native land in February for the first time for 16 years, she is very disappointed to find herself still homeless. At present she is living with friends who, she says, already have little enough accommodation for themselves.