NEW ZEALAND NEWS

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 24, 6 September 1928, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND NEWS

NOTES FROM ALL PARTS.

THU DOMINION DAY BY DAY.

HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE

Accident at Taupo. ' A fatal accident befel a little girl 1 named Watts, at Mokai, 2Q miles - from Taupoi. The child was playing : about eoine timber, and by some means disturbed' a . portion, which. : fell and broke her neck. The mother I missed her and searched and received a terrible shook when she found the little body, lire police and magistrate were communicated with, and it wag deemed unnecessary to hold an inquest. XXX Does its Best.. ‘‘The New Zealand Union always does its best,” said Mr. T. A. Fletcher, a member of the New Zealand Rugby Union, speaking in Napier to the meeting of the Hawke’s •■.Bay Rugby Union. "It may bo a poor Wst,”i {lie went on. “W© do not claim the monopoly of the Rugby brains of the country. We have made mistakes, it i s true, but in that we are only human.” He said that the New Zealand Union had be en criticised for some of its actions, but he claimed that this was by people who “did not know much about things. XXX Tone Variety. A little h/omily on tone variety in pianissimo was delivered at the Auckland Competitions by the musical judge, Mr. Keery, when dealing with the class for children involving a test piece and own selection. The latter, he said, were, of many different styles, from, pre-classic down to late romantic. The players had not sufficiently differentiated between the styles and the different nationalities. “The piano used to be considered a procussion instrument,” h© added, “but Chopin developed the singing l ton©. Then Debussy introduced! the isubletiesi of tone colour which was a very necessary variety to modem piano work, otherwise there was a weakness hi performance.” Commenting on vocal items at another session Mn. Keery obs rved with . smile that was unwise to assume that a judge knew only one language. That had cost some of tliie competitors a loss of points. XXX

At Cross Purposes Some amusement was caused in the Square at Palmerston North when a motorist and two pedestrians combined in providing a little free entertainment (says an exchange). Possibly awaiting his wife to return from .shopping, the motorist had pulled his car up alongside the kerb, and was dozing. Two pedestrians were talking on the footpath at the time, one absent-minded fv dropped a lighted match into the gutter, not noticing that the carburettor of the car was leaking. Immediately a miniature stream of petrol that ran across to the gutter caught alight, and threatened the car with destruction; but still the motorist slept. Ever on the look-out to do a good turn, the pedestrian promptly attempted to push the car out of but the motorist, suspecting a oarstealing case, jammed on the brakes. When he noticed the flames, however, he was anxious to move tile vehicle. xxx That the Maoris are not likely to drop their inherrent superstitions for many years is the opinion of MrJames Rukutai, a leading Native citizen of Auckland, “A Muon a Maori, despite the veneer of white civilisation.” he said. Years more of close association with European methods, and' extended racial absorption, will be necessary before the effects of centures of primitive beliefs null wear off. Last week a Maori who ha ß lived as a European for years past and has been excelieiitlv educated, wa s driving a car south from the city With him was a white man. Near Panmure a bird flew suddenly across the fiont : th 6 car, and the Maori _ immediately stopped. “Something is going happen,”- he told his passenger, vho Hushed But the Maori drove cant- ££%* Mercer a »Ui Sl ou With* a recklessly-driven car was. jprt avoided. ‘‘We have nothing more to fear now,” the Maori -assured In shaken companion. “Tlmt i(s " * we wei. warned of when tEi hint flew across our frontplained that the bird was m owh and. members of his tribe, the & kairo hapu, of Kawhia, firmy lieved that owl appeared denly before them when danger threatened.