News in Brief

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 302, 21 December 1931, Page 6

News in Brief

Golf Links Pay. _Up to the end of November (eight months of the financial year) the out-goings of the municipal golf links at Berhampore, Wellington, amounted to £1129, and the receipts to £1415. Southern Cross Returns. After a three months’ cruise to the mission stations in the south-west Pacific the mission steamer Southern Cross is scheduled to return to Auckland to-morrow, according to advice received by the Melanesian Mission.. The vessel will remain at Auckland during the hurricane season in the Pacific, and will be despatched again for the mission stations in April. Cheap Grapes. Grapes in the United States are fetching only a farthing a pound, or £2 a ton, stated a member of the Christchurch Tomato and Stone Fruit Growers’ Association on Saturday evening. He cited Prohibition as being one of the reasons for the low price, there no longer being the use for grapes for alcoholic purposes that there was formerly. Prize for Mother. Presenting prizes to pupils of the Durie Hill School, Wanganui, Mr Alex. Stuart, M.P. for Rangitikei, asked the mother who had the greatest number of children attending school to come forward. After a moment of checking up, the lady was named and, amid applause, she went to the platform to claim a five-pound box of tea. She had six children on the roll. She received Mr and Mrs Stuart’s congratulations and was lustily cheered as she accepted their novel gift. Use of Slot Machines. The legality of automatic slot machines, in which one may obtain chocolates or other kinds of sweets, and, if one is lucky enough, gain three times the amount, or discs which may be sold to the proprietor, was in question before Mr W. 11. Woodward, S.M., at Wellington, when a further adjournment of a case in which the whole question will be decided, was granted. The magistrate advised people who might be thinking of installing such machines in their premises not to do so until after the case had been heard and the decision given. Proficiency Results. In his interim report on the proficiency examinations, Senior Inspector T. J. Griffin, of Nelson, says that candidates for the most part entered upon the examination in an agitated frame of mind due to the disturbing propaganda that emanated from outside sources. “ The results were highly satisfactory, however,” he adds. “ The public school results show that 672 candidates sat for the examination. Of these 528 gained proficiency, 109 gained competency, and 35 failed; 78.6 per cent gained proficiency certificates, 16.2 competency, and 5.2 failed. These results must be regarded as distinctly good. In 1928 the average per cent for proficiency candidates was 75 for the district, so that this year’s results show a distinct improvement on those of that year, although they are lower than those of last year. In awarding the certificates, the inspectors this year, as in former years, were aided largely by the estimates of head teachers.”