General News

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 254, 26 October 1937, Page 6

General News

Chess in Secondary Schools The Canterbury Chess Club’s effort! to introduce chess into secondarj schools as a recreational subject to be taught on Saturday mornings were referred to at the annual meeting of the club. “I have not given up hope of having chess taught in schools.’* said Mr W. H. Joyce, a member ot the club. “The matter now rests chiefly with the Minister of Education, the Hon. P. Fraser.” The Christchurch Technical College Board ot Governors, Mr Joyce said, was in favour of the suggestion, but it had hoped for considerable support from the Government. Mr Joyce hopea that chess would be taught in schools as a proper subject and not a* a recreational subject. “Ballyhoo” in Sydney “Sydney generally is an awful example of the worst forms of highpressure salesmanship, cheap advertising methods, and what we Americans call ‘ballyhoo’—business methods which the average American views in his own country with considerable distaste,” said Professor F. W. Hart A an American authority on education^. who passed through Auckland by the Monterey for America. Mrs Hart, who is travelling with her husbann, agreed with his statement. “Apparently, there still are a number of people in Sydney who persist in the belief that gold bricks may still be sold to the foolish,” was her contribution. She said she and other Americans who attended the New Education Fellowship conference in various Australian States were convinced that Sydney was rapidly admitting the type of American influence that sometimes made American citizens ashamed. Uniform Crossings The need for uniformity of pedestrian crossings throughout New Zealand was stressed by the president of the Automobile Association (Auckland), Mr F. G. Farrell, at a meeting of the council, when a report on crossings in Auckland was considered (states the New Zealand Herald). Mr Farrell said he had noticed there was little uniformity in the pedestrian crossings in use throughout New Zealand. Visitors travelling from soutn to north found different types oi\ crossings in use in practically every town they visited. Strong represent tations should be made to the Transport Department through the North Island Motor Union to have them made uniform. Protest Against Petrol Tax A novel scheme which motorists' as- I sociations in parts of Australia were exploiting, as a protest against what they regarded as an excessive tax on petrol, was mentioned by an Australian business man (Mr S. A. Willmott), who recently visited Christchurch. Mr Willmott said that motorists’ associations had approached owners of service stations throughout the country and had induced many of them to mark placards with the price at which they were selling petrol. Next to their price, the figures of the tax were added so that motorists would have it brought home to them that they were paying about as much in tax as in the landed value of the petrol. The retail price in Australia, he added, was about the same as in New Zealand. “International” Dancing “One of my most amusing experiences occurred when I was adjudicating at a national festival,” said Mr ’ Felix Dcmery, examiner for the Royal Academy of Dancing, who was recently visiting Dunedin, during an interview with an Otago Daily Times' representative. “A girl came on to the stage to perform in a national dance section, but it was really more international in character. Except that she did not wear clogs, she was dressed in a Dutch costume and danced to an English air played by the bagpipes." More Strawberries. The largest quantity of strawberries yet to arrive at the Auckland City Markets this season came forward at Friday’s sale, when 200 chips were auctioned. The fruit was marketed mostly in small lots, and, although the quality was still varied, some good quality lines came forward. Rain is most necessary to bring the fruit along rapidly, and the warm weather at present being experienced in Auckland is expected to he of great benefit to the crops when the necessary moisture is forthcom- j ing. The fruit met with a keen in- y quiry, extra choice lines of the popular Captain Cook variety realising from 2s 4d to 2s 7d a chip, while other lines brought from Is 3d to 2s a chip. Earlier in the week strawberries realised from 2s 3d to 3s a chip.