NEWS OF THE DAY.

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXII, Issue 248, 17 August 1928, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Many Coincidences. An extraordinary scries of coincidences was revealed in flic Supreme Court at Wellington. Two of the petitioners for divorce advanced the same ground in support of their petitions, and it was stated that both were involved in an accident last year as ,a result of which they suffered similar injury. They occupied adjacent beds in the hospital, and were each awarded the same amount of damages in the ’ civil action which followed their discharge. Each separated from his wife in the same month. In addition, both were represented by the same counsel in the several Court proceedings. No Homework. Happy are the scholars of the Mount Eden School, where the principle of no homework has been established. The headmaster reports that the system is working quite satisfactorily. It has been in operation for the past 18 months and is appreciated by both scholars and parents. The scholars are free to enjoy their evenings untrammelled by school worries, while parents do not have to wrestle with knotty pro--1 blcms or plan their evenings to lit Johnny’s homework requirements. It is stated that the standard of school I > work has not suffered in any way by , the introduction of the system. I' . ‘ Rosella of the Ranges. The gaudy-hued Rosella parrot, an Australian migrant which has become very plentiful on the Waitakere Ranges, was a subject for discussion at a meeting of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society, when it was said that the bird at times came down on the lowlands and damaged gardens and or- ; chards. fit was said that the bird 1 made good eating, was not protected, ■ and therefore could be shot at any ' time. Since the Rosella has taken up ■ its home on the Waitakercs, the par--1 rot —a very aggressive bird —has wag- ■ ed war on the native pigeon and tui, ; and as it feeds on the berries on the ■ native trees some good New Zealanders- are well on the way to extermina- | tion.

1 So Unconvincing. | Three times at the Auckland Police Court last week men appeared on ; theft charges to state that a man whom they did not know gave or sold them stolen goods. On each occasion the accused were told by the magistrate that their stories were too old. Again on another occasion the same old tale was told by Henry Samuel Johnson (24), ■ who denied stealing a lady’s dress valued at £lO 10/-. Ho said that he met

a man who agreed to give him half the money if he sold the dress. This was sold to a second-hand dealer for 12/6. 4 ‘Your explanation is one I cannot accept,” Mr McKean told Johnson. “It is so common and so unconvincing.” Accused, who had been in trouble previously, was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. Sunshine for Children. The many helpers who threw themselves with enthusiasm into the campaign for the raising of funds to equip a sunshine school for frail children in Auckland were rewarded when the final count of the taking revealed a yield of approximately £750. The counting was done by members of the staff of the Auckland Savings Bank, the institution which recently contributed £2OOO towards the purchase of the building in which it is hoped to establish. the sunshine school. As a next step in the project, the Auckland Community Service Association is proceeding with the negotiations for the purchase of the building in Nelson Street, ■ the use of which was recently discontinued as a primary school owing to receding population in the city area. It is hoped by the promoters that a sunshine school will soon be an accomplished fact in Auckland. Red Ruin in Auckland. A startled shout, the sound of a fall, I a quick clash of brakes —and a motor lorry came to a sudden stop in Customs Street late one afternoon. Just behind the rear wheels could be seen j a recumbent form, and sensing a tragedy a large crowd came running quickly from all points, and formed a circle round the lorry. Strong men shivered, and tender-hearted women stifled a scream, as peering through the throng there could be seen a gradually widening pool of crimson, from which trickled a blood-like stream into the wateijtable. “What happened?” “Who lis it?” “Where’s the ambulance?” | were queries excitedly passed from one to the other. Strang to say, the centre j of the crowd seemed least perturbed, ■ and those on the outskirts pushed | through to get busy. Their horrorj stricken eyes there beheld- the tragic, 1 brilliant stream still flowing, while the. i lorry driver stooped over what had ' fallen, vainly endeavouring to staunch i the bright flow from the broken side ; of a five-gallon drum of red roof paint.