NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 222, 19 September 1928, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Hospital Board Loan. * An application to the Local Government Loans Board for permission to borrow £40,000 for building purposes is to be made by the Auckland Hospital Board. Of this sum it "is proposed to expend £35,000 on the erection of the new infectious diseases block at the hospital, and the remaining £5000 will be devoted to the building and equipping of a laundry at the infirmary. "What's in a Name?" A correspondent, Mrs. S. Watson, of Ponsonby, draws attention to the incorrect spelling of the name of the township Neveeville in a recent news item. Why, she asks, will people insist on spelling it "Nevieville ?" The township was named after the late Mr. Neves, of Tapu a Prospector who, in 1875, discovered rich gold on the site. This was in the Tairua gold rush. Chef's Bad Luck. While killing poultry at the Gretna Hotel, Taihape, Mr. W. Johnson, the chef, had the misfortune to cut his hand badly. The axe he was using caught in a line used for airing clothes, and it* lo^,, m . iss ed its aim, the chef "getting it on' the hand" instead of the chicken "getting it in the neck." Fortunately the arteries were not severed, but Mr. Johnson was lucky not to lose Ho ital He received atteQ tion at the Taihape Safety of Modern Travel. The general manager of the New Zealand railways, Mr. H. H. Sterling, and the Dominion superintendent of tho New Zealand Shipping Company, Mr J. H. C. Bond, both responded to the toast of "Land and Ocean Transport" at a gathering of commercial travellers in Wellington. Mr. Sterling stated that in the past two years no passengers had lost their liveV travelling on New Zealand railways, and in speaking of ocean travel Mr. Bond said that the NeVZeadTv f^PP , Company, from 1873 to the present day, 1928, had never lost the life at sea of anv passenger they had carried. y

The All-important Cypher,

The difference between two individual estimates of the crowd who visited the Auckland h^ e t Ci^Y a - ? ffioe °" Mon 4ay evening in the moms t f. aimng em P lo y raen * « the" catering rooms at the approaching spring meetin-r was the-cypher "0" By itself Vis nothing, K To ten /f A U J° °^ er figUres ifc ma y amou *t Y«££i hu "dred, a thousand, or even a million. wa« t?h m £ rm . n S applicant for,work who was at the Racing Club's office estimated that there were 1500 present. He said that he nevtr o t.h W r S "w a CrOW /" all P U9hin e aDd idling each other. Women fainted, and eventually a con someth n 7-t tak ; Cha^ e and ** «»e crowd in something like order. The assistant-secretary of the club estimated the number at 150, not 1500 and agreed that there was considerable crushing one or two women having fainting turns. "' A Traffic Mix-up. The efficiency of the traffic control on the road to Mangere and at the aerodrome itself was the subject of much favourable comment yesterday afternoon. Pointsmen were posted at various intersections, while a large squad of city traffic officers, police and members of the Auckland Automobile Association did duty on the parkins ground where thousands of cars were expeditiously shown to their allotted positions. It was only the sudden news of the postponement of the flight that caused any trouble, there being a wild stampede for the cars, which could not be checked even if the number of officers had been trebled. There were blocks, jams and tie-ups galore motorists endeavouring to beat one another to the road. The position was still further complicated by the fact that there was a stream of cars still coming towards the aerodrome when the news of the postponement was received Incoming cars endeavoured to turn round in a small space, and there was a regular mix-Up for some time. Before long, however, the stream of traffic back to town got under way, and it was not long before the 'drome was cleared of cars. "Not on the Map." think we should protest strongly against the Mount Eden Council holding the meeting on Mount Albert Council's meeting night. The matter of transport is one of particular importance to this borough, especially seeing that we are the second largest in New Zealand," said Mr. L E Rhodes, Mayor of Mount Albert, wheu a letter was received from the Mount Eden' Borough Council stating that a conference of local bodies re transport matters was to be held last night. The Mayor also pointed out that it was not the lirst time such a thing had happened. As the notice had been received at the Jast minute, Mr Rhodes had rung up Mr. J. H. Langley (deputyMayor) and had asked him to represent Mount Albert, but the position was far from satisfactory. "Apparently Mount Albert is not considered to be on the map," said the Mayor in conclusion. J Southern Cross Flags. In connection with the scheme of the Sydney Hospital to raise money for hospital purposes by means of the sale of silken flags brought across the Tasinan in the aeroplane Southern Cross, Mr. William Wallace, chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board, reported at yesterday's meeting of the board that permission had already been given by the Minister of Internal Affairs to raffle the flags. It was proposed to charge 1/ each for the tickets, and by this means everyone would have an equal chance of obtaining a flag, whereas there were enly a limited number who-could take part if the flag were auctioned. Air. Wallace said he had discussed the matter with the Commercial Travellers' Association, and they were willing to assist in every way in the disposal of the tickets for the flag allotted to Auckland. They would all agree with him there was no better means of disposing of tickets than through the members of the Commercial Travellers' Association. Mount Albert Delighted. A chorus of "Hear, hear!" and "Xot before it is time!" greeted a letter from the Prime Minister which was read at last night's meeting of the Mount Albert Borough Council. The communication stated that, it had been decided to discontinue operations at the Railway Department's ballast pit at Mount Albert. "The ballast pit line will be removed at an early date," said Mr. Coatee, "and this will, of course, obviate the necessity for the provision of an overhead bridge on New North Road." During the subsequent remarks from councillors, one was heard to say that when the- ratepayers in Mount Albert heard the good news sighs of relief would go up all over the borough. The Mayor (Mr. L. E. Rhodes) said the decision was most welcome and was the outcome of .persistent endeavours, by himself and the council. Tabloid News. An interesting method of stamping tickets so that they may be-readily recognised aa those of the current weekjji used by the Devonport Ferry Co. A weekly is marked with a single word—a word which is invariably the clue to some up-to-date happening. Months ago, when the temporary mator service of private cara was being run from Mjlford to the ferry tee, the password was "limousines," whilst recent -weeks have seen "cackle," "nations," "Taetnan," and "Flyets." The word "cackle" was a reference to the amusing discussion at the Devonpbrt Borough Council's meeting, when a deputation, of residents . protested against the proposed restrictions on- poultry keeping, and one of the speakers waxed facetious at the council's expense. The word "nations" referred, of course, to the signing of the Kellogg pact for the outlawry of war. It is certainly not necessary to explain the topicality of "Tasman" or of "flyers," both of which are singularly appropriate selections. A North Shore resident was heard to declare that the weekly ticket was "news at its briefest," and another congratulated the Ferry Company on *te choice of tabloid terms.