NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 224, 21 September 1928, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

"Tec's" New Hall. The Mayor, Mr. Geo. Baildon, has consented to open the new assembly hall at the Technical College on October 3, stated the chairman of the Board of Governors, Mr. H. S. W. King, at yesterday's meeting. An Unrnly God. Although the district where the Auckland Aero Club's aerodrome is Bituated is known as Ihumatao and Ihumata, the correct name .is really Te Ihu-a-matao. It means "the nose of Matao." The latter was the god of earthquakes and similar coritulsions in the locality, and according to the Maoris old Matao made quite a good job of his task. A "Duck" of an Idea. The enormous number of slugs destroyed by a Mount Eden resident has induced a correspondent to suggest that slug and snail-infested sections can be turned into profitable patches. He says he purchased a brace of young ducks, which relieved him of the job of setting traps and the brain fag of counting. They turned the slugs into those large-sized eggs which are so favoured by housewives for cooking. He commends the duck idea to the Mount Eden amateur gardener. An Old Lane. Apropos the proposal to drive a road through on the site of the Shortland Street Post Office, an old Auckland resident recalls that in the 'sixties there was a way Called Victoria Lane, connecting Shortland Street with Tort Street. The owner of the land erected gates at each end and closed these once a year in order to protect his title.* The Victoria Hotel stood at the Fort Street end of the lane. It wag burnt down, the fire spread to other buildings, and in the reconstruction Victoria Lane disappeared. Purity of Parnell Water. "A highly satisfactory report," was the comment of several members at yesterday's meeting of the Auckland and Suburban Drainage Board, when Mr. E. J. Phelan mentioned the result of a recent test of the water in the Parnell Baths. Mr. Phelan said that the Medical Officer of Health (Dr. W. M. Hughes) had taken samples as recently as Wednesday last, and that the analyses bad proved the water to be of a high standard of purity. "The analysis," said Mr. Phelan, •'showed a degree of purity which was ten times above the requirements demanded by the Health Department." The Beet "Traffic Cops." That police control of traffic is the most efficient is the firm conviction of Mr. W. B. McIlveney, Commissioner of Police for New Zealand. Speaking at the farewell function to Sergeant Bock, Mr. Mcllveney said ho was pleased to note that Newmarket still relied upon the police to control its traffic. Without wishing to cast any reflection upon others engaged in the work, he was still of the opinion ' that 110 traffic could be properly controlled except by the police. The police uniform, itself, the commissioner added, commanded respect. Wanted—a Gymnasium. "We have the largest number of pupils on the smallest ground in New Zealand, and a I gymnasium is essential for the health of the children," stated the principal of the Technical College, Mr. O. J. Park, at yesterday's meeting of the board of Governors, in urging that persistent efforts should be made to get a grant from the Education Department. Mr. H. S. W. King, chairman, read the answer to the board's request. The Minister not only refused to make a grant, but further stated that the Department would not grant a subsidy on the money collected by the pupils themselves. T.B. Shatters at Domain. The contractors have almost finished the erection of the new shelters for T.B. ex-soldiers on the site adjaccnt to the Auckland Hospital, according to a report presented to the Auckland Patriotic Association yesterday. When completed, they will be a great improvement-on the old shelters in the Domain. At present there are only five patients in the shelters, but the number will be increased when the new shelters are available, as it is the intention of the Hospital Board to transfer a number of soldier patients from the Costley Shelters. The report also stated that there are 20 patients in the Evelyn Firth Home at the present time. The Vernal Equinox. . To-day, September 21, is popularly supposed to be the day of the vernal equinox, even as June 21 and December 21 are considered to be respectively the shortest and longest days. To-day the night mid day should be of equal length, and if New Zealand tinie was true, round about September 21 the sun would rise at ti a.m. and set at 0 p.m. On Wednesday the sun rose at 5.44 a.m. and set at 5.44 p.m., so that day was really the equinox. The term equiuoctial gales has been stated to be a misnomer, the meteorologists having declared that the equinox does not cause the high winds which prevail in the spring. The fact that high winds do prevail at about the date of the equinox in September is merely a coincidence. However, it has been observed by the weatherwise, as distinct from the scientists, that the direction of the wind at the equinox is usually the prevailing direction for the next six months. The Highway Beautiful. In the course of the winter planting season the Great South Road Beautifying Council has fully launched its scheme for improving the highway between the city and Pa|>akura. Work accomplished includes the treatment of reserves at l'apakura, Manurewa and Otahuhu, and the planting of 000 trees in the Mount Wellington and One Trqe Hill- districts. Mr. G. W. Hutchison, chairman of the council, stated at a recent meeting that in Otahuhu the Borough Council had expended £200 in laying out the area around the Nixon monument and the new war memorial. The operations in the Mount Wellington district had included the planting of 400 trees by an industrial firm; and' in the One Tree Hill Road District a mile of the highway had been planted by the local authority. The remaining mile controlled by the One Tree Hill Board will be dealt with next year. In the summer recess the council proposed to obtain an expert report upon planting for next season. Puhi-nui's Feather Plumes. History clings to the solitary mountain, "Puhi-nui," at the foot of which the Papatoetoe Town Board proposes to establish a pumping plant for a district water supply. About the middle of the 17tli century, more than eleven generations ago, the place was a centre of Maori tribal warfare, and from the battle known as "Wai-pulu-nui" the creek that winds westward to the Manukau took its name. The late Chief ilori Kukutaj (of Ngati-Te-Ata) wrote: "Rautao, who survived an ambush by the Mount Eden people, got away with a party on a large canoe which was on the Manukau. The name of this canoe was 'Puhi-nui.' It was a marriage present from the people of Waikato to the Hauraki people, for Kiwi, the brother of Rau-tao, had married a chieftainess of Waikato. He navigated the canoe Vlth difficulty, having only a few men, and during that night concealed her in the creek (now called Pulii-nui). Later word wat) brought to Rau-tao that the Waiohua had discovered the canoe, and were busilv engaged in dragging it into .deeper water. Their canoe-hauiing song made derisive .reference to tne feather plumes. - These plumes, standing high above the mangroves on the river bank, had disclosed to the Waiohua people where the canoe was hidden. The Waiohua were so absorbed in securing their prize that they did not notice the approach of Rau-tao and his men. I They were attacked unawares, defeated and the I canoe was secured by Rau-tao."