NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 227, 25 September 1928, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

St. Mary's Convent. As a part of an extensive building programme, plans have been prepared and tenders are now %eing called for additions to St. Mary's Convent, Xew Street, Ponsonby. New blocks of classrooms and dormitories will be erected at a cost of £20,000, the classroom block to have two storeys, with nine classrooms and a large assembly hall. The dormitory block will include 75 cubicles. By placing the two new buildings at right angles to the present convent, a court will be formed. New Trawler Coming. Messrs. Sanford, Ltd., have bought the trawler Humphrey, of Hull, to replace the Thomas Bryan, which was wrecked on the Coromandel coast last June. The Humphrey is a Strath type, or flush-decked, vessel, similar to her predecessor, but is smaller by ten tons gross measurement. She was launched as the Robert Farecloth from the yards of I. J. Abdela and Mitchell, Ltd., Queensferry, in 1918. Her last owners were F. and T. Ross, Ltd., of Hull. The Humphrey is being refitted at her home port to meet New Zealand requirements, and she is expected to leave shortly for Auckland via Suez. Demand for Farm Labour. "The market for farm labour is in a fine position at the present time," said a Timaru labour agent in conversation with a Press representative. He went on to say that he had received a large number of applications for farm labourers, and had been able to fill all demands. The winter had been in favour of farm work, the rain having been experienced early, in May and June, thus permitting farming operations to be carried on without undue interruption. Vacancies for shepherds for the lambing season, and for shearers, were being well filled up, and no reason was obvious by which farm labourers should be out of work for some time to come. Christian Endeavour Progress. The world-wide growth of the Christian endeavour movement was reflected in striking fashion last evening at the rally, which brought to a close the 36th annual convention of the Auckland Provincial Union. It was reported that there are now over 4,000,000 members of the Christian endeavour unions in various parts of the world, and that in New Zealand over 30 new branches have been formed during the last year. The Auckland Union's membership has risen from 621 twelve months ago to 1242 at the present time. "The best convention we have ever had," said the Rev. Lionel B. Fletcher, the New Zealand president, at last night's meeting. Mr. G. Densein succeeds the Rev. A. S. Wilson as president of the Auckland Union, and Mr. Tom Clark follows the Rev. Lionel Fletcher as president of the alumni—the association of veteran members of the movement. Public Service Wages. That wages in the Post and Telegraph service have lagged behind the rise in the cost of living was the statement made by Mr. H. H. Brown, organiser of the Auckland division of the Post and Telegraph Employees' Association, in a plea for higher rates of pay, at an annual reunion of members in the Masonic Hall on Saturday evening. Mr. Brown said a wrong impression had been created by a statement of the Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Downie Stewart, that the lowest wage paid in the Public Service was £253 a year. The Post and Telegraph Service, said Mr. Brown, had an average of only £170. The increase granted about seven years ago had been followed by two "cuts," and the position at present in the general division was that an increase of 33 1-3 per cent had been made on the wages of IQI4, to meet a rise of 62 per cent in the cost of living. Whereas the general division should receive an average rate of £288, it was being paid only £240. Spiritualism Among Maoris. "My opinion is that the Maori has forgotten as much about spiritualism as the European knows to-day," said Dr. E. P. Ellison, Director of Maori Hygiene, in the course of a public lecture at the University College last evening. The Polynesian was, said the speaker, at heart a spiritualist. They had beliefs in various gods, in a supreme being equivalent to the Almighty, and in dragons. There were still persons alive who claimed to have seen these dragons, which were most likely whales. There was still a great belief in magic among Maoris who were living as Maoris. The speaker had been present at what he termed Maori seances, and it had certainly appeared to him fn>m a distance that the tohunjra's jaw was twisted in different directions according to the nature of the spirit. At another time the face became elongated. The race was steeped in superstition, the influence of black magic was so great that it was sufficient to cause a person's death. Value of Overseas Experience. The Prime Minister, addressing the Railway Officers' Institute, said there was a certain amount of nervousness about sending men abroad, but he did not agree with it. He would Ike to see young men going abroad, not only from the Railway Officers' Institute, but from the Enginedrivers, Firemen and Cleaners' Association, and Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, and the tradesmen, to be given a year's experience with a railway company. This might be made the reward of good service, and he was sure that it would be worth while. On their return they would go through the country and give the result of their observations and any "tips" which they could pass on. If they found that things were in order in New Zealand, so much the better, but in any case they would have the opportunity of checking up the work. St. John's Lake. The Onehunga Borough Council has been informed by the Auckland City Council that the offer of the Waiatarua Drainage Board to contribute £200 if the work of emptying Lake St. John is put in hand immediately has been accepted, subject to the council being able to arrange for reading and other works at Waiatarua. The City Council, however, is not in a position to definitely state that this work will be proceeded with until its arrangements are further advanced. Mr. F. S. Morton enlightened the Borough Council on the subject last evening, when he explained that about ten or eleven years ago the Waiatarua Drainage Board endeavoured to get a clause inserted in the Washing-up Bill, then before Parliament, authorising it to drain the lake completely. Sir James Parr, however, opposed the request, and the clause was not inserted in the bill. That meant that neither the City Council nor the Drainage Board had any power whatever to drain the lake, and they had no right to do so without the consent of the Onehunga Borough Council. He moved that an urgent protest be sent to the City Council and the Drainage Board against draining Lake St. John. The Mayor (Mr.' W. C. Coldicutt) seconded the motion, which was agreed to. "To the Boys of Australia." A group of boys in Auckland conceived the idea of asking the crew of the Southern Cross to carry a New Zealand flag across the Tasman for presentation to a group of boys in Australia. In consultation with Mr. George Adair, boys' work director of the Y.M.C.A., they purchased a large-sized flag, packed it tightly in canvas, and addressed it: "To the Boys of Australia, care of Mr. Frank Grose, Boys' Work Director, Y.M.C.A., Sydney." The problem arose as to how they were to secure the good offices of the noted aviators. Then one of the group recalled that he had been kept awake by the music from a party next door at which the airmen were being entertained. A deputation was formed with this enterprising young man as spokesman, a tactful reference was made to the loss of Bleep, and the sporting instinct did the rest. The flag is to be carried on the Southern Cross, and none will wish more devoutly for her safe arrival in Australia than the enterprising youths who thought out this plan for cementing the ties of boyhood in the countries on either side of the Tasman Sea.