NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 233, 2 October 1928, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Naval Reunion. Among the 150 old boys of H.M.s. Chatham and Philomel who attended the first reunion dinner last evening were many who came out from England with the first batch ibluejackets to lay the foundation oi' the New Zealand squadron. A suggestion that they should form an old boys' association was enthusiastically received. Great North Road Traffic. On Sunday the traffic officers of the New Lynn Town Board took a tally of the traffic on the northern main highway at the Whau Bridge. The heaviest traffic was from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., when a total of 1440 cars passed over the bridge, averaging 480 vehicles per hour. These figures seem to indicate the necessity of a modern and wider bridge in place of the present wooden structure. Round-table Conference. The Auckland provincial executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, which met last evening, agreed to the suggestion of the Auckland Manufacturers' Association that a round-table conference should be held to discuss matters of interest to both organisations. The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research wrote stating that Dr. Miller was investigating the question of danger arising from a weevil which attacks maize crops. It was stated that the pest is imported from hot climates. The "Sea Horse." A sea horse, or, to give it its scientific nams, "Hippocampus," was on exhibition at a Thames fish shop during the week-end. The creature belongs to the Lofho branchii, or pine fish tribe, and has a head resembling that of a horse, while the body has a prehensile tail, which is devoid of caudal fins. With this tail it attaches itself to seaweed or driftwood, and is thus carried for long distances. Although they are fairly common fish found off the south coast of England, this is the first time any of the family has° been seen at the Thames. A fine specimen was captured by an Auckland fisherman. A Family of Soldiers. Think what he's been; think what he's seen; tliink of hia pension and ." Many old soldiers might substitute for the last word in Mr. Kipling's quotation an appeal for a job. Amon» the unemployed who have visited this office "is a veteran of the Imperial Army whose family reC ? r ir 3 remar^a ble. His great-grandfather fought at Waterloo. His father fought in Abyssinia i J the Zulu War, and is now, at the age of 8G hale and hearty enough to sing "The Old Brigade" at a concert in the Scottish town where he lives. Six of this veteran's song were soldiers, and two died in South Africa and one in China in 1901 The one who is now looking for light work in Auckland—a bout of malaria has left him rather weak—served in South Africa, India, and the Great War. "Now, All Together!" "Successful in every way" was the pronouncement of the chairman (Mr. M. Guthrie) at the annual meeting of the Community Singing Executive Committee, in referring to the activi" ties of the season which has just concluded. The solidity of the success will be gathered from the fact that a sum of £119 hag been distributed among several unendowed charities in and around the city. The public were thanked for thiir generous response, and resolutions were passed thanking the honorary accompanists for their services, members of the Rotary Club, the St. Vincent De Paul Society for their assistance in taking up the collections, and Messrs. FullorHayward for the use of the Strand Theatre for the season. The executive will meet in February to make arrangements for the 1929 season and to compile the new song book.

A 1931 Exhibition. "A comprehensive exhibition should be a success if held about 1931," said Mr. G. Finn, chairman of the Auckland Manufacturers' Association, yesterday afternoon, in commenting upon a proposal by Mr. J. S. Fletcher for the utilisation of the Hobson Bay area as an exhibition site. Mr. Finn added that the scheme for reclaming Hobson Bay and erecting permanent exhibition buildings was a big one, but it would have to be facsd sooner or later. Many thought the Dunedin Exhibition was ahead of time, but it proved a success, and the Dunedin people showed they had a happy knack of handling an exhibition proj'ect. There was no reason why Auckland, with more than twice the population, should not have an equal success. Mr. Fletcher's proposal was referred to a joint committee of the Manufacturers' Association and the A. and P. Association. In Touch with the General. When visiting an isolated station "out in the blue" at Trentham a few days ago, MajorGeneral Young was pleasantly surprised to receive an important communication, which had been forwarded to him on the field by wireless from the divisional wireless station which had been established as a base in one of the Trentham Camp huts. The signallers in camp included a detachment of the Northern Depot Corps, which has been training at Trentham for 16 days. General Young's visit was made while the combined units were carrying out their signal operations in the retreat from the Upper Mangaroa Valley to Wallaceville, via Whiteman's Road. The signallers were discovered actively at work, closing stations, retiring and re-establisliin? lines of communication. Both General Young and Colonel McNamara (Director of the Corps of Signals) were keenly interested in the movements and commented upon the somewhat severe conditions under which the operations were conducted. Maori Pa for Gisborne. A scheme to provide an appropriate venue for Maori tribal gatherings at Gisborne is now under the consideration of the Maori Lands Board. Some months ago the Gisborne Harboi r Board took native land on Kaiti for harbour works development, paying the owners £10,000 compensation.- Out of these funds the board has purchased an area of seven acres at the bottom of Kaiti Hill, situated at the corner of Ranfurly Road and the hill road, four acres of which are flat, the balance being hilly. At present the authorities are undertaking the levelling of the property and fencing, and it is probnble that the land will be cropped for this year. The plans for the lay-out of the property as a meetin? ground for the tribes for huis at which the Ngationeone tribe,'who formerly owned the Kaiti land taken for the harbour, will act as hosts, have not yet been drafted. It is understood, however, that a number of buildings will be erected on the site, including a model meeting house and a church.' In any case the pa buildings will not be started until late next year, and the inauguration ceremony is to take place about Christmas, 1930, "Water of Reflecting Shadows." The prospect of draining Lake Waiatarua, perhaps better known as Lake St. John, is expected to throw considerable light on the fish that inhabit the waters. In the old days the Maoris regarded the lake as a happy hunting ground for tuna, and many large eels were caught there. At various times, carp and cat-fish were introduced, and there has been evidence that the latter, which are more ornamental than useful, flourished well up to the time when the level of the lake was reduced ten feet by a tunnelling scheme to free the neighbouring land of swamp water. At present Waiatarua is a lake in name only. It is really a large, shallow • pond with a maximum depth in the middle of but a few feet. Translated, Waiatarua means "Water of reflecting shadows." 1 When the Maoris first knew the lake there was bush on the surrounding slopes and the well-known fresh water mussels, or kurakura, were gathered on the shores. < Store nouses stood on posts in the crystal waters and food was kept there safe from the attacks of pests that inhabited the I bush. *