NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 236, 5 October 1928, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Portugal's Independence Day. To-day is the 18th anniversary of the foundation of the Portuguese Republic. The customary ceremonial calls were made by the consuls of other countries upon the Consul for Portugal (Mr. D. L. Nathan), and the Portuguese flag was flown from the various consular offices in Auckland. Skipper's Long Service. , complimentary luncheon was tendered today to paptain Jackson, of the liner lonic, who will retire at the end of his ship's next voyage Home. Captain Jackson has been 45 years at sea, and has served for over 30 years on ships of the White Star Line, his commands having been the Zealandic, the Bovic, the Cufic, the Suevic, the Arabic and the lonic. Representatives of the principal shipping interests were present at to-day's function, which was held on board the ship. Ambulance Station Improved. The St. John Ambulance ' station on the Queen's wharf has been enlarged to give better facilities for the officers of the association to deal with casualties. Although the number of patients depends largely on the number of vessels being worked, the station is always busy, and an average of from 15 to 20 men have their injuries attended to every day, while an ambulance is kept in readiness to take the more serious cas£s to the hospital. Steamer's Swimming Pool. An unofficial announcement from the steamer Antonio states that a new swimming pool has been opened for the benefit of the Auckland public. The vessel is lying at King's wharf having a new propeller fitted, and in order to raise the stern for this purpose No. 1 hold has been flooded. This provides a big deep pool of calm water, guaranteed free from sewage, and the crew of the vessel are considering sta<nnir a week-end swimming carnival. ° Index System Useful. The Auckland Rugby League has an elaborate and useful index system for immediate reference to players and teams for many years back. The value of such records has been "illustrated on many occasions, and the system would appear to become more necessary as time goes on. Recently a young player was included in a team for a grade lower than which he had played, and the matter was the subject of a challenge from a defeated team. A search of the files disclosed grounds for the protest, which was upheld. < The Lucky Shoe. A custom which has been hallowed by centuries of usage was observed yesterday after the wedding breakfast which celebrated the marT1 ?lt °l ?, ign £ r I)iotti and Signorina Algozzino, of the Fuller-Gonsalez Grand Opera Co. A member of the hotel staff ran out with a shoe and fastened it to the back of the bridal car. The iact that it was a woman's shoe may interest those who happen to know the origin of the superstition. The custom originated on the Continent many, many years ago, and is believed to be a relic of the barbaric idea of change of ownership of the bride. It was always customary for the shoe to be that of a man. There is no suggestion of anything but good luck in the use of a woman's shoe, but the accidental variation from the accepted plan may interest those of a romantic or superstitious turn of mind. Hero Worship.

Autograph books addressed to the Southern Cross airmen in Blenheim (says the "Evening Post ) continue to roll in from all over New Zealand, not always with return postage inside. The secretary of the local Aero Club, Mr. C. A. Mac Donald, with the help of- two stenographers, has undertaken to go through the mail as received, to sort it into replies, no replies, and communications requiring the attention of the airmen themselves. A great many correspondents are asking that letters and parcels enclosed _or accompanying their letters should be carried across to Sydney in the Southern Cross, but if only some of these requests were acceded to the machine would be so laden' that it would never leave the ground. Most of the letters and parcels per Southern Cross air mail" will go through the -Blenheim Post Office in plain, everyday fashion; some will go back to the senders. Small gifts and large gifts, mailed and handed in, make up too much weight for carriage in the 'plane, and, with the exception of certain special gifts these will be packed and freighted to Australia!

Irrigation in Australia. Certain parts of Australia are pursuing an active policy of irrigation, and while the schemes are only in their infancy, it is possible that, in the future, many of the difficulties of the farming community in the Commonwealth in times of drought will be removed by their application. Victoria, according to Mr. Simon L. Hickey, M.L.C., of New South Wales, who is visiting Auckland, has had good results from its Mildura scheme, but New South Wales, while it is gatting great productivity from the Yanco scheme, is sinking many millions of money without getting an adequate return. "If irrigation fails eventually in Australia—l don't anticipate that it "will —then the geographical history of Australia, with its attendant periodical droughts, will militate against the fine heritage that is indicated for the country," he added. Link with the Fast. An interesting old apprenticeship indenture has been discovered in Blenheim. The property of Mr. J. A. Bottrell, of Maxwell Road, it is a document that is now 105 years old, and relates to the apprenticeship of Mr. Bottrell's father to the boot and shoemakers and cordwainer's trade in Penzance, Cornwall, England. The master's name was William Tresider, and the indenture signed on February 2, 1823, in the third year of the reign of George IV., and was witnessed by James Beckerlea. Bearing an embossed £1 stamp, the indenture provided that the apprentice should be bound to his master for a period of six years. His master undertook to provide him with shoes and aprons. No wages were payable during the first year of apprenticeship, but in the second year the apprentice received 2/ a week, with an increase of 6d per week at the beginning of every succeeding year until the last year of apprenticeship, when he became a person of comparative wealth, receiving 4/6 a week! The old document i-s in a good state of preservation, and is a treasured family relic. Unreliable Witnesses. Although witnesses in Court are on oath to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, it is not uncommon for a person thus pledged to make false statements. Such an instance was evidenced recently in a Wellington Court presided over by Mr. J. H. Salmon, S.M., who had occasion to comment on the tendency on the part of some witnesses to depart from the truth. Mr. Salmon was hearing an applicati°n for separation and maintenance by a youn" woman, whose counsel had produced a summons which he averred had been issued against the defendant some years before. The defendant denied knowledge of the papers. Addressing defendant s counsel, the magistrate said emphatically: "You know, a man hardly forgets anything like that." He went on to say that that sort of thing was occurring in Court Week after week. A man deliberately went into the box and swore an untruth, and he regretted that he was not able to "pin" him. He added that in the case under review he "had a good mind to order a prosecution for perjury." Discussing the question of witnesses' veracity in an address before justices of the peace last week, it is interesting to note that Mr. Justice Frazer made observations that Showed that many untrue statements were made from the witness ~ box quite unconsciously. It was not very often witnesses were untruthful, he said, but they frequently came to conclusions- of their own that misled themselves and the Court also. It was common, for instance, in cases concerning motor ™in«mn« and where things happened quickly for ponjin to confuse perception with jndgmwt.