NEWS OF THE DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 226, 23 September 1940, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Home Ground. The parlance of the football field was used in a letter from England to a relative in the Dominion, describing the military situation. The letter is from a Lancashire woman. The letter runs on: '•The French have defaulted and we are now in the final —and it is being played on our own ground. We have never been beaten on the home ground; England is winning. Cheerio." A. and P. Association Officers. Mr. 8. Irwin Crookes will be automatically re-elected president of the Auckland Agricultural and Pastoral Association. His is the only nomination received. Only two names have been received for the two vacancies for vicepresidents, those of Messrs. A. A. SwafJield and O. R, Self, who are thus elected unopposed. For the 15 seats on the executive there are 17 nominations, and the election will be held at the annual meeting of the association next Friday.

Vernal Equinox. Bringing with it the certainty of longer and warmer days, the vernal equinox occurs to-day, with the sun passing from the northern to the southern hemisphere. By a happy chance the weather yesterday was ideal, attracting many people out of doors, and especially to popular beaches adjacent to the city. Swimmers found the-sea decidedly cool, but were rewarded by the exceptional warmth of the sun. Motorists were abroad in larger numbers than has been usual since the petrol restrictions were tightened, and the Tamaki Drive was popular. Dominion Day. New Zealand was declared a Dominion of the British Empire on September 26, 1907, and consequently Dominion Day anniversary this year will fall on Thursday next, but in line with the practice of "Mondayising" holidays of the kind which fall on other days, the official observance of the holiday is being held to-day. The holiday is by no means general, but is being observed by the lefral and banking fraternities, the Stock Exchange and the Supreme Court. It is 33 years since New Zealand was raised from the status of Crown colony to that of Dominion.

Harbour Fishing. Although war regulations will restrict the activities of amateur fishermen this year, owing to certain areas in the harbour being prohibited and others closed during certain hours, there is still plenty of scope for enthusiasts. Fish alto stated to be coming in earlier this season than last, due no doubt to the spell o"? fine warm weather. During the past week 6ome promising hauls of fish have been reported, both on the Waitemata and Manukau harbours. At Orakei a rock fisherman who cast his line in the comparatively shallow water above shellfish beds met with considerable success, landing some fine snapper. Trout at Rotorua. On his return to Auckland after a visit to Rotorua. the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. VV. E. Parry, said that there had been a big increase in the quantity of ' out egge. collected in the Rotorua district this year, and as a result of additions at the Turangi hatchery, stripping had been completed earlier than previously. It was anticipated that about 2,500,000 fry would be placed in Taupo waters, and a large number of eggs had been placed in various parts of the Rotorua area. A consignment of 800,000 eggs had been sent to the Waikaremoana hatchery, and it was intended to liberate a large number of rainbow fry in the Wairoa district. Water Scheme at One Tree Hill

The One Tree Hill Borough Council has called tenders for the construction of & reinforced concrete reservoir with a capacity of 1,250,000 gallons, under a scheme which will also embody three miles of 9in rising main and a pump, and which it is estimated will cost about £30,000. The pump has already been ordered from England, and a contract placed for the steel piping for the main, which will be constructed at Penrose. The new reservoir will be on the north-east slopes of One Tree Hill on an area near Campbell Boad governed by the Cornwall Park Trust. It will be just over 300 ft above sea level, and will operate as a low-pressure service, supplying more particularly the industries at Penrose. The present reservoir, which has a storage capacity of about 500,000 gallons, will continue to operate as a high-pressure service.

Birds and Fruit Losses. Depredations of birds, mainly chaffinches, have caused serious losses to orchardists in the Marlborough district in recent weeks. In some areas stone fruits, particularly peaches and nectarines, will be in very short supply. Birds have been eating away buds, and in many instances trees which should l>e a mass of blooms carry only one or two buds. The number of birds this year seems to have increased remarkably. "Damage by birds is much more severe than I have ever known it in any part of New Zealand," said Mr. D. J. Hogg, orchard instructor in Blenheim. He has been round most of the district in the past few days inspecting orchards. In two cases losses are almost 98 per cent of the total crop of peaches and nectarines. One orchard, which usually has an output of between 700 and 800 cases of these fruits, u ow contained a block of trees among which it was almost impossible to find any buds. Mr. Ho"- remarked that on one of the biggest orchards in the district the birds had been attacking apple buds and had .caused serious loss. South Island Main Highway. The work of converting the main road from Picton to Bluff into a first-class highway proceeds steadily, and the southern section between Dunedin and Bluff is now practically completed. The work has meant the elimination of dangerous bends, erection of bridges (including overbridges at railway crossings), and tar-sealing south of Dunedin. Tar-sealing is completed as far as Clinton, where there is delay due to reconstruction which has been taking place over a period of many months. Gangs working from the Clinton and from the Waipahi ends have now almost met, and | so reconstruction is in its final stages. Sealing materials are ready to be used as soon as consolidation is complete. The road from Bluff is sealed to four miles north of Arthurton, so the unsealed reconstructed area is very short. With that exception, the main road from Bluff to Glenmark, about 40 mile:; north of Christchurch, has been sealed, properly bridged, and all bad bends eliminated. There is, therefore, practically 430 miles of first-class highway in the South Island, and when the work in North Canterbury and Marlborough is ended the main highway should be one of the finest routes in the Dominion.