NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 131, 29 November 1929, Page 10

NEWS OF THE DAY

Many Spots on the Sun. Solar activity is very marked at the present time. An almost continuous scries of sunspots stretches across twothirds of the visible disc of the- sun in its southern hemisphere. Several of these spots are of average size, but one is of exceptional dimensions. There is also a small group of spots north of tho solar equator. "A Very Nice Letter." "There is a very nice letter in Spanish, -which I cannot read, from tho Havana University. I take it to be a letter of thanks in reply to our letter of congratulations on their bicentenary," said the registrar (Mr. C. G. E. Eobison) at the meeting of the Victoria University College Council last night. The Police and Criminals. Several speakers at the annual meeting of tho Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society yesterday referred in a eulogistic manner to the work of the New Zealand Police Force. The. secretary (Mr. T. P. Mills) said that from his knowledge of the detectives and the police generally they adopted the most humanitarian methods. "It is a common experience of mine," added Mr. Mills, "that the detectives have put I themselves to considerable personal! inconvenience to help a man when he has come out of gaol, and I know of many cases where they have found discharged prisoners work." Women Police. Whether he. would favour the appointment of women police was a question replied to by the Reform candidate for Hutt, Mr. Harold F. Johnstonj at his Pctone meeting last night. Mr. Johnston said that he did not agree with Mr. Wilford's refusal to have women police. It had been found in England that women police could not be used to the extent which had been hoped for, but nevertheless it was desirable to have,, them. Consequently he would favour the appointment of women police if they could find in New Zealand avenues to utilise their services, and he believed that there were certain classes of police work which women could do better than'nien. Eight Years Only. At the "War Belief Association meeting 'yesterday, Mr. C M. Luke referred to the evidence of Mr. Tosswill, secretary of the Canterbury Patriotic Fund, 'before the Disabled Soldiers' Behabilitation Commission at Christchurch to the effect that the fund would probably last another eight . years only. Mr. Luke said that the way the Wellington funds had been nursod was very gratifying, and so was the work that had been accomplished, but as with the Canterbury fund, the money was likely to be used up in. eight years' time. ■ ■■-.... The Right Spirit. "It is only by instilling the right spirit into the minds of the children that the rising generations will be induced to show reverence for the men who died for their country," said Mr. H. L. Paterson at a meeting. of the Dunedin Keturned Soldiers' Association Executive when Mr. H. H. Walker referred to tfte manner in which disrespect was shojni to the War Memorial in the Queen's Gardens (states the "Otago Daily Times"). In Christchurch," said Mr. Paterson, "people lifted their hats when passing tho War Memorial, thus showing their respect for the dead." Mr. Walker said it was not very pleasant to see people sitting round the base of the Queen's; Gardens Memorial and scattering paper around. Tho memorial could be kept more private if a fence were erected around it. Such a .proposal, however, did not meet with the approval of the executive. It was pointed out that it was not the custom to deprive- any person of the privilege of gaining access to the memorial, especially when anyone wished to place a wreath at the base. The question of the erection of a tablet adjacent to the memorial was then raised, and it was finally decided to write to the City Council asking if there were any 'likelihood of' such a tablet being erected. Telegraphed Bets. "Is the candidate in favour of permitting bets to be telegraphed to the racecourse?" was a question put to Mr. Harold F. Johnston, Eeform candidate for Hutt, at his Petone meeting last night. "I have advocated it for many years, and can't, and don't wish'to go back on it now," replied Mr. Johnston. He thought it ought to bo allowed, for the present restriction was unjustifiable and harmful in many ways. That was the view of the Sports Piotection League, of which organisation he was chairman. Independent Member's Message. Bemarking that not only the forces of Labour wished Mr. Walter Nash the Labour candidate, success in the Hutt by-election, but that one of the Independent members of the House of Bepresentatives had also expressed an earnest hope for his return, Mr. •P. Eraser, M.P., rsad at Mr. Nash's Petone meeting last night a telegram which Mr. Nash had received from Mr. H. M. Rushworth, Country Party member for Bay of Islands. "Best of good wishes for_ a successful issue, of the fight upon which you are engaged," Mr. Bushworth telegraphed. "Wake Up, England!" That British, manufacturers do not give their representatives the trade propaganda backing that is given to their agents by American and other manufacturers, is a complaint made in the Drapery Trade Beport, embodied in the annual report of the British (U.K.) Manufacturers' Association of New Zealand, presented at the annual meeting of the association this afternoon. A repetition of the Prince of Wales'a slogan, "Wake up, England!" would seem to be in. order. "There is (says the report) a great difference in tho methods adopted; by the British manufacturers as compared to their foreign competitors, particularly those of the United States, in marketing their various lines. The British manufacturer relies solely on the values of their goods and the manner in> which they are introduced by their representatives, while on the other hand the American manufacturer creates a public demand for his goodß by direct Press advertising, supplying smart show cards, and plenty of advertising matter to the trade, and also in many instances sending consignment stocks to their represetatives. It is a well known fact that the retailer will stock a line that is well advertised, and for which a demand is being created at no cost to himself, even to the extent of paying more for it, plus the higher rate of duty it may carry, rather than British goods that may be intrinsically better value, but on which he has to create his own sales. Value does not always count under present day conditions. Advertised goods have a big advantage over those which have no assistance in this direction. Some United Kingdom manufacturers are realising this, and are adopting similar methods to those of the U.S.A., but there is no doubt, generally speaking, the British representative in the Dominion does not receive the backing from his principals to assist him in competition with foreign goods. The trade generally in the Dominion is ready and willing to give preference to goods of British manufacture, all things being equal, but they usually take the line of least resistance and stock the most advertised lines, many of these being supported by local stocks."

The Licensing Issue. "I believe the Licensing laws should remain as they are at present," said Mr. J. Eerr, United Party candidate for Hutt, in reply to a question at Eastbourne last night. The reply was greeted with applause. Trondhjem Renamed. The Consul for Norway (Mr. Alex. Newton) has been informed by the Norwegian Ministry for Foreign Affairs at Oslo, that under date of 14th June 1929, a law was passed to the effect that the city now called Trondhjem shall be named Nidros as from let January, 1930. A New Forest Area. A notice in the "Gazette" declares the Hutt to be a separate fire district, under the Forests Act. The new area embraces some 155,000 acres, and takes in the Akatarawa, Eretonga, Paekakariki, Belmont, Riniutaka, Waiohine, Wairarapa, Pencarrow, and Onoke survey districts. Henceforth it -will bo illegal to light fires in the area between Ist November and 31st March, without a written permit from a Forest Officer. , . ,„„... New Zealand's Oood Name. The Bey. G. E. Moreton, who went Home with the Boy Scouts, states that he found a liking for New Zealanders, even in the realm of trade. On his entering a London jeweller's shop to j price a few small trinkets, the proprietor said that if it would be any help he would let the goods out on credit since he knew by experience- that Now Zcalanders paid their debts, and, strange to say, exactly the same offer was made in Colombo, the shopkeeper going a step further by offering to advance a few pounds if Mr. Moreton was short. Married Women Workers. Questioned as to how he would vote on a Bill to prevent married women working while their husbands were in employment, Mr. Harold P. Johnston Eeform candidate for Hutt, at Petone last night replied that he would certainly oppose such a. Bill as being subversive of British ideas., One sex had no right to restrict the earning capacity of the other. Damage by Frost. A Timaru business man who went through the Waimate district last week states that the damage done by frost to small fruit is more serious than was anticipated. Strawberrygrowers estimate that they will lose fully three-quarters of their crops. Baspberries and loganberries have suffered more1 severely, and some growers say that they will, be lucky to pick a dozen buckets off their four or fiveacre plantations. ■ Such a late frost is particularly disheartening to Waimato fruitgrowers, as most of them rely solely on their raspberry and strawberry crops as a means of livelihood. Combating the Mosquito. A suggestion that the Campbell statue pond in Cornwall Park should be stocked with goldfish or carp to combat more effectively the breeding of mosquitoes was received from the Auckland Mosquito Control Committee at a meeting of the One Tree Hill Boad Board recently. The letter stated the system had proved successful in Albert Park and at Point Resolution. The efficacy of the method of oiling the water, as employed at Cornwall Park, was offset by rain and wind, which disturbed the surface of the pond. The board decided to refer the letter to the Cornwall Park trustees. St. Andrew's Day. To-morrow is St. Andrew's Day, when all who pride themselves upon having been born north of the Tweed foregather in honour of Scotland's patron saint. This national festival is observed much more widely than that of England's patron saint, for Scotsmen, in no matter what remote corner of the world, seldom fail to remember it and celebrate. That these celebrations take the form of indulgence in the mystic haggis and in something stronger than tea is one of the many libels to which Scotsmen are accustomed, for, as a rule, Caledonian societies and similar bodies indulge on St. Andrew's Day in nothing more formidable than sports meetings and concerts. St. Andrew became the patron saint of Scotland about the middle of the eighth century, tradition, having it that his relics were brought to that country from Constantinople. The "day is observed locally as a bank and legal holiday, but not as a holiday in any general form. Lake Drained. . v The picturesque sheet of water on the outskirts of Bemuera, Auckland, known as Lake Waiatarua has vanished.' In its place there is now a. sea of silt and mud ranging in depth from 16ffc to 30ft, which at the present moment is a happy haunt for hundreds of seagulls. The lake has been drained to develop the surrounding park, and when that is finished a new lakelet of thirteen acres will be created. Motorists Will Provide. There was a quick response to an appeal made at a meeting ia Christehurch on Wednesday in connection with the cancer campaign, states the "Christchurch Times." Dr. P. C. Fenwick, of the radium department at the Christchurch Hospital, had been telling the meeting of the trouble that he had in some cases of getting patients to return for an examination, the usual excuse being that it was difficult for old people **^n* *° t, he HosPital- He-said that if 100 people in Christchurch who owned motor-cars would lend their cars for an hour six times a year, the whole of his transport troubles would be solved. S £ *£? other s Peakera had concluded, Air. Ji. w. Johnston announced that the motorists belonging to the Canterbury Automobile Association would provide all the transport that was necessary, and that Dr. Fenwiek need have no worries concerning the transport of patients. Aerial Target Practice. According to Wing-Commander S. Grant-Dalton, Director of Air Services m New Zealand, there is every likelihood that Lake Ellesmere will be the centre for target practice for New Zealand Air Force pilots during the refresher course to be held at Wigram Aerodrome next February ana March (states the "Christchurch Times") He emphasised the importance of gunnery practice to New Zealand pilots, and said that if Lake Ellesmere could be used it would be possible to have this practice all the year ronnd. 'Keierring to statements that have been made regarding the menace to the native life of*the lake, he doubted if one bird or fish in 10,000 would be- hit in the practice. The birds might be frightened away at first, but they would return. He instanced a ease in England where an aircraft gunnery base was one of the best duck-shooting grounds in the country. "Splendid Native Race." "I ao not think you New Zealanders realise how .exceptionally fortunate you are in the country you have inherited," stated the British Trade Commissioner, Mr. L. A. Paish, at the conclusion of the commerce train tour, in the course of which many interesting touches of Maori life were encountered (reports the "Auckland Star"). I think you are the only people in the world with a native race which gives you no racial problems," added Mr. Paish. "If you look round the Empire to countries like South Africa, India, and Egypt, as well as to countries of other nations, I think you will congratulate yourselves that in this paradise of the south you have such a splendid native race." - • . •