NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 134, 3 December 1929, Page 10

NEWS OF THE DAY

School Holidays. Children will soon experience the completion of the school year. On Thursday, 12th December, the Girls' College, East Girls' College and Eoneotai Boys' College, will hold their breaking-up ceremonies, and the next evening the Wellington College prizegiving will take place. The four colleges will open again on Tuesday, 4th February, 1930. The primary schools throughout the Wellington Education Board's district will close on the 20th of this month, and will open 1 again on 3rd February of nest year. Two Men on Steam Rollers? Until quite recently it has; been the practice for two men to operate the City Council's steam rollers, but one of the district engineers has laid it down that the extra man is not required. Yesterday afternoon Mr. J Bead, secretary of the labour union concerned, waited upon the Works Committee to ask for a ruling. Ho maintained that steam rollers were in the same category as traction engines, upon which, in accordance with the Police Offences Act, an extra man has to be carried for the greater safety of traffic. Frequently the rollers had to go to the wrong side of the road, and if an accident occurred would not the driver be in the same position as a motorist who was involved in an accident. In reply to Councillor Mitchell, Mr. Bead agreed that the idea of the extra man went back to the days of horse-drawn traffic, but, he maintained, the need of the extra man remained, particularly on corners, on the flat as well as on Jiills. The chairman of the committee, , Councillor B. A. Wright said that the matter was a new one to the,committee, but would be looked into. Horses were not so numerous as they used to be, but in any case the council had no desire to do anything unreasonable, but sought to arrive at a fair thing between its employees and the ratepayers.

Malolo Party at Eotorua. A party of American tourists who reached Auckland by the Malolo on bunday morning, arrived at Eotorua at o o clock the same afternoon. Although the train left Auckland 40 minutes late, it leached Eotorua on schedule time (states the "New Zealand Herald"). A fleet of 42 cars was waiting at the station under tho control o± the Eotorua Motor Company, and the visitors were soon on the way to Whakarewarewa. There they were taken in charge by the guides, and conducted over the Maori reserve, where they were shown the native method of cooking food over the steam holes, ihe tourists were then conducted over the main sights. There were many expressions pf wonder and delight. One visitor said it was the greatest sight °/^s^ c- Thl great geyser Poh^tu did not favour them with a display of ww° Wer* After they retu«ied from t T™, i, reTLare^ a ' the tourists strolled through the Government gardens, and inspected the main bath buildings The party attended a special Maori concert arranged for them in the evening. They were delighted with the various songs and choruses, and the different poi dances and hakas. The programme tor Monday included a trip round the tour lakes, including Tikitere. The visitors returned at noon for lunch, and left by tram for Auckland at 1 p m

Boost 'for New Zealand. Do the public of New Zealand realise just to what extent the praises of their country are recognised overseas? The following extract from an American contemporary is noteworthy: "For concentrated scenic wonder no country in the world offers the tourist a greater paradise than does New Zealand Prom majestic snow-clad peaks with their glaciers, winter sports, and the placid cliff-bound fiord land, to the volcanic wonders of Eotorua and the deep-sea fishing m the sunny Bay of Islands— and all in an area of less than any one of the forty-eight United States. The Tourist Department of the Now Zealand Government is doing a very real work in assisting visitors from overseas, and a wider knowledge of their activities would undoubtedly result in an increase in the Tourist traffic to this Dominion." Regarding this statement, a correspondent suggests that, while the advertising activity at present operative in U.S.A. through the Publicity Department of the New Zealand Government is laudable and praiseworthy, it would appear that if these two Departments were rolled into one and the resultant saving in overhead expenditure spent in advertising, a definite and practical step would be taken in developing the overseas tourist traffic to which New Zealand is justly entitled.

"Great Spiritual Improvement." "After having travelled fairly extensively, and having noted the work of the Church in many lands, I see a great spiritual improvement," remarked Archdeacon Mac Murray, at the annual mission festival in St. Mark's Church, Remuera (states the "New Zealand Herald"). "In New Zealand particularly there is much more earnestness with regard to mission work than there was 50 years ago. There is, however, much room for improvement. The Church has the power to carry out its task, but it seems to lack the will to do it."

Australian Dust. The dust recently blown over the Dominion from Australia was encountered by the Taranaki when that vessel was between 140 and 190 miles southeast of Gabo Island. Samples were collected on board as they fell and have been forwarded to Dr. Kidson at the Meterological Office. Besides falling in and around Blenheim and Nelson, some of the dust was deposited in Johnsonville, a thin coating being quite perceptible in places. This wide distribution entirely discountenances any theory of a bursting meteor to account for the dust, j

"A Gift For Racing." Racing as a means of gaining a livelihood was suggested to the Christchurch Hospital Board by an old lady. Her only trouble was that sho did not havo the necessary capital, and this she asked the board to supply. Her letter appeared in the report. of the benevolent committee as follows: "I have decided to take up racing. I have a gift and I .ought to do very well at it, but there is no money to start with ... I am getting too old to work, and racing would suit me better. Hoping that the board will be able to help in the matter." Eoyal Air Force Apprentices. As a result of the recent applications and examination of candidates for vacancies as aircraft apprentices in the Eoyal Air Force, two appointments have been approved. The successful candidates arc Terence E. Boyle, Broadway North, Stratford, and Deryck Milne, Wood street, Papakura, Auckland^ both of whom are just over 16 years of age. Milne will leave for England by the Bangitiki i» a few days, and Boyle's passage is being arranged. ' They have to pay their own expenses to England, receiving a free railway pass from the port of landing to the E.A.F. establishment which is their destination. They will take up their duties in England early in the New Tear, and the apprenticeship is for three years. They will receive wages of Is per day up to 18 years, and Is 6d over 18, and at the end of their1 apprenticeship will qualify to become air craftsmen. F. A. Cramp, of Auckland, was the first New Zealand apprentice, and went forward in August. The nest examination for entry for R.A.F. apprentices will be about the end of April next year, for which applications close at Defence Headquarters, Wellington, about Ist April.

Blessing in Disguise. The after-shocks experienced since the big Murchisoii earthquake are blessings in disguise, according to Mr. H. T. Ferrar and Mr. L. I.- Grange, who, in the last issue of the "New Zealand Journal of Science and Technology," detail the results of their investigations. These after-shocks indicate that earth stresses were being released rather than accumulated, hence the longer they continue the less likely is a repetition of the big shake. These authorities add that the Murchison earthquake, in which some 2000 cubic miles of solid granite and other rocks were raised from five to fourteen feet, seems to have broken quite a few of the accepted rules and regulations of these phenomena. Long-dormant faults, for instance, have hitherto been accepted as of little danger. The Murchison earthquake, however, was generated along what is known as White Creek fault. This fault is at least seven miles long, and although apparently dormant, suddenly came to life and allowed an earth-block to rotate. This earthquake also seemed to differ in another respect from other earthquakes experienced in New Zealand, in that it was in the nature of a double earthquake with foci on two nearly parallel lines of weakness, namely, the White Creek and the Konhahu fault zones.