NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 46, 24 February 1930, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Transport of Stock. . ■ ! A special stock train of 68 wagons, carrying 5000 sheep,-passed through Paeroa last week (says-the "New Zealand Herald"). The large, number of sheep being railed through Paeroa at present-is taxing to the full the wagon accommodation at tho disposal of tho Kailway Department. Truck-loads of fat or store sheep are carried by practically every train, and as" there are not sufficient double-decked sheep trucks the ordinary high-sided wagons have to be used. The railway officials state that sheep are trucked during December,' January, and February, and that the special sheep trucks have to remain idle for nearly nine months of, the year. This deters the department from building sufficient trucks to handle all the sheep on the move at the.peak poriod. . ' ..;'-' A Whale Ashore. The capture of a"whale was an exciting" incident at Ked Beach, Whangaparaoa on Saturday morning, where the combined picnic of tho Waiwera and Upper Waiwera Schools was held; states tho "Auckland Star." The whalo was scon swimming lazily in shallow water, and three men put out in a' dinghy with the object of driving the whale ashore. Tho whalo" dived under the dinghy, but its pursuers got on the outer side and eventually shepherded it into shallow water, where it was hopelessly stranded. Tho whalo was fairly large in size, and during the rest of the day it was a very interesting object for the school children. Smallest Makb of Season. ..-.The claim to have caught the smallest inako shark at Capo Brett this' season is made by Mr. H. White-Wickham, of London, who returned to Auckland on Thursday after two months at his camp at Deep Water Cove, states the "New Zealand Herald." "It has been stated that Mr. Burge caught the smallest mako, but I am afraid the honour is mine," Mr. White-W^ekham said. "His fish weighed 111b, while mine weighed a pound less." While fishing at Cape Brett this season, Mr. White-Wickham used two new reels, spocially manufactured for him. They are made of a special metal, which does not rust from exposure to sea water. Mr. White-Wickham takes pride in the fact, that, during all his fishing experience in New Zealand, ho has never broken a rod, line, or reel. Mr, WhiteWickham will leave Auckland*for Wellington next Friday,'and will join the Eangitane'for London. He will arrive in England in time for the spring trout and salmon fishing. He hopes to leave England at tho end of October to return to Now Zealand, and ho will fish at Cape Brett from the middle of January to'the middle of March next year. Mr. White-Wickham is of, the opinion that the, boatmen at the Bay of Islands are equal to any in the world. Reading for the Blind. > , There are about 20 blind readers in Christehurch who avail themselves of the collection of .works in the Braille script at the Canterbury Public Library,, where there are some SO books of thi^ type for circulation. During the course of a year 80 books or sd are sent from tho Jubilee Institute for the' Blind, Auckland, to Christehurch, arriving in lots of 20 lour times a year. Besides these, the library possesses 20 books of its own. The types of books include travel, biography, fiction, and technical subjects. "Lawrence in Arabia" is a great favourite, and "Beau Gesto" is widely read. For the most part the women readers prefer fiction, and the men non-fiction, but all like light reading. Strangely enough, "Western" novels are not popular, and there are none mentioned on the list of books kept on the shelves. An Unpaid Minister. The facts that while serving ,as a. minister without salary he would be earning his living in the city and therefore would bo able to give to the church, only the voluntary margin of his time -hat 'any other man could give were made clear by the Bey. George Jackson when speaking at a- social , gathering held in the Green Lane Congregational Church on Thursday oveniug for tho purpose of extending to him a welcomo as the newly-settled minister (states the "New Zealand Herald")- Mr. Jackson raid that he would like, to remind the congregation of the somewhat unusual circumstances which affected his position as their minister, in order that they and he might thoroughly understand each other. "I have my living to earn in tho city," he said. "There is a twofold reason for this. For one thing, the special piece of mission work I was doing last year made it necossary for' mo to seek employment apart from tho Community Mission, which, of course, had no funds to pay a minister's stipend. I was in securing a business. appointment as secretary; to a development organisation and I have been employed there sinco last September. When I accepted the call to Green Lane Church I could not resign m/ position in the city without creating difficulties for those who had employed mo, since the work is of a somewhat specialised character, requiring at the present stage my personal supervision. In tho second place, the financial position of the church is such that it is not receiving sufficient support to enable it to pay a-minister's salary and at the same time meet its liabilities in other directions. . . I am, therefore, relieved that I am able to serve the church without (salary, and am, hopeful that beforo long the church finances will bo placed on a sound footing without any undue appeals for monetary assistance."