NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 102, 2 May 1930, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

An Old Oak Tree. Special efforts are being made to suvo a splendid old oak. tree in St. Mary's Churchyard, New Plymouth, from a disease which has attacked it. When the Hon. H. Atnioro was in New Plymouth some time ago he suggested that the Cawthron Institute should be consulted for a remedy. The church authorities agreed, and specimens of affected and unaffected parts were sent to the institute. Treatment was suggested, and this is to be carried out. At the annual meeting of parishioners on Monday appreciation was. expressed of Mr. Atmorc's interest in tho tree. ' Rugby at the Ghathanis.. A letter expressing thanks for the 'football forwarded to a Chatham Islands school was received at Wednesday's mcoting.of the Management Committee of the Ne.w Zealand Rugby Union. "It is a pleasure to , thinjc that the union takes an interest in the football on the Chathams,. even though, it is such a distance away,V continued the letter, .which nvas written by a teacher. "Tho children are very keen on the game, and play it in the spirit that is due to the game." Teachers at two other schools on the Islands also wrote thanking the union for sending football forwarded to a Chatham Isballs would be put to good use. Offending Motorists. That a man imprisoned for manslaughter as the result of a motor accident was not a criminal in the ordinary sense of the word at all, • and should no x be put among the prison population, was contended by Mr. F. A. do la Mere at tho Howard League Conference yesterday during the discussion on a remit urging "that the whole question of tho punishment of motorists found guilty of offences under tho Motor Vehicles Act, and in particular manslaughter, bo reviewed.'' Dr. Mildred Staley (Auckland) stated that in' one case a- jockey motorist, who was drunk and had killed an old -woman, was fined £10Q; and the fine was paid by a racing club; and some time later, a youug man who, driving at more than 25 miles an hour ,down a road, had killed a little girl, was,sent to prison for a year. Mr. de la Mere .maintained. , that those' were j cases for classification. Miss Baughan observed'that the cause of such'accidents was in"many cases drunkenness. The remit was referred back to the Oamaru branch to state a definite case for discussion. . . Need for a'Strong Navy. Tho imperative- need for a strong Navy was emphasised by Mr. J. ,J. Dougall, president, in addressing the annual; meeting of the Christchureh branch of the Navy League. Mr. Dougall said a spirit of apathy was ml existence to-day, and the Empire appeared to be suffering from a kind of hypnotism caused by tho belief that there would bo no more war. As a result Britain was unprepared' for any such eventuality. This was a. very grave error, and the same thing had happened before in Britain's history (reports tho Christehurch "Press"). It was quite an accident that tho Navyj had been so well prepared at tho outbreak of war. The Government was not responnsible; it was the Navy League. In 1906 the British Governmont had decided to cut down 'its building programme for tho Navy by DC per cent., and at tho end of that year Germany decided to doublo hers. As a result the Navy Loaguo stumped tho country from end to end, and it was duo to its work that so many fine battleships had gone into the lino' at Jutland. An efficient Navy was necessary to the Dominion, both in peace and war. The Nuvyjiad the function of a police force in guarding the 18,000 miles of waterways; Our Jonly communication with Britain was by the sea. 110 hoped tho membership, which had been gradually declining, would be increased.

Plenty of Ducks. Sportsmen are apt to be reticent rcjfi'irding good bags in any locality until they luivo concluded their opening shoots. Most of them are still at Lnkis Wairarapa and in other chosen positions, but one, who returned to Wellington to secure more ammunition, shot a limit bag on Lake Wairarapa on tho opening day, twenty ducks. He reported birds plentiful, and though the weather was too still and bright, excellent sport. Zane Grey. Advico that Mr. Zane Grey will pay another-visit to tho New Zealand gamefishing grounds next summer has been received by Mr. E. Chadban, of Whitianga, who is making, arrangements for tho establishment of a camp for Mr. Grey and his party on Mercury Island (states the "IS Tei\ r Zealand Herald"). It is not known whether Mr. Grey will bring the new schooner he ia having built.; As a souvenir of his visit last year, Mr. Grey has forwarded to Mr. Chadban twelve coloured -enlarged photographs of his catches and incidents during his fishing. A Blind Horseman. ■ Old Tiwana Mauheni, who some years ago became' totally blind, still Vides about unaided and often unguided, saysv a Tikitiki correspondent of the "Poverty Bay Herald." -When he rides towards Bangitukia ho'knows tho different routed and where to turn, whether to the store or to the school, or go straight on towards the sea. When ho has a .case at the Native Laud Court he attends the Court daily, and he arrives on horseback. The road from Eangitiikia to East Cape is very rough and dangerous, yet Tiwaua has ridden to East Cape, although on this occasion he followed a companion. "One Law for the Rich." 'There was one law for the rich and another for tho poor, declared Miss B. X Baughau, when proposing at the" Howard League conference yesterday the remit, '.'That legal aid bo provided in both Courts for indigent accused persons." Mr. F. A. de la More said that they must recognise- the almost uniform fairness of tho police, making such provision not so -urgent as it other .otherwise would bo. v In general the police made an honest attempt to do the fair thing. He had alwa"ys found that the police were fair, but, he had known, of grave injustice, being done because a prisoner was not properly defended. The cause of justice would always be forwarded by tho best possible statement of both sides of a case. Ho considered, however ; that there was a greater tendency for peoplo to get off who should not get oil than for a miscarriage of justice to occur ■ the:, other way. . ' . '■:. \ Research in Fiji. , »' . . The research work done in Fiji during the past five years concerning tropical pests and diseases is''well, worthy of a big place in the esteem of the Empire, as well as tho world itself, writes the ''Auckland Star's" correspondent. o Pirst the scientists of tho small colonydiscovered' a parasite that annihilated the Levuana, moth, which' threatened to blot out tho entiro coconut.<industry, worth many hundreds of thousands of pounds. Then the coconut scale has lately, been defeated successfully, and now the spatho borer is being huutcd. When, the borer is cleared out tho conservative opinion of/ experienced planters is that an additional 31 to 40-per cent, increase of copra production will result. Again,' at considerable cost, a parasite has boen imported from Trinidad to kill the Clidemia Hirta, or "Koster's Curse,".which is fast ovorrunning some of the best land in the colony. When tho borer is given his quietus thero'will' bo o-nly tho leaf miner and tho bud disease to tackle, and oven with them present the copra productiveness of the colony will have boon doubled within five years—truly a-great achievement for scientific. attainments, i , ,