NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 140, 11 December 1930, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

"Simply Not Done." Silver bands on pipes arc not popular among smokers in England at present, according to an Aucklander who recently returned from a visit to the Old Country. "I had two excellent pipes with me when 1 landed," he remarked, "but both had silver bands on the stems, and I was not bold enough to smolco them. I was informed by a friend that smoking a pipe with a band on it simply was not done by the people who were supposed to know what was what." The Aucklander also mentioned that silver bands on umbrellas were equally out of favour, and, stranger still, it was not considered correct to have one's boots too highly polished. Worm-fishing Ethics. The Wellington Acclimatisation Society last night received a proposal from the Palmerston North sub-commit-tee that lead weights used on linos used for worm fishing in the Palmerston North district should bo limited to three BB shot. The covering letter stated that it was a common practice to uso heavy weights and heave out and draw in the lino by hand. This was simply legalised poaching. The proposed limitation would make i,t necessary to use a proper rod and would enable small fish to be returned uninjured. The proposal was approved, and an instruction was issued to rangers to prosecute in cases where a fixed rod was used. Too Many Local Bodies. "The time is coming when the question of overlapping among local bodies will have to bo tackled," declared Mr. W. Harvey in the course of a discussion at a meeting of the Napier Chamber of Commerce. "Take our own district," added Mr. Harvey. "There are councils and boards everywhere. It seems to be the policy of the Government to increase the number. Every time a local body wants to extend its activities it is told that it will have-to form another body-—a drainage board, or a domain board, or something. The cost of administration is climbing rapidly, and it almost makes one want to return to the old provincial days, with one body in control. I am satisfied that it would be v a step in the right direction. There are too many bodies. The whole thing is a burden on the taxpayers. If anyone starts anything half the difficulty is to get the consent of other local bodies." Free Bides in Canada. The way in which the unemployed move from place to place in Canada was described at a meeting of- the Auckland Eotary Club by Archbishop Averill, who recounted various incidents of his recent trip abroad (reports the "New Zealand Herald"). "One thing that struck me in Canada when I saw a number of transcontinental trains was the sight of a dozen or more men j riding on the top," he said. "I asked what they were doing there, and was told that they were out-of-work men travelling over the country. I asked then why they were not stopped, and the answer was, ' They are more numerous and powerful than the train crews,' and they like to see Canada that way.' " Seasons for Game. At the monthly meeting of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society last night, on the recommendation of the Game Committee, the following open seasons for game were fixed for 1931:— Ist May to 30th June, for grey duck, shovellor duck, mallard duck, quail, and hares; Ist May to 31st May for black swans. Imported game will comprise the following:—Cock pheasants, Californian and' Australian quail, and hares; native game: grey, shoveller, and mallard duck and black swan. For imported game there will bo no limit, but for native game there will be a limit of 15 ducks per gun per day and 5 black swan. The period from Ist January to 31st March, 1932, will be an open season for the taking of godwit, by any holder of a,shooting licence for the Wellington acclimatisation district for the 1931 season. Scenic reserves and sanctuaries will be protected from shooting. The fees will. be the same as last year. Too Many Appeals to Public. The action of the Mayor of Wellington in opening a public subscription list to provide funds on which to claim the Unemployment Board's subsidy is not to be followed by the Mayor of Auckland. "I have no intention of calling for public, subscriptions at the present time," said Mr. Baildon. "The people of Auckland have responded very generously in the past to appeals to help the unemployed, and they have also responded vory liberally to the many other appeals of a public and private nature which have been made upon them.- In fact, it would not be going too far to suggest that those who aro fortunate enough to have a position or to be in receipt of a small income have been bled almost white in ondeavouring to assist those in distressed circumstances. I know very well that the people of Auckland have the will to give, but there is a limit to what they can do. They are now paying the usual Government and local body taxation, the men have been called upon to pay the unemployment lovy, and they will contribute still further .by reason of the amounts found by the City Council and other local authorities for the unemployment relief works which are now being put in hand. Asking them to do more at the present juncture would be too much." Unpopular Animals. In reply to his inquiries, Mr. L. O. H. Tripp stated last night at the meeting of the Acclimatisation Society, he had been informed by the secretary of the Farmers' Union that the branches of the union in favour of the removal of protection of stoats, weasels, and ferrets were Wanganui, Pelorus district, North Canterbury, Mid-Canter-bury, and Marlborough. The Otago branch replied that the matter would be discussed at the next meeting of the executive. Hawkes Bay, Wellington Central (Feilding), Southland, and Oamaru were not in favour of the protection being removed. He had suggested to the Director of Agriculturo that the protection should be removed in those districts where the farmers are agreeable. Protection should also be removed in all sanctuaries and scenic reserves. Personally he thought that the protection should be removed altogether.