NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 75, 30 March 1933, Page 10

NEWS OF THE DAY

School Committee Elections. The annual meetings of householders for the election |of school committees take place on Monday, April 24 Nominations in schools whore tho average attendance is 240 or more must be in tho hands of the chairman of tbe committee by 8, p.m. on Monday, April 17. In other cases nominations may be made at the annual meeting. Kelburn, has now been constituted a school district and will have its own school, committee. Millions in Dust. : ' ,: During' an address given last; night on tho'economic wastage as the result of the deterioration of rural roads, Mr H. F. Toogood said it appeared that the public and even, perhaps, ■ many members of county councils, had failed to grasp the fact that £..5,000,000 invested in road crust had disappeared in road dust'in the past twelve months. This wastage had not been replaced in the ordinary course of maintenance, and on many miles of roads the deterioration had not been arrested, but was continuing. Harvest for Unemployed. It is not an exaggeration to say that tons of vegetables havo been grown on the slope of the outer Domain near Auckland Hospital by imcmployed men under the scheme which was inaugurated in September last (states a special telegram from Auckland). Plant, ing was on a big scale, and included 10,000 cabbages, an acre of swedes, 1000 tomato plants, and 6000 lettuces. The liarvcsfc has been remarkable. Off tho garden was taken 2a281b of beans, 20001b of tomatoes, four tons of potatoes, one ton of cucumbers, and 208 sacks of cabbages. Within the next few months there will bo big supplies of parsnips, carrots, and swedes. As soon as an area is clearod of vegetables other crops follow in rotation? Return of the Horse. Many old-fimers at tho Oxford ewe fair this week woro pleased with the sight of a large number of horses tied to fences near tho saleyards. Hitched to a convenient fence near the yards were over twenty hacks and gig horses, whose owners had ridden or driven in for the day. Some of them belonged to; drovers, but the majority were the 'property of farmers who have found the times too stringent to allow tho expenditure of a gooa deal of petrol on a trip to a sale Incidentally, Oxford can boast the complete answer to the motor-car (states the "Christchurch Times")- It is a trap made of tho back seat of an -old car, to which shafts have been attached. The equipage, which looks like something a comic strip artist has thought of, appears to bo very comfortable with its _richly upholstered seat and pneumatic tiros. It even boasts a set of internal expanding brakes. Wreath for Whitehall Cenotaph. .Though a suggestion by tho Christchurch Eeturhcd Soldiers' Association that the.New Zealand returned soldiers' wreath to bo placed on the Whitehall Cenotaph, London, on Anzac :Day should bo made of poppies from the Dominion ■ cannot be given effect tv this year owing to there being insufficient time, it is intended to carry it out in future years. On February 14, tho association wrote'to the Dominion headquarters of the K.S.A. making the suggestion and forwarding poppies manufactured in' Christehurch, but at this week's meeting of the executive (reports the 'Christehurch Times") a reply was received stating- that the time was rather short to arrango for tho dispatch to London of poppies of New Zealand manufacture. Tho letter stated that it had been decided to ask the British Empire Service League to arrange for a poppy wreath from the British Legion on Anzae Day this year. Unusual Speculation. A rathor unusual speculation was represented in a sale conducted by an auctioneering firm in Christchurch. The auctioneers, under instructions from tho mortgagee, sold a seventh of.' a benor ficiary share in'an estate which is administered by . tlio Public Trusteo (states the "Christehurch Times"). Tho estate consists' of a clear-title property, which may not be sold for a year or eighteen months. If the anticipated price is! obtained for the property, the' seventh share should be worth, about £.80, but~ tho purchaser, who paid £22 for it, while expecting a handsome return for his outlay, has "to be prepared to leave his money in tho estate until the property is sold. '' .: Relief foi bistress.. ; The ladies' auxiliary of. the 'Wellington centre of the Eed Cross' Society, yesterday distributed from the Dixon Street depot boots and clothing to those in distress. A number of articles which had been made up were handed to people whose cases had been investigated. There is a steady flow of those seeking relief, especially in regard to clothing for men. There is also a fairly steady influx of clothing and groceries, though not so great as tho society would wish. One lady has regularly sent a parcel of groceries to the society's office for the last twelve months, while another has sent a cheque for £.5 each month. Carpenters' Award Amended. For tho purpose of remedying a defect in the carpenters' and joiners' award, the Arbitration Court ■ yesterday made an order ''that the Wellington Harbour Board is bound by such only of tho provisions of the awarcl as relate to the payment of the miuimum rates of wages and overtime, and the observance of Sundays and holidays; and that tho board, may substitute the holidays observed under its own regulations in lieu of those provided for in the award." Mr. A. L. Monteith (workers' assessor) gave a dissenting judgment on the ground that . tho decision accorded special- privileges to" local bodies. Soccer in Schools. • . '-. The importance of cpneentrating on introducing Soccer football .into secondary schools^was" stressed by Mr. W. Duncan at the, annual meeting of the Wellington Football Association last pvening. • Mr., Duncan's; remarks were endorsed by Mr. W. B. Hicks, who said tho Management Committee had approached r the-headmasters of two colleges and the boards of governors, and although'the, association: had not got very far ahead, he.thought a certain amount of good has boon achieved, as the eyes of the public has been opened to the position of Soccer in secondary schools. People r.-ho wcro not connected with Soccer had mug him up, an.' said they wero astounded at tho position. Ho had been very pleased with the way ho was received at two primary schools lust year, and as a result the Clyde Quay and Brooklyn. Schools would enter teams thia season, " .'"'■■ "" -

Stranded Trout. Flooding of tho 'Wanganui at Taumaruuui caused (as related on Tuesday) the stranding of many trout, one reported to .bo 121b. Tokuanu advices state that the'same rainfall put up the Tougariro, and the stranded fish included a 13-pounder. Tho trout stranded included more browns than rainbows. At the hut camp the flood water at one stage reached the hut floors, and anglers were seen who wero glad to wear waders at home. Red Cross Centres. There are iiftoen centres of the Eed Cross Society in the North Island, and a map showing, tho actual territories has recently been marked out at the local headquarters. Tho Wellington centre's territory. extends along the western side of the southern extremity of tho North Island up to Waikanae, the eastern boundary being the Eiinutaka ranges. Beyond tho Wellington territory is the Wairarapa centre to tho west of the Manawatu centra to the north. Eastbourne Bus on Fire. . ■ . An Eastbourne Borough .Council bus caught fire in Jackson Street, Petone, near the Tory Street intersection at '3.30 p.m. yesterday.,. The backfiring of the engine caused the petrol in the; car-, burettor to ignite 'and, although the driver at once used the chemical fire extinguisher, it wag not until yhe arrival of the Petone Fire Brigade with more extinguishers that the flames were subdued. There were a" number of passengers .in the bus, but no one was injured. The bus was not. greatly damaged, the flames being confined almost^ entirely to the engine. ; , ; Legal Traps. . ■- . . The control, of motor traffic must in future be based on sound common-sense which would appeal to the motorist rather than irritate him, declared Mri EL R Toogood during an address which ho delivered . last night; "The .unobserved restriction of ,ten miles! an Hour through the Mount Victoria and Karori: tunnels is an instance of the' overbearing nature of'motor'restrictions'which* havo become'legal traps rather thanreasonable precautions," • he. added; ■Bestrietions in the use of motor-vehicles wero not as popular as they were a'few years ago, and this-was probably due to the fact that motor-cars wero now considered essential, whereas they were considered somewhat in tho light of a luxury' Only a few years ago. In addition to this tho populace in general had perhaps accepted as inevitable the increased risk to life and limb which motor-cars have created. Ho added that a considerable effort was required to make many motorists understand, or act a.a if they understood, that the limitations of speed depend today on tho road and not on tho machine. Council and Sports Bodies. Tho attitude of. the-City Council towards sports bodies vvas commented on by Councillor W. Duncan at the annual meeting of the Wellington Football Association last evening. Councillor Duncan, who was in the chair, said he thought somo councillors did not understand tho good work done by sports bodies for youth. Sports bodies wero looked upon as providing revenue, and as much as, possible an example was tho recent "cricket match 'at the Basin Eeserve, which provided £200 clear profit. The council should look after tho sports bodies, which looked after the youth of tho city. Selection of Pilms. The National Council of Women yesterday afternoon carried an Auckland remit urging tho Government to amend the Cineinotagraph Films Act, 1928, section 39, so as to givo exhibitors the right to reject up to 20 per cent, of tho number of quota films; Miss Melville said the present percentage was only five. The right to reject 20 per cent, would give tho exhibitors who bought their films blindly a much 'better selection. She suggested that branches should get •in touch with local exhibitors and endeavour to co-operate practically with them. They should have previews of films, as was now being done in some eases in Auckland, and give the council's'endorsement to thoso considered suitable for exhibition. Tongariro in. Flood. In its lower reaches tiro Tongariro flows through flat lands of some quality (not mere pumice) and then branches into several mouths before entering Lake Taupo. ' These lands are subject to a native development scheme, and are also subject in .different degrees to floods, but a recent flood in tho Tongariro reached such a height that stock°iu ordinarily safe paddocks became endangered. After working waist deep in water from dawn till midday, the local farm manager of the Native "Department, Mr. S. Thoniassbn, succeeded in transferring to dry laud, from, a paddock near Grace's Pool,, a mob of 600 odd. sheep, losing only ono. The land on tho Lowqr Tongariro is affected not onlyj.by, tho' flood ..factor but By some danger that tho : river- will break its banks and even find a new course to the lake. ' ." •■ ■ ' ~' Exceptional Hardship. ' ' , "Through tho abnormal economic conditions with which the Dominion, in common with,the^world in general, is faced, exceptional hardship is occa-" sioned ex-servicemen," stated an address prepared by the Hon. Dr. W. E. Collins, M.L.C., and read by Mr. L. O. H. Tripp at yesterday's meeting of the council of the Bed Cross Society. "This is particularly so in that type of. case where a man, broken in health, has not established his disability as attributable to his war service and therefore is not in receipt of a pension. . . . The needs of ex-Imperial men have not been lost sight of, and following representation to the authorities in England, tho sum of £279 was remitted and divided equally between the four main, .centres, proving most useful. Anticipating claims from theso men during the winter, further aid has been requested from England. It is expected that additional provision will require to be mado for our N.Z.E.F. men not in receipt of a pension, necessitating tho release of further sums from tho special fund." A special fund of £30,000 collected during tho war period is now controlled by a joint committee of the Ked Gross and the Order of St. John.