NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 148, 26 June 1933, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Passenger Traffic to Papeete. The R.M.S. Ma'unganui, which arrived at Wellington this morning from San Francisco, via Papeete and Rarotonga, carried' sixty Americans between San Francisco and Papeete. The San Francisco mail steamer often carries about forty passengers to Papeete, but sixty is an unusually largo number. Not many passengers have been travelling between San Francisco and Sydney via the islands and "Wellington recently, but the passenger list this morning showed a slight improvement in that respect.' Olympic Games Starters. . . ■'. "As a' result of his success as a starter at Los Angeles', I am confident thai 'Dorrio' Leslie will be invited to act as starter again at the next Games," states Mr. P. N. Bundle, the manager, in his report covering the performances of the New Zealand team at the Olympic Games at Los Angeles last year. Mr. Leslie, well known as the Wellington Amateur Athlotie Centre's starter for many years, and Her.r Muller, Germany, carried out the whole of the starting for the athletic events. The honour of firing the first shot at the Games was Mr. Leslie's. His method of, starting, although digsimilar to that of Herr Muller, evoked very favourable comment, and only once did he have to fire a second shot for a recall. - Mr. Leslie also acted as starter at the British Empire v. United States of America mooting in San Francisco after the Games. Salo of Stamps. -A "number of, rare New Zealand postage-stamps w^ere sold by auction at Messrs. H. R. Hariners, London, recently. Th.ey were included in a. genera} collection of about 500 lots. Among a set of proofs a sheot of New Zealand 1898 pictorial types of various denominations and in various colours was sold for £11. The list included a New Zea. land July .1855 one shilling, bisected .diagonally, and used for a 6d stamp. This appeared on an envelope and was sold for. £37. A November, 1855, Is green, bisected diagonally, and used on an envelope as a 6d .stamp, was sold for £25. This. was. a- little damaged. An 1862 imperforated Is yellow-green sold for £s»?and November, 1855 blue paper Sd with large margins,'and lightly postmarked, sold for £1 12s. A Cape <|f Good Hope woodblock id threecornered stamp sold for £15. "Front Page of the Games." ■ Interesting details, of the huge score board used at Olympic Stadium, Los Angeles, for the Olympic Games last year are given in the report of Mr. P. N. Ruudle, manager of the -New Zealand team. 'Jfhe board was described as tho "front pago of the Games," and was not only uniquo but was rated as one of 'tho' largest'ever built for a sports event. Results were posted with lightning-like speed. With sixtythree reversible- panels forming its spacious face, the huge board was capable- of expressing 252 letters of the alphabet at-ono time. There were-three rows of panels, each pivoted so that they might be swung in unison- to expose- either side to tho view of spectators. While spectators .wero reading results, tho crew of twenty men "set up" tha next announcement on the opposite side of these panels. Then, at a signal, the panels wore reversed to bring the next announcement. Synchronised with the exposure to view of names'of winners, distances, and times, the three flags of nations represented by those who were placed first, second, and third were raised on flagstaffs surmounting the Scoreboard. ■ Teletype anil telephone connections were maintained from all stadia to tho Scoreboard, so that events, taking place elsewhere than at Olympic Stadium wore flashed to board workers 7 and transmitted to those-assembled within' view of the, giant annunciator.' •

New Zealand Missionaries. A total of 9-i students of the Now Zealand Biblo Training Institute hare sailed from the Dominion for foreign mission fields in the past ten years, according to a report presented at the annual meeting of the institute, states the "New Zealand Herald." "In the. past year sixteen graduates had gone overseas—to China, Japan, the Sudan, India, and South America. In addition, many more were engaged.in Christian work in New Zealand. Burial Place Disturbed. Muzzle-loading revolvers, ammunition, Maori curios, greenstone, and bunches of the rare feathers of the huia were found in a cave in a North Auckland district recently. There are two caves in the locality, and they are regarded by the Maoris as tapu (states an Auckland paper). Recently a party was organised, and with tho aid of a rope over a steep cliff-face the first-cave, was reached. After . a little digging the store of old weapons was unearthed, and further exploration ■ brought to light many interesting things. Human bones werCi strewn on tho floor. Arrangements have been made t<> visit the second cave. Representatives of Te Aka'rana Maori Association commented strongly on the matter, and said' that it was pure desecration to disturb Maori burial places. All the • burial places, were well known to the old .Maoris, but because they had* been declared, tapu, had never been niolestejl. It was. customary to keep thorn as secret aspossible owing to the fear of violation. Great resentment was felt by the Maoris1 at the present-day tendency, even by accredited scientific bodies, to search old Native burial grounds for curios. Oiie of the Te Akarana representatives succinctly put the Native view point when he said: "What would be said if Maori's went and desecrated European "gravesi "-