NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 104, 30 October 1933, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

Theft of Seedlings. A large number of seedlings were stolon from the new reserve in Eitzhcrbert Terrace recently. The reserve is looking quite attractive, and it is a pity that it is not exempt from the attention of thieves. Residents in the street -would be well advised to keep the reserve under supervision as much as possible at night, if they wish to help the City Council in making the street an asset to district bcautifieation. Daylight Saving. Reference to the Bill introduced by Mr. E. McKeen, M.P., for the extension of the daylight-saving period was made by Mr. R. Semple, M.P., at the opening for the season of the Lyall Bay Lifesaving and Surf Club on Saturday. Most of the opposition, he said, had come from the farming classes, but as the farmers rose with the sparrows and went to bed at dusk, generally speaking, he ■ failed to see how they could' possibly be affected by any change in time. Many of them had their clocks put forward as much as one and a half hours. He hoped, at any rate, to gain an extension of the half-hour extra for a month. "We can only grab a little now, and then, and sit on what we've got," concluded Mr. Semple. The Evans Bay Reclamation. '"'I think that, without doubt, Wellington has one of the finest marine drives in existence," said Mr, E. Semple, M.P., at the opening for the season of the Lyall Bay Life-saving and Surf Club on Saturday. Ho remarked on the beauty of Evans Bay and its adjacent playing fields, and deplored the dumping of refuse in, the bay. "We are out to improve tho bay," he said, "and X hope before very long that tho playing fields will be extended so as to accommodate hundreds, instead of dozens, as at present." Referring to tho proposed reclamation of Evans Bay, he continued: "Every one "of us who has the interests of the community at heart diould resist this attempt to make of the bay a second Woolloomooloo." He himself -was prepared to fight to the last ditch to gain a playground and place of recreation for posterity. Within a few weeks, he hoped, somothing definite wouia be reached regarding this question. Buller By-election. The miners on the West Coast are apparently not satisfied with the selection by the Labour Party of the candidate to contest the Buller seat, judging by a statement made on Friday by Mr. A. McLagan, national secretary of the United Miners' Council, states the "Christchureh Times." "Tho UnitedMiners' Council is calling special meetings of the miners' branches in tho Buller constituency to consider a recommendation regarding candidates in the by-election," said Mr. McLagau. "Special meetings are to bo held next week. The first will bo held on Sunday and the others will follow immediately afterwards." Mr. J. Smeaton, national president of the Mine Workers of New Zealand, was nominated by the miners of the Buller electorate as a candidate to contest the vacant seat. The nomination, however, was not upheld by the National Council of tho Labour Party, which, under the constitution of the party, has the final right of selection of candidates in the case of by-elec-tions. Mr. P. C. Webb is the pfiieial Labour candidate for the Buller seat. Swimming Certificates. • Suggestions that primary school children should be discouraged from swimming further than the 880 yards for which certificates were awardod, and that beginners should bo taught a recognised stroke for use over a shorter distance than 50 yards for tho learner's certificate, were mado to the annual meeting of the Taranaki Swimming Centre last week by Mr. W. A. Brown, educational officer, reports the "Taranaki Daily News." Eef erring to the certificate awarded for 880 yards, the highest award for distance swimming in tho schools, Mr. Brown reported that numbers of teachers sent in performances of 1000 yards and even up to a mile. He had been asked to endorse these distances on tho certiiieates of merit. He had consulted all his more experienced colleagues in Taranaki schools, and they were unanimously against any child's exceeding 880 yards. To a strong swimmer of good physique this distance was not difficult to attain, but beyond that a swimmer of lesser bodily strength might easily overstrain his powers should he try to emulate the feat of a stronger companion. This had happened on several occasions, swimmers having to be assisted to their homes in a state of collapse. Mr. Brown therefore suggested the association should officially discountenance any swimming by primary school Children beyond 880. yards. The objections to tho swimming of undue distances by the children were endorsed by the meeting, which decided that it would not recognise school certificates for swims further than 880 yards. Problem to be Solved. While, they have secured a good strike with the tobacco seed for this season's planting the- Disabled Soldiers' Re-establishment Committee is faced with the position of being unable to proceed with planting owing to grubs and insects being present in large numbers in land prepared for tho purpose at New Brighton, states the "Christchurch Times." If.was, and, for that matter, still is,. the intention of the committee to concentrate this year on the area at> New Brighton in the matter of its experiments with tobacco. Eight acres of land ploughed, and harrowed, however, have been found to be infested with insect pests. Up till recently the area was covered with gorse and broom, but it has been cleared by relief labour. Tho presence of pests has presented a problem, as it is feared that they might damage tho tobacco plants. Poisoning has been tried without effect, as most of tho grubs are buried deep in the soil. Tho committee is determined to make the ground suitable for cultivation, however, and has sent a sample of the soil and pests to tho Department of Agriculture, with a request for advice as to the best means of eradication. So far no reply has come to hand. That tho problem is real and not imaginary may be gauged from the fact that when a square yard'of soil from six to eight inches deep was dug from the middle of the section it was found to contain seventeen cutT worms, wire worms, and insects of various kinds. l "Brightest Spot in Empire." "Kalgoorlie, in Western Australia, is perhaps the brightest spot in the British Empire today," said Mr. G. BruceSmith, general manager for Australia and New Zealand of the Australian Provincial Assurance Association, Ltd., in an interview with a "Post" representative on his arrival by tho Maunganui from Sydney. Mr. Bruce-Smith said that when he was in Kalgoorlie four years ago half the hotels were closed and half the houses were empty. Today tho hotel bars were thronged with people, and it was practically impossible to obtain a houso in the city. The reason for this air of prosperity was the gold-mining activity. This meant a great deal to Western Australia, because tho peoplo were practically dependent upon wheat, and farming at tho present time was in a very parlous state. There was a considerable quantity of gold left in tho district, and the high price of tho metal enabled prospectors to work the low-grade ore. Before the price of gold increased this wt whs not wuilli working.

Petone Catholic Church. Tho laying of tho foundation stone of the Chaplain MeMcnamin Memorial Church, Britannia Street, Petono, was to havo taken place ryesterday, but had to bo postponed because of the inclement weather. Archbishop Redwood will perform the ceremony, which will be a purely religious one, at 3 p.m. next Sunday. Petrol Down Again. The retril price of petrol in Wellington has undergone another change and both grades are now selling at Is 9d per gallon, first .grade having been reduced from Is lOd. Variations in the price of petrol have been frequent during the past few weeks. Up to August 29 the prices were Is lOd first grade, and Is 9d second rade. From then until September 16 the prices were Is 9d and Is 7d respectively, and from then until the end of last week the original prices wcro reverted to. .., New Plymouth's Airport. That the New Plymouth aerodrome, with its strategic position in the general scheme of air defenco for the Dominion is recognised as being of national importance is definitely shown by the fact that the air defence authorities have approved the New Plymouth Aero Club's scheme to make the aerodrome a first-class Bying field in every respect (says the "Taranaki Herald-). The necessary work involved in this connection will be put in hand at an early date. It is the first definite aerodrome plan to be approved under the Defence Department's new comprehensive scheme of air defence, and is regarded as in some measure a recognition of the public spiritedness of the New 'Plymouth Aero Club, the New Plymouth Borough Council, and tho citizens of New Plymouth generally in providing facilities for a permanent aerodrome large enough for all requirements. It was represented to tho department by tho New Plymouth Aero Club that from a strategic point of view the New Plymouth aerodrome was most valuable, and a request was made that the work should bo commenced immediately, because of its national importance. It is understood plans will be completed to mako an almost immediate start