NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 72, 26 March 1934, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

"High Finance." "What is known in Auckland as Pals' currency, a system which is being circulated on a somewhat limited scale, came prominently before the MonetaryCommittee on the last day of the sitting in Auckland, says the "Star." Mr. Harold Schmidt, the author .of the scheme, explained how it operated and gave an example of an Auckland launch owner who wanted his boat painted. The work was done by several unemployed painters, and their reward for service was a. free excursion. "The captain was very pleased, because he had his boat painted for nothing," added Mr. Schmidt. Tho chairman (Mr. J. A. Nash, M.P.) asked how the value of the scheme had been attested from the point of view of providing those workers with food. "That is the whole point," replied the witness. '• "It was a fishing excursion, and the men and their families got more fish than they could eat." "Very Fast Walker." Mr. G. Bernard Shaw went on the Bound Trip, via Waimangu, on, Friday, Mr. A. Warbrick acting as guide, states a Botorua correspondent. The Waimangu track was.traversed and the launch trip across Lakes Botoinahana and Tarawera.was made. From there, the journey to Botorua was made by car,, passing through the village of Te Wairoa, which was buried in 'the great eruption of 1886. Mts. Shaw accompanied her husband as far as Wainiangu, and then returned to Botorua. She rejoined him at the landing wharf at Tarawera. During.tho- trip-*'-'Mr. Shaw took several photographs. Mr. Warbrick, who is accompanying Mr. Shaw on his trips in Botorua district, says that Mr. Shaw is a very fast walker and he finds it a difficulty to keep up trie pace Mr. Shaw sets. Mr. Warbrick says that in the whole of his guiding experience, which extended over a great number of years, he never met the-equal of Mr. Shaw for fast walking. '■■-•■"..'. Fate of Old Kauri. An old kauri tree, which lias been standing dead in Horseshoe Bush, near Dairy; Flat, for the past 20 years, has been cut*.down and the timber is being used to build; a five-ropmed ; house on the main Albany Epad, states the "New Zealand Herald." The tree, which- was known as the "Dunbar tree," was a wellknown :*. landmark in, the district, and according to a former .".owner, Mr. J. M. Clinton, was one of the two trees to escape when the other kauris on the property, were felled about 60 years ago. Mr. Clinton stated that his father had told him that the other trees had been cut into shingles at a time when corrugated iron was not in use in Auckland. Some difficulty was experienced in milling- the four logs cut. from /'.'the,'--'tree on account of their size, as they were approximately : 30ft; in girth. They had to be ■ split by explosives, and although there was considerable loss on this account, the tree yielded 9000 ft of timber. This was quite sufficient to build the house. Control of Kagwort. A proposal that the Government should delegate its powdts to control ragwort to county councils and subsidise their funds'-\yas approved at a 1 largely-attended conference of county council members convened by the Mat'amata County Council and held at Hamilton, says an exchange. All parts of South Auckland, Bay of Plenty, and the King Country were represented. The conference had before it copies of a Bill prepared by the Matamata County Council, which, was designed to give county councils powers to spend money out of their ordinary revenues to eradicate the weed and to set up machinery similar to that already given to rabbit boards. It was proposed that revenue should be raised by levying a compulsory rate. '■ -• Soldiers' Pensions. ....;•■. Mr. S. P, Day, the president of the Franklin area of the' 8.5.A., in course of some remarks at Papakura, urged the returned soldiers to support the new. Bill which Mr. J. A. Lee, M.P. for Grey Lynn, was bringing before Parliament, the "Star" reports. This, if carried, would be the greatest advance that had yet been made in the matter of soldiers' pensions. The main principle of the Bill was to throw tho onus upon the Pensions Board of proving that a man's injury did not come from war service; now a man had to prove.that his disabilities were the result of war service, and this was a very difficult task, which would grow greater as wo got farther from the period.of the Great War. Mr. Day gave the instance of a man last week, who, on going before a doctor, had been pronounced medically fit and organically sound, but was advised that he could work only about two days a week, because he was completely run down, and there was no chance of winding him up again. This was no doubt a case of the man's war service having worn- him out, but under the present condition of things this man would have to go to a tremendous lot of trouble to prove that his condition was due to war service. Mr. Day urged the members to push these pension matters day and night, so that the authorities would see that the K.S.A. was in earnest, and then reforms would come.