NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 31, 6 February 1935, Page 10

NEWS OF THE DAY

School Entrance Age. The Wellington Education Board notifies parents that children who will have reached the age of six before May 27 may be enrolled at school immediately. Any child who does not enrol within one month from the date of the opening of the school and who will be six years of age before May 27 will not be permitted to be sent to school until he or she actually reaches the age of six. A Speedy Freighter. The Commonwealth and Dominion Line's new motor-freighter PortWyndham, recently completed on the Clyde attained an average speed of 18.25 knots m her trial runs. She is to sail from London today for Australia on her maiden voyage. Whey for Top-dressing Paddocks. A new way of disposing of whey from dairy factories has been adopted recently, states "The Post's"' Dunedin correspondent, by more than one of the Otago factories with quite satisfactory results. This has been achieved by entering into a contract to scatter it on adjacent paddocks. . Whey acts as a good top-dresser, and the growth of grass and clover on paddocks is much improved.; Athletic Coaching. A letter received from the Canterbury Centre at last night's meeting of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Council slated that it was understood the services of Captain F. A. M. Webster, England, could be obtained for coaching purposes in JTew Zealand next season at small cost. The centre suggested that the idea was worthy of investigation. The proposal was referred to the sub-committee appointed to go into the question of coaching. Australia Day at Sea. An impressive ceremony was held on board the Tainui on January 26, when -the vessel was en route from London and Southampton for Wellington, in celebration of Australia Day, carrying out the observance of the Dominions National Days Historical Celebrations Movement. ' The chair was taken by. Captain W. Dawson, and the ceremony opened by the singing ■of the National Anthem. After a • few introductory remarks by Captain Dawson on the aims and objects fit the movement, the Australian National Anthem, "Advance, Australia Fairi" was sung, and was followed by an Address by the Rev. Mr. Broadbent on "The Discovery and Pounding of Australia." The Empire song, "Land of Hope and Glory," terminated the ceremony. It has been decided to observe the national days of New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, and Australia at sea in passenger vessels, when possible. Fruit Export Prospects. A. good season, for the fruit export trade is indicated by Mr. H. S. Izard, the Auckland member of the New Zealand Fruit Export Control Board. Prices should be higher in the United Kingdom, he said, as the quantities exported from Australia and New Zealand would be reduced following conferences with representatives of the two countries. The exports from the Dominion were expected to total about; 1,000,000 cases. However, the position in the Auckland Province was rather doubtful, as last year many growers who placed fruit in cool store instead of exporting suffered losses on account of the low prices in the winter and spring. It was too early to predict the full effect of the long dry spell, but as the-crop of apples and pears was rather lighter than last year, the size of the fruit should not suffer as much as if the crop had been heavy. There had. also been- some trouble through apples falling. Mr. Izard said that the Fr,uit Board was at present negotiating with the Government to secure a special guarantee.for new markets. This would be additional to the existing, guarantee for established markets such as the United Kingdom, the Continent, arid South America. Definition of /'Sensation." Occasionally in court a medical witness uses complicated terms and expressions to describe what may be regarded by lay people as an injury or condition which can be simply described. Giving evidence in a case in the Supreme Court, a medical witness discussed for a considerable time the effects of an accident on the nervous system of a person who had received a wound in the head through a motor accident. In the course of his evidence he spoke of the "sensation" of. the witness. Counsel on the other side, Mr. O. C. Mazengarb, seized the opportunity to ask the medical practitioner if he agreed with the definition of. "sensation"' which counsel quoted from memory of his college days study of some text book. "Sensation," said counsel, "is a psychical phenomenon resulting from the excitation of the peripheral extremity of an afferent nerve when this is propagated to the brain." After counsel had repeated the definition and the laughter had subsided, the witness said he could not agree to the definition of sensation being reduced to one sentence; it might require very many pages, perhaps a thousand, of printed matter, to completely describe it.

Human Submarines. A correspondent, "Interested," referring to a recent exhibition of swimming, wishes to know if there is any trick involved in certain swimmers remaining under water for a long period. It is quite a common thing in the North Australian and island pearl fisheries for natives to remain under water.for upwards of five minutes. No deception is employed, the ability arising from a sort of "inner breathing" or using up of air contained in the body. . Witness Takes Tea. T In view of the hot weather and the long trial in progress in the Supreme Court, his Honour Mr. Justice. Smith has adjourned the Court for ten minutes in the mornings arid afternoons, a course appreciated by all concerned. After the short interval this ..morning there was a further delay and some smiles when it was discovered that the witness last in the witness-box had not reappeared, and it was explained that he had "gone for, a cup of tea and has not finished it yet." Another Crown witness was called, and the case ' proceeded, without comment. Permit for a Fire. A short-distance call with elements of humour in it was received by the Central Fire- Brigade at ir.lo o'clock yesterday morning. A man came to the station to apply for a permit to light a fire on his property. The formalities completed, he was granted the permit, but his fire- came sooner than he expected. His motor-cycle was parked opposite the fire station, and as soon as he started it some of the petrol burst into flames. In such an ideal position for a fire, the outbreak had hardly, begun before a fireman with an extinguisher had quelled it. A Misconception. ' ' On his travels in New Zealand Captain P. Westergaard, a retired Danish Army officer, has'been delighted with everything he has seen. ~ln an interview,: however, he said he had found one misconception among the people of New Zealand. There was really no competition, he said, between Danish and New Zealand, butter on the English market, as so 'many believed. The New Zealand season was at its height in the Danish winter, and similarly the' Danish season was at its height in the New Zealand winter. The classes of butter were _ also different. Denmark was handily situated to the British markets and her produce could be transported without the necessity for refrigeration. Hobson's Auckland Landing. A claim that the first landing made at Auckland by Captain William Hobson, H.N., first Governor of New Zealand, was not at, Orakei, as was'popularly, supposed, but at a spot on Shelly Beach, Ponsonby, near the site of.the present baths, was made by Mr. George Graham at a meeting of the Auckland Historical Society, says the "Herald." Mr. Graham '-said that Captain Hobson first came ashore in Auckland near • a rock known to the Natives as Oka, on the Shelly Beach foreshore. He may have landed later at Orakei. The 93rd anniversary of Captain Hobson's official landing at Auckland was celebrated at the Orakei Maori village on March 14 last year. At the time of Captain Hobson's arrival, Orakei was known as Okahu Bay, and it was there that the Maori welcome was given. •• > £20,000 Gift to Manchester Chamber. Mr. Bruce, Macpherson, son of a former director of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce, has intimated his desire to give £20,000 to the chamber for the creation of the Evan Stuart Macpherson Fund in memory of his father. It is to be used by .the chamber for the advancement, encouragement, and benefit of Manchester trade. The money is to be expended, as regards both capital and interest, in the course of twenty-five years. , Mr. D. J. McGowan, president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, referred to the gift at a meeting of the council of that body last evening, and said that this was the first time he had heard of such a magnificent, gift being made to any chamber of commerce. It was a wonderful example, and would no doubt have a most beneficial effect on Manchester trade. Haul of Stolen Goods. Smart work by -the staff of the Christchurch Detective Office has resulted in the recovery of several hundred pounds' worth of goods stolen in a daring series of raids on St. Albans homes during the latter • half of last year. Two arrests have been made. The first robbery in the series was carried out in July, 1934. At the time the detectives made full investigation, but there was no clue leading to an arrest. A reward offered by an insurance company for information leading to the recovery of the stolen articles was also without result. It was only in the past weekend, when certain: goods which came into the possession., of the. police were, identified as being part of the stolen property;. , that the detectives uncovered a definite trail... Practically the whole staff was employed on clearing up the mystery, and" the arrests were made on Sunday. At present the detective office is packed with the results of this haul—jewellery, crockery, clothing, clocks, ornaments ..of all types,. and other household articles. Not Regarded as Pest. The Emperor moth of Australia, common from Victoria to Queensland, has made ,its appearance in Wan'ganui and has been, recognised several times lately, says an exchange. Some fear was held that it might become a pest similar to ,the white butterfly, but this is not entertained by Mr. Howard Edwards,- of '■ Wanganui, who has made a study, of moths' and butterflies. He stated that the moth had been introduced to. New Zealand through cocoons lodged in bluegum poles used for electriopower lines. "The Emperor moth, anthera eucalypti, varies in colour from fawny buff to dull pink," said Mr. Edwards. "Its natural food is bluegum and other species of eucalyptus, but it: has. acquired a taste for the introduced; pepper tree, and now feeds on this for preference. It is not likely to become a-jpest in New Zealand, as the caterpillars are only found frqm January until April, and its food plants,' the pepper tree and the gum species, are not of any real economic.value. As far as I know, Wanganui is the only district^ in the Dominion where, it has appeared." Haul of Sharks. Twenty-one sharks,'ranging in length from-6ft to 9ft 6in, were caught in an hour and a half in Camp Bay, Lyttelton Harbour, by a party of eight on Sunday. '. The heaviest of the sharks caught weighed 3501b.'. A launch was used by the fishing party. The total catch was one of the largest yet recorded by one party in Lyttelton Harbour. Mr. C. Voce, who is experienced in the capturing of sharks, told a Christchurch reporter that he had not previously seen so many or such large specimens in Lyttelton Harbour at one time. He thought that a school had recently made their way into the harbour. "They gave us a hard fight," he said, "and cleaned us out of all our gear, so that we had to stop after about an hour and a.half. Quar-ter-inch hemp lines were nothing to them. They broke them as though they were cotton. We did not land anything like the number that we hpoked. Quite a big- number got away." Camp Bay is on. the south side of Lyttelton Harbour. It. is not visited by bathers to the extent that other beaches in the harbour are, but it is a popular resort of fishermen.