AUCKLAND HAPPENINGS.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 24 October 1918, Page 3

AUCKLAND HAPPENINGS.

[From Our Own Correspondent!

Auckland, Oct. 21

THE INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC

The present outbreak of influenza in Auckland is one of the worst ever known here. The doctors are fairly run off their l&|gb'> hospital is overflowing wTm.|*flue " patients ; the nurses are suffering from overwork; the drug.'stores must "be coining money; the staffs of the shops, offices and warehouses are mostly shorthanded, owing to so many people being absent on sick leave.

, A noticeable feature of the » present, visitation is the suddenness with which most sufferers

are attacked. A man may leave home in] the morning, after breakfast, for town, feeling just as fit as usual, and may collapse *11 in a moment. I know, be-

cause I have been there. Take

my advice, and if you are attacked by the "flue" go home right away and go to bed and stop there while the doctor is rung up for. Influenza has killed tens of thousands simply because they refused to give in to it until it was too late.

THE LOST WIMMERA

The official enquiry into the loss of the Wimmera, just concluded, seems to have shown conclusively that the disaster was due to the astonishing disregard by Captain Kell of the repeated warnings he received as to the danger to be apprehended from floating mines. Had he exercised ordinary discretion * there is every reason to believe that all would have been well. But he seems to have viewed the danger he was over and over again cautioned to avoid with indifference, if not with^contempt, and we know what happened. Familiarity with danger frequently has this effect—witness the vigilance that has to be exercised at munition factories, firework factories, coal mines, etc., to prevent operatives from smoking on the sly and thereby endangering the lives, it may be, - of hundreds. The late Captain Kell was one of the most popular officers in the Huddart-Parker fleet, his bright genial disposition making him a general favourite with passengers. He went down with his ship, and appears to have been working hard to the > last to help others save their

BRAVO DR. KELLER!

"If a girl is engaged to do clerical work at that figure," protested Dr. Florence Keller at last meeting of Auckland Hospital Board, "it will be a downright disgrace." The re-

mark was made in connection

with a proposal that a girl should be engaged to do type-writing at a salary of £1 per week. "Why," proceeded Dr. Keller, " decent board cannot be procured for £1 —and how, therefore, is a girl to dress and make ■•the presentable appearance the Board will expect on such a wretched salary ? To my mind it is tantamount to

tempting a girl to supplement

her earnings in an undesirable a way to ask her to accept such § wages" After some discussion the Board decided to offer 30s a week to the typist—not a very

extravagant rate of remuneration

either, considering that the pur--1 chasing power of the pound-note is now only about 13s.

READING FOR CHILDREN

The opening, last week, of the new municipal library for children proved a most interesting function, and those who, like myself, were privileged to be present on the occasion, were most favourably impressed. The library contains some 1400 volumes of well-chosen literature, including plenty of stories of the right sort as well Jas other works calculated to interest juvenile readers. History, travel biography, natural history, and the fine arts are all represented <jp the shelves of the new library, and there is the nucleus of a reference department as well. The room is comfortably furnishr ed,._and, two specially qualified assK^pjfcs are in attendance. Ttie experiment of providing a spVcial library for children has proved a great success at the suburb of Remuera, and the carrying out of the'same idea on a larger scale at the Auckland Public Library should be attended with, the most gratifying re^ suits. The value of a taste for reading can hardly be overestimated, and if that taste were more generally cultivated than it is we should hear less, I expect,

of immorality amongst our very young people.

OYSTERS

The oyster season closes on October 31, and since it opened Auckland Province has provided the usual 10,000 sacks. .Rather more more than half this quantity came from the beds near the city, Bay of Islands and Great Barrier finding the balance. Oysters, of which Aucklanders are very fond, are not dear even now, but like most other things, they have "gone up" pretty considerably since the old days when a big kit of them could be purchsed, in the shell, of the Maoris, for sixpence. Talking about prices one is reminded of the English natives"—the finest flavoured oysters in the world. A hundred years ago these delicious little oysters retailed in England at threepence or fourpence a dozen. To-day they fetch three shillings or three-and-sixpence a dozen. —and there are not enough of them to go round.

THE VIRTUES OF FRESH AIR. As I listened to the address delivered at the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall by Mr T. G. Price the other evening, on the subject of "Healthy Homes," and noted his references to the great value of fresh air in combating " the white plague," I could not help reflecting what a change has taken place in regard to the treatment of consumption. Formerly even leading medical men held the opinion that the consumptive must be treated much as hot-house plants are treated. His bed-room windows were never opened, " night air " was supposed to be especially injurious, fresh air, at any time, or under any circumstances, was considered dangerous to the patient. And now read what Mr Price had to say on this point: "To prevent consumption it is imperative that the atmosphere throughout the dwelling should be invigorating, and this requires a continuous and adequate supply of fresh air in every apartment." Fresh air is cheap enough. Perhaps that is why so many people entertain such a contempt for it ?

MAILS BY AIR-SHIP

Sir Joseph Ward, when he landed at Auckland the other day on his return from England, was full of the aerial mail service for New Zealand he has had under consideration for some time past. "It will be impossible to put the scheme into operation until after the war," he said, but he has apparently quite decided that as soon as circumstances will admit the new service shall be established. To have the delivery of our letters expedited will, of course, be a very great thing, but more important still will be the inauguration of a fast passenger aerial service, and the time may not be very far distant when air-ships carrying passengers between the four centres of the Dominion will be flying as regularly as express trains run now ; and quite possibly, within two or three years from date, the trip between Auckland and Wellington may be made in an hour or two.

FUNNY POST-CARDS.

I understand that owing to war conditions, the Christmas card trade is likely to suffer considerably, and that there will be far fewer cards on the market next Christmas. This will affect hundreds of thousands of people who are more or less dependent for their livelihood on the Christmas card trade and the trade in pictorial post-cards, etc. This reminds me that I was shown a day or two ago by an Auckland importer of picturecards two specimens which struck me as being really funny. The picture on one of these cards shows a small boy conversing with his mother, evidently a strong-minded lady. Says the boy : " Father was talking about you last night, mother." " Was he, Johnny, what did he say ?" " He said he didn't believe there was another woman like you in the world." "Ohmy ! That was what he said ?" " Yes,-—and he said it was a jolly good job, too !" The other card shows a small boy addressing a policeman. Pointing down the court opposite the boy says : "You are wanted down our alley -and bring an ambulance wif you." " Why, what's up, sonny?" queries the policeman. " Mother 'as found the lidy wot pinched our doormat."

MORE ABOUT BEGGING

I told you in my last of the street-begging that goes on in Auckland. Since that letter was penned 1 have had a missive from an old chum of mine in Sydney.

Amongst other items of news he mentions the blind beggar'who has for so long sat on a campstool in Moore Street, right opposite the doors of the Government Savings Bank. I lived in Sydney for years, and remember this man well. He had a gramophone, or hurdy-gurdy, or something of the kind. But that, presumably, was only for the sake of appearances, for his right hand was almost constantly extended, and in this way he mutely invited the charitably-disposed to remember" him. Well, it appears that the police have been investigating the case of this notorious blind medicant, and they have made the interesting discovery that he has £200 in the Bank, that he owns two houses, for one of which he has refused £1000, and that his average takings " amout to about £3 12s per week. Far be it from me to write one word that may have the effect of causing the charitable public to button up its pockets, when appealed to by the hard-up. But this I will say— the most deserving cases are comparatively unknown, also that it behoves anyone who is asked for alms to exercise a little discretion before responding. NOT ENOUGH LAUGHING GAS! The dentists are all complaining of the shortage of gas for extractions. This shortage is being experienced all over the Dominion, but especially in Christchurch and Wellington where many of the dentists are employing cocaine, chloroform and ether as substitutes for gas. The scarcity of gas recalls to my mind the story of the farmer who visited a dentist on one occasion to enquire the charge for extracting teeth. He was told that ordinary extractions cost a shilling, but that if gas was used the fee was half-a-crown. " Oh, never mind gas !" exclaimed the farmer impatiently, "just yank the tooth out with a pair nippers and have done with it." The dentist congratulated the prospective patient on his pluck. " I don't want no teeth out," roared the farmer, " it's my wife. She's coming up the stairs now."

AUCKLAND FORTUNE-

TELLERS

Since the prosecution of fortune tellers in this city about 12 months ago, when various members of the sisterhood were fined or imprisoned, the fortune-telling business has been but little in evidence. But although the professional revealers of the future no longer advertise in the papers, fortunes are still being told, I understand, in Auckland, under the rose. In fact I heard of a case of the kind only this week—and have been laughing over it every time it has come to my recollection. In this instance the fortune teller is of the " trance " variety. That is she professes to lose her ordinary consciousness while peering for you into the dim dark future. A lady friend of mine, blessed with a keen sense of humour, went just for the fun of the thing," as she says, to consult the seeress in question the other day. She was told the usual rigmarole. Presently the fortune-teller paused abruptly, and regaining conscious ness for the moment, enquired in her ordinary voice (referring to the fortune) " will you have a shillings worth—or eighteenpence worth?" This was too much for the lady, who burst out laughing. That broke the spell, and the Sybil, who had gone back into her trance came out of it again, and seeing the game was up, joined in the laugh against herself. Fortune-telling is all very well so long as the sitter receives what is told with the proverbial gratn of salt. But it may produce the most lamentable results in the case of the ignorant and the credulous, and that is well it should be suppressed.

Ethel Barrymore in " The Lifted Veil," one of the strongest Metro drama released for some time.

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