Easing The Black-Out.

Manawatu Times, Volume 67, Issue 209, 2 September 1942, Page 4

Easing The Black-Out.

Considerable progress has been made by Palmerston North City Oouncil employees in removing shades from street lamps, as first steps in easing the blackout. For the present only lamps at intersections are being attended to but the improvement is marked and appreciated. By the end of the week this preliminary work will be about completed and then it is proposed to view the effect from Mt. Stewart in order to test the sky-glow. Aviaries and Bird Slaughter A member of the Avicultural Society (London), in an article contributed to “Forest and Bird,” discusses the whole subject of aviaries, indoor and outdoor, in relation to the breeding of native birds in captivity for release. He says: "Every well informed aviculturist knows that birds bred in aviaries, or even wild blrd£ which have been in captivity for any length of time, are denatured. They have lost their natural awareness, sense of direction, power to locate food and water, and soon fall victims to cats, rats, stoats, weasels, etc.” The Baby Market. There are some who fancy that in times of national stress more baby boys are born than girls. Figures sometimes tend to lend a little credence to the idea but then, on other occasions, the theory is shattered by the next lot of figures. For instance, in Palmerston North during August, 69 births were registered, 28 being boys and 41 girls. On the other hand the actual births during August were 42 boys and 28 girls—just the reverse of the registrations. Wars may come and wars may go but the old stork apparently pleases himself. Deaths registered in August numbered 32 (48 in August, 1941) and marriages 29 (25 last year in August). Ten ceremonies took place before the registrar. Possible Education Changes. The possibility of raising the schoolleaving age, together with the possible introduction of the accrediting system for university entrance, were outlined by the Director of Education, Dr. C. E. Beeby, when the 1942 conference of the New Zealand Vocational Guidance Association opened at Canterbury College. The matter would not rest merely with the solving of these two major problems, said Dr. Beeby, but such a step would bring in its wake a host of other problems equally urgent. Such changes would be not merely administrative, but would involve the whole direction and scope of education. The fact that only about one sixteenth of the children leaving primary schools completed a university course was a possible indication that too much post-primary activity might be governed by the needs of this small minority. Repairs To Post Office. Repairs and other measures of a precautionary nature have been put in hand at the Palmerston North Post Office, these having been made necessary as a result of the recent earthquakes. Cracks have appeared in the parapet skirting the outside edge of the older part of the building and it has been judged advisable that this bo removed in view of possible danger in any future earthquake. It will be replaced by a reinforced concrete parapet. Heavy chimneys in the building have become a source of possible danger also. They are no longer necessary, consequent on the introduction of central heating, and are to be removed. Workmen were engaged to-day in the preparatory work of erecting walls on the footpath in Main Street to screen the public from points beneath the work on the parapet. Small But Important. The importance of microscopical animals and plants to the welfare of man Is stressed in an article in "Foi-est and Bird.” A striking illustration of what is meant is to be found in the biotic chain which ends in the production of Peruvian guano. Vast numbers of cormorants (shags) and other birds feed upon the almost unbelievable quantities of fish present along the coast of Peru and nest on islands off the coast thus producing the guano. But the fish require food, s 6 the larger varieties feed upon the lesser and the lesser on the lesser still and so until we find masses of minute fish feeding upon the microscopical diatoms which in their turn feed upon decayed matter brought near the surface by the 100mile wide cold Humbolt current. It will be obvious that if the decayed matter failed for some reason the diatoms would starve and then the whole vast biotic structure would lall and- the thousands upon thousands of shags now present would starve leaving perhaps a remnant which would be looked upon as rai*e birds.