NEWS OF THE DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24414, 27 September 1940, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

'THE subject which aroused most discussion and hopes of some achievement among the representatives of Dunedin sports organisations who took the preliminary steps last evening toward the formation of a provincial federation of sports bodies was the prospect of obtaining more playing areas in the city. Several speakers discoursed on past difficulties and disappointments in this respect, and Mr R. W. S. Botting told of the " deadening reply" given by the City Council to an attempt on behalf of the secondary schools to have Jubilee Park developed as a sports area. "The expense was considered prohibitive," •he said, " and the written reply was to the effect that the best thing the schools could do was to buy some land and develop it themselves. Can you imagine a more deadening reply? That letter should be framed."

Farming An Art "When we get down to really fine points, farming is an art as well as a science." observed Mr N. Lamont, of the Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture, addressing members of the Masterton Rotary Club. "Science could be perhaps defined as a collection of accurately-measured facts, but in a good farmer there is something not very different from what we find in a great artist—something which is above mere technique and is too personal to be measured or described and handed on to others."

Fewer Arrivals The Dominion's tourist traffic for the four months ended July last, according to figures in the Abstract of Statistics, was just about half of what it was in the corresponding period of the previous year. Tourists from overseas numbered 1358. compared' with 2432 in the previous year, and there were no visits from cruising liners. Only 19 theatrical folk entered the Dominion during those four months, whereas 248 came during the previous year. Arrivals in the Dominion totalled 5024 altogether, compared with 12,055 during the corresponding four months last year Territorials in Hospital

Advice that, as far as hospital treatment was concerned, men undergoing intensive training in territorial camps would be treated in the same manner as members of the Expeditionary Force, has been received from the Army Department by the Director-general of Health, according to a letter received at a meeting of the Auckland Hospital Board. The letter said that payment of 5s a day would be made to hospital boards from the War Expenses Account for in-patients, in addition to 6s a day from the Social Security Fund. The total of lis a day was to be accepted by boards in full satisfaction of their charges.

Taxes in Ancient Egypt How people in Egypt in Cleopatra's time were taxed in innumerable ways was described by Mr E. M. Blaiklock. lecturer in classics at Auckland University College, when discussing the problems and difficulties of the ancient Egyptian business man in an address to members of the Auckland Rotary Club. Amid laughter he said that people in New Zealand did not know what taxation was, adding that taxation in ancient Egypt started at a man's birth and ended only at his death. Among other troubles for the business man of those days was a sales tax of 10 per cent. There were quotas, and there was a great deal of Government interference in business.

The Forty-hour Week The belief that some variation of the 40-hour week would be made for hospital employees was expressed by the chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board (Mr Allan J. Moody) at a meeting of the board. He considered the variation should be made on account of the war. "The sooner the unions wake up, the better," Mr Moody said. " We have to get more than a 40-hour week at present. If I had my way, I would make them work until they dropped, and keep working." Mr Moody, whose remarks arose out of a discussion concerning the provision of free out-patient treatment at the hospital for children, said he doubted if some people realised there was a war on. The Government should help in getting the.board more than a 40-hour week from its employees

Cold Storage Space The refrigerating machinery of the Port Bowen, stranded at the mouth of the Wanganui River, has been removed and put into a building to provide additional cool storage space for meat in the coming season, according to a statement by Mr A. M. Carpenter at a meeting of the. North Canterbury executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union. Mr Carpenter said the Meat Export Control Board and the Government were endeavouring to arrange for 70 per cent, extra storage space this season, s o that shipping might not be delayed in New Zealand ports, and so that the freezing companies could work without intermission. Mr Carpenter warned farmers against unduly holding back their lambs for an extra pound or two in weight at the beginning of the season. At that stage in the season their action might cause a slackening off of work at the freezing works, and in sufficient meat not being available for shipment.

A " Stick " of Bombs Reference is often made in the cable news to a "stick" of bombs having been dropped by R.A.F. attackers on enemy military objectives. The term " stick" has nothing to do with a piece of wood or some similar apparatus to which, it might be supposed, bombs are affixed before the aircraft lets them gc. Nor does it mean a specific number of bombs. It is a technical term relating to the way the bombs—two, three, four, or any chosen number —are intended to fall on the target. The number selected by the bomb-aimer depends on the nature of the target, the calibre of the bombs on board the aircraft, its height over the objective, and so en. The "stick" comes into being when the aimer visualises his plan of attack, continues when the bombs are on their way down, and is completed when they strike the objective. The essence of a "stick" is that the bombs are distributed along the target (not dropped in a cluster) at rapid and regular intervals, so that they are laid in a line —thud—thud—thud—thud—, covering the building, bridge, or whatever it is, from end to end.

New Towers for Awarua Three steel towers, each 150 feet high, will shortly be erected at the Awarua wireless station. The replacement of the single tower, which was brought down about two years ago, has been delayed for some considerable time, but the departmental authorities have now completed arrangements and tenders have been called for the supply and erection of the masts. The Awarua wireless station was one of the chain of four New Zealand stations approved in 1912, and it was completed in 1914, the contractors being the German Telefunken Company. It was equipped with a single steel tower 400 feet high, and was operated by a primitive spark transmitter which was replaced by a modern valve transmitter more than 10 years ago. Awarua has probably been used to a greater extent than any of the other commercial telegraphic stations in the Dominion for many years. It is situated in a particularly favourable area for reception, and much distant broadcast matter, including the British Official Wireless news service from Rugby, is received there. The station has bee;- the principal New Zealand contact with many dramas of the sea in recent years, and maintained clcse contact when the Tahiti lost a propeller and sank in the Pacific about 10 years ago. It also received the first information of the grounding of the Manuka and the Waikouaiti on the southern coast in recent years.