NEWS AND NOTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 June 1938, Page 9

NEWS AND NOTES

VARIOUS ITEMS OF INTEREST Mother Betrayed. There is no one like a small boy to “give the show away,” as the passengers in a Christchurch tram noticed. Sitting on his mother’s knee, the little fellow watched with interest her purchase of a ticket, and, when the transaction was completed, piped up with “Aren't you going to buy me a ticket this time, Mummy?” With her face turning scarlet, the embarrassed mother hastily returned to the conductor a couple of coppers out of the change she had just received from him, and asked for “A half, too, please.” To the grinning conductor she explained that the lad had turned three only a week or so before; she had paid his fare on the only other occasion she had taken him to town since his birthday, but had, on this day, forgotten for the moment that he had now reached an age when the Tramway Board regarded his as a source of revenue. Importance of a Point. By overlooking one tiny dot in an analyst’s report, counsel for the defence in a case heard at the Supreme Court at Christchurch rather damaged a vigorous passage in his address to the jury. “The analyst’s report,” he told the jury, “shows. 25 per cent of alcohol in the blood of the deceased.’ Beneath the ripple of laughter around the court and the demand for “Order” from the crier, those in the neighbourhood of counsel’s table heard the voice of the Crown Prosecutor issuing, muffled, from behind his hand, “Point two five!” Another glance at the report assured the erring barrister that the alcohol of the dead man’s blood was, in fact, .25 per cent. “A most important point,” he conceded, correcting his error. Cow As a Steed. The spectacle of two small girls riding on a cow attracted a good deal of attention as they passed along a street in Castlecliff, Wanganui, recently. The animal did not seem to mind her burden, and her ambling gait was unaffected by repeated slaps and admonitions from the diminutive rider seated almost on her hindquarters. Nothing in the nature of a saddle was used, and the children appeared to be perfectly at home on the back of their novel steed. Hawke’s Bay Fishing. The muddy nature of the seas in Hawke’s Bay and the possible presence of drift logs has been responsible for a curtailing of Napier’s fishing industry recently. One prominent Napier fisherman states that it was only possible for line boats to work in the bay, while net trawlers generally were going to a point beyond Cape Kidnappers and working the terakihi grounds. He could not say how long it would be before Hawke’s Bay fishing returned to normal. Forgotten Gloves. When a woman writes she generally removes her right glove before taking up the pen. This is thought to be the explanation of the presence at the Invercargil Post Office of five women's gloves, all for the right hand, which have been left there in the past few days. If the articles are not claimed soon they will be sent to Wellington. Coincidence in Accidents. Two sons of Mr E. J. Hawkins, of Puni, each suffered a fracture of the right leg within the brief period of a fortnight. Peter Hawkins, aged five, fell while at school and broke his leg and exactly two weeks later a similar misfortune befel Lindsay Hawkins, aged three, when he fell from a gate at his home. Both were admitted to the Auckland Hospital and the first boy to be injured has since been discharged. However, his brother will be a patient in the institution for at least two months. Bluff Oysters. Except for occasional visits to the source of the better quality oysters, known as the east bed, oystermen at Bluff are directing their attention mainly to the west bed, where good catches are reported. It was stated last week that an average of 40 bags a day was being obtained from this area. The industry has been favoured with a prolonged period of fine weather, and oysters are stated to be in plentiful supply. “Snobbery” in Education. The existence of a certain amount of “snobbery” in New Zealanders’ ' attitude to education was commented on in an interview in Christchurch by Dr. F. H. Spencer, formerly chief inspector of schools in London. “I have noticed a certain amount of snobbery here,” he said. “I found that it is not true that everyone goes to the Government schools. People with more money prefer to send their children to a nonaided or non-Government school: and later on to send them to Oxford or Cambridge rather than the New Zealand University. But this is inevitable as the population and wealth of the country increase.” Giving an example of the decline of this form of “snobbery” in England, Dr. Spencer said that 30 years ago, all the Oxford scholarships had been awarded to boys from the Public Schools. Lately half of these scholarships had been won by municipal secondary school pupils. Spread of Japanese Trade. Japanese goods had penetrated into the interior of Africa, said the Rev. W. R. Fleming. Nigeria, who is visiting New Plymouth on furlough. Japanese crockcry, rubber shoes, silks, and other cheap lines against which lines could not compete in price were finding an extensive market among the natives.