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Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 83, 8 April 1918, Page 4

The railway station presented a busy appearance last evening, owing to the departure of two expresses and a special troop train. About 760 passengers left by the two expresses, and.„there were many friends to see the "boys" oil. The extra express that goes this evening at 7.40 is the last of those run to j carry the special Easter traffic. As soon as the second express had gone last night the station was thrown open, so that soldiers' relatives could have access prior to the departure of the special troop train. A very large crowd assembled to bid good-bye to the 260 men who were up on final leave. As the troop train drew out of the station the soldiers cheered lustily. There was general comment at the fine, robust appearance of the soldiers as the result of their months of training in camp. At the Avondale meeting on Saturday the principal event, the Avondale Handicap, was won by the Gisborne horse Gazique, which led practically from start to finish. The big sprint, the Railway Handicap, fell to the locally-owned I llymeona, which won very easily and 'paid a good two-figure dividend. At about 3 o'clock yesterday morning Police-Sergeant Hammond noticed smoke issuing from the premises of the British Rubber Company in Albert Street. He i immediately notified tho fire station,' and the Brigade extinguished the outbreak before serious damage was doneThe fire appeared to have originated under tho oflice counter, and had evidently been smouldering for some time. -While on their way to Home Bay, Motutapu, in a launch yesterday after- j noon, a party of six picnickers had a | fortunate escape from a serious accident. Just as the launch was turning into the bay the engine stopped, with i the result that the launch started to drift towards the rocks. A number of shots were fired with a rifle to attract: attention on shore, but they were not heard, and the boat drifted on to the rocks- There was a heavy swell running, and there was danger of the launch | being smashed. The furnishings were thrown ashore, and two of the party, Messrs. E. Ball and R- Newdick, attempted to land on the rocks. They were rather severely cut and bruised, while the launch by this time had Tather a severe buffeting about. A motor launch was brought to jheir rescue by Mr. C. Bailey, who towed the boat to the shore- She was beached nearby, with her decks awash, but all the party were landed safely. •During 'the' 1 running of the Chevalier, Steeplechase at Avondale on Saturday, Mr A. L. Raven's mare Glendalough struck the rail at the gap leading to the course proper, receiving injuries which necessitated her destruction. Her rider (Preston) escaped injury. Another accident occurred during the running of the Hack Hurdles, Yankee Doodle coming to grief, with the result that his rider (T. Scott) sustained concussion, and was removed to the hospital. His injuries were not, however, serious, and it was expected he would be able to return to his home to-day. A man named Alfred G. White, residing at 31, Sale Street, Ponsonby, was admitted to the Auckland Hospital late on Saturday night, suffering from a broken leg and cuts on the head and body, believed to have been caused through being knocked down by a motor car in Cook Street. The refusal of the Railway Department to run Gpecial race trains has not had the slightest effect on the attendances, and the revenue which would accrue to the Department now goes to private enterprise. At Avondale on Saturday there was a record attendance, every kind of conveyance being pressed into service, while large crowds took the train to Mount Albert, and.walked the couple of miles from there to the course. With a record crowd present the totalisator investments were large, the sum of' £40,404 10/ passing through the machines, which is an increase of £ 12,079 over the corresponding day last year. The Totalisator Employees' picnic was held at Buckland's Beach, Tamaki, yesterday. The ferry steamer Eagle left the ferry tee at 9 a.m., and returned to Auckland about 7 in the evening, after a most enjoyable day. A number of races were held on the beach, and resulted as follows: Totalisator Cup, 100 yds, won by H. Newton; stampers' race, D. Conway; pay-out race, A. Tobin; visitors' race, J. L. Henrys. Prizes awarded by the Royal Drawing Society, London, have been won by Misses Nancy Whitelaw and Rona Wiseman, both of whom are pupils of St. Cuthbert's College. Over 73,000 children took part in the competitions, which were open for the pupils of over 1200 schools, and the prizes numbered 79, of which number 67 went to Great Britain. A number of pupils of St. Cuthberf s won the society's prizes last year. An Eltham paper states that a man who some time ago left the Dominion after doing brisk business with a disinfectant which he advertised freely, has been arrested at Honolulu, and is being brought back to New Zealand. On Saturday next the Women's Mutual Aid Society and Returned Soldiers' Association are having a day's outing at Motutapu, in aid of the returned wounded and crippled soldiers. The s.s. Kestrel has been placed at the committee's disposal by the Devonport Ferry Co., and will leave the ferry wharf at 9.30 a.m. and 1-30 p.m. There will be games for old and young people, and a baby show with prizes for infants under six months, and for infants between six and twelve months, also a special prize for the champion baby. Given fine wea-; ther the. fund should benefit considerably. For various reasons, the prize-oivin" function at King's College was postponed last Christmas. It has now been arranged for the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall to-morrow evening. In addition to the presentation of the books to the boys, matters of interest and inportance to the parents will be touched on by the various speakers.. The Bishop of Auckland, Mr V. J. Lamer, and Professor Dettmann have been itri-rrl to speak. i

It is asserted that Wellington, at the present time, is suffering from a plague of rats. They are to be found everywhere, especially in the heart of the city —the shipping and business quarters, la Manners Street they are said to "swarm," and instances have been given of the enormous damage done by the rodents, both to property and merchandise. Rats, it is known, constitute a serious danger to health, and are also liable to start fires. The expert ratcatcher appointed by the Wellington Council about a week ago has not yet started out on his mission, but he is a man of wide experience, and when his work commences the rats will be in for a bad time. An endeavour is being made to take this rat-oateher fully into the service of the council, in order that he will have the full powers of a municipal officer. Two constables paid a surprise visit to j a station about ten miles south of Te Wharau, Wairarapa, recently. They were sighted by a scrub-cutters' camp, and about half a dozen men made off through ' the scrub with slashers in hand. The constables went in pursuit, but only sue- j ceeded in running down one man, who proved to be a military deserter. This man was brought in to Masterton, and j he will be handed over to the military j authorities. In connection with the third annual National Patriotic Show to be held in' Auckland next May, it has been stated that Otago fruitgrowers are not entering. The secretary (Mr. G. A. Green) stated this morning that two entries have already been sent in, for class I. — the most comprehensive and best collection of fruit, and fruit, produce, grown, produced, or manufactured in a provincial district. One entry is from Clyde J Central Otago, and the other from the Teviot Fruitgrowers' Association, Roxburgh. As far as the Auckland province j i 6 concerned, Mr. Green states there is every reason to hope that the exhibits will be equal to, if not better than, those j sent from the North to the Dunedin Apple Show. A young woman named Norah Fleming, j about 24 years of age, was arrested when walking along Wellington Terrace with a dead new-born infant in a handbag. She was brought before the Court and charged with concealment of birth. She was formally remanded for a week, and was then sent to the gaol infirmary. The woman stated that she came to Wellington from Mangaweka a few weeks ago. Captain Graham, master of the Anchor Co.'s steamer Waimea, was severely injured by some unknown assailants who brutally assaulted him the other night on the wharf at Greymouth. When Captain Graham was knocked down by the miscreants they kicked him about the face and body. He has been compelled to go ashore at Nelson for medical treatment. Five empty cans were taken by a Wellington merchant from a case of canned fruits, out of a consignment from Australia. The fruit had been freshly removed from the cans, which were opened with a tin-opener and put back among the full ones. Japan has entered the piano trade, and is exporting an upright at the price of £27 10/-, which is stated to compare favourably with the instrument which Germans sold at £16 before the war. Five hundred Japanese pianos have already been exported to Australia. According to the Tapanui (Otago) paper the present harvest season o is declared to be the driest ever known in that district. : ' "'The great'bulk of the grain wa s fit to lead in after being in stook for a few days. In one case portion of a crop of oats cut when dead ripe was put into stack without being stooked. This, it is believed, is the first time this was ever done in that locality. A considerable amount of oats had also been thrashed out of stook, thus saving time and labour. The death is announced of Mr; Robert Cotton, a very old and prominent resident of the Tuapeka district, who died suddenly. For a great number of years he was engaged in pastoral pursuits in the Waipori district. Some years ago he owned a number of racehorses, including Wolseley. He was a member of the Tuapeka County Council, and held the position of chairman. He was a man of very active habits, and right up to the last, though in his eightieth year, was keenly alive to the activities of his sheep station. Miss C. W. Christie, national lecturer to the New Zealand section of the Theosophical Society, again lectured in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall last evening on "National War Karma," and expressed the belief that the war, with all its attendant horrors and destruction, was but the natural outcome of our past errors—the reaping of the harvest sown by the participating nations. The suffering could only be terminated and similar struggles avoided in the future by earnest endeavour to rectify social inequalities and impurities and by adopting the teachings of pure Christianity rather than sectarian doctrine. Mr. Sydney Butler, L.RA.M., contributed vocal solos. Big remnant and odd piece dayß- tomorrow and Wednesday, 9 ajn. balance salvage drapery. At Tonson Garlick's. (Ad.) . Hundreds were turned away from the Strand on Saturday evening. The season is limited, so make sure you see "The Auction Block."—(Ad.) Peter Dawson's Whisky, Speight's Ale and Stout. All hotels. Sole agents. G. McMillan and Company, Customs Street (Ad.) Balance £3000 salvage drapery goods remnant and odd piece days, to-morrow and Wednesday. At Tonson Garlick's. (Ad.)