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Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 167, 16 July 1924, Page 4

Fully equipped and fitted out for a cruise of a couple of months among tlie South Sea Islands, the 12-ton Irish yacht Saiorec, owned and sailed by Captain Conor O'Brien, left Auckland this morning. The intention is to return early in the spring to prepare for the long homeward voyage to Dublin and to say a final farewell fco New Zealand. Captain O'Brien has with him as mate and voyage companion Captain Charles West, who holds a "square-rigged" master's ticket, and joined the yacht at Melbourne. Mr. F. W. Clark is able seaman, and completes the small company. As they left this morning they had to beat down the harbour against a fresh nor'-east breeze. Morning after morning, at the Ranfurly Road, Epsom, tramcar section, faithful and kindly service is rendered by many motorists who pass that way. For between 8.30 a.m. and 8.50 a.m., practically every day, the trams that go towards town are full when they reach the section, nnd it is quite a common sight to soe a gathering of from a dozen to thirty patient people standing on the corner, many of them for quite twenty minutes. But the motorists take a number aboard, and convey them to the city by it a.m. While all the morning gatherers are not fortunate enough to be bo favoured the crowd is considerably lessened when the section car arrives at about 8.50 a.m. The suggestion to divide t.lie Auckland Education District into two separate areas was considered by the Morrinsville District High School Committee last Monday eveilincr, when it was considered that there was not sufficient information available regarding proposed bounaries, finance, and ba-sis of representation. It was also contended that the present board had always given reasonable treatment, and no reasons were seen why a change should take place. Further consideration was deferred. The Onehunga Borough Council asked the Mount Koskill Road Board last evening if it would pay half coat of a site, if necessary to purchase one, and half cost of removal expenses of the Seddon Memorial, Manukau Road. Mr. Preston said some ratepayers did not want the memorial removed from its present site, as it was a protection for pedestrians ajrainst motor traffic. It had been suggested that the memorial should l>e removed to Jellicoe Park, Onehunga, or to Waikowhai Park, Mount Roskill. The Onehunga Borough Council had applied to the authorities for permissj'm to use a site for the memorial opposite the Royal Onk Post Office. When the Council has obtained an estimate of the cost of removal and where the new site is situated, the Board will consider the matter further. Advice has been received by the Southland branch of the Farmers' Union that a party of 100 farm labourers will arrive in New Zealand from the United Kingdom shortly, and that the Dominion executive is anxious to have positions available for them immediately after their arrival in the Dominion towards the end of next month (says the "News"). The opinion was expressed by several speakers that though they were anxious to assist immigration a« much as possible they believed that it was hardly desirable to take a man into employment without an opportunity of interviewing him. Mention was made of the Singapore base at a meeting of the Port Chalmers Progressive League. It was suggested that, as the Singapore base proposal lias been shelved, the £100,000 promised by Mr. Massey as Xew Zealand's donation might now be used to further shipping development in tlie Dominion. The Prime Minister, it was stated, should be asked to consider the advisa-: bility of using the money to construct a big dock at Port Chalmers, where it would be very valuable to merchant shipping, and would also be available if required for naval vessels. "You can hardly tell, theae days, what the a«e of a lady really is," stated Inspector Fear, during the hearing of a ■by-law case at the Magistrate's Court in Wanganui. "What is the age of the lady in question?" queried Mr. Barton, S.M. "About forty years, and she's a Miss," replied the inspector. "In that case I will order the age to be suppressed," jocularly remarked the Magistrate as he inflicted a penalty. For the past three years (states the "North Otago Times") the coal mine at Chamberlain, in the Albury district, South Canterbury, has been burning furiously. In the day time dense volumes of smoke may be seen rising from the ground, and at night flames are to be seen at intervals as the fire burns away the coal in its slow career along the underground workings. The earth, formerly supported by the coal, has caved in, and huge craters are forming in the paddocks above the mine. Seven Hereford bullocks from a herd being driven along Commerce Street, Frankton, yesterday, broke away and charged through the shop of Messrs. Menzies and Gollop, auctioneers. They knocked down and smashed a large duchess chest, but a great deal of crockery in the shop escaped damage. Fortunately the back door of the promises was open and the animals found a ready exit. A number of ladies in the shop were greatly startled. About seventy settlers and friends of the late Mrs. Ann Cossey, of Papatoetoe, attended the interment at Drury Presbyterian cemetery yesterday. Many had ridden long distances to pay a last token of respect to the memory of the deceased. The Rev. T. H. Rosevear (Presbyterian) and the Rev. J. A. Hosking (Methodist) conducted services at the house and graveside. Where the interment took place was the site of the old schoolliouse in which Mrs. Cossey was teacher over sixty years ago. The iioard of Inquiry set up to investigate and report on the wages, hours, and conditions of employment of the members of those branches of the railway service represented by the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, is expected to complete its report early in August. .._...,

Sir Maui Pomare, Minister-in-Charge of the Cook Islands, received a radiogram from Karotonga at the week end announcing the return of Judge H. F. Ayson, Resident Commissioner, after a tour of the islands of the Northern Cook Group. Oudge Ayson reported that he found all well in the Northern Group. It was stated in the Court of Appeal at Wellington by Mr. C. P. Skerrett that there is now no way in which the Railway Department can be sued by a consignor of goods except by the elaborate process of a petition of rights. Originally there was a provision under which the Department could be sued by the ordinary legal processes, but this was now repealed. ! Willie Phelan, six-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. T. Phelan, of Mangawhare, climbed on a chair to reach the mantelpiece. The chair slipped from under him, I causing him to fall and knock a kettle of boiling water from the range. The chiltl was severely scalded on the back and legs, and was removed to the Northern Wairoa Hospital. j Most people rather dread the idea of a hospital, but in an appreciative letter i read at last night's meeting of the ' Auckland Hospital Board, the writer said he had oeen so splendidly treated that "he was sorry to leave." The I writer specially thanked the sister and j nurses who had looked after him so well. Another mark of appreciation of the good work being done at the hospital ' was a voluntary donation of ten j guineas from the estate of J. H. J. I Turton, which was received with thanks. Christchurch City Council at a special meeting adopted a by-law which provides power lor the suspension and cancellation of motorists' licenses and certificates of ability to drive where the owner has failed to satisfy the reasonable requirements of the i=*sector in respect of such vehicle, or that such driver or conductor or holder of a certificate of competency has been drunk when in charge of a licensed vehicle, been convicted of crime, been convicted of ■ consorting with persons of the criminal ■ class, or been guilty of any misconduct , which, in the opinion of the council or . of such committee, should disqualify him I from holding such license or certificate. The Northcote Borough Council recently intimated to the Birkenhead and , Northcote Gas Company, that legal advice was to the effect that the , agreement of 10th July, 1902 (six years . prior to the incorporation of Northcote iI as a borough) made with the Waite- . mata County Council, under which the . company was laying mains in the streets •of the borough to supply gas to con- . sumers, was null and void. There was ! no legislative power to enter into such . j agreement, and a private Act of Parliament was the only means by which such j legislative authority could be obtained. A reply from the secretary, " Mr. A. J. Furness, was received at the i Northcote Borough Council last night ' to the effect that the company did not 5 1 agree with this advice, and was at a ' I loss to understand the council's com- ' | munieation. The company was acting ' j under the agreement, and would con- ' (tinue to do so, unless the council desired [j a fresh agreement. It was resolved to consider the matter further in confer- • | cnc.e with the Birkenhead Borough : Council. II It is not every local body that could . ' afTord to have a £4000 property practi- . I cally lying idle and only holding up an ■ ! ancient building that remembers Auck- ■ j land in its youth, and is now valued at ,! only £100. Most people have noticed i the little one-storied wooden shanty I that lies hunched up between the Grand !' Hotel and the Northern Club. The property belongs to the Auckland ' Hospital Board, and apparently the board now intends to put this valuable ' property to some use. At last night's 1 meeting of tho board a valuation from Messrs. S. Vailo and Company was read. The firm valued the property, which has '■ a 44-foot frontage to Princes Street, and runs right back to Bank Street, at ' £4300. The property is an exceptional 1 one, and it is rather remarkable that it ' has not been put to some profitable use years ago. In the early days the Charitable Aid Board offices used to be held in the decrepit structure that is . valued at £100, and many a tale of dis- , tress has been heard under its low roof. i Old hands used to tell about an old [ dame, who was a bit of a character, and I was always hard up. One day the relieving officer was astounded to see her . ; ladyship step out of a cab—one of the old* four-wheelers that were once the pride of the city. When she appealed ! for relief he pointed to the cab. "Oh." ■ she said, as she fanned herself, for it was a warm day. "I never could abide walking up the Crescent!" In the old '. days Shortland Street was Shortland ' j Crescent. I Last Starch. says our Whangape corj respondent, the Roman Catholic clergyman held a few weeks' mission, many J of • the Maoris going over from the '. Church of England to this creed. A Church of England clergyman made an ' appearance at this place, and on Thursday last, a mission was held, with special 1 choir singing, and a good spread of pork ! and kumaras. Many of the natives 5 deserted their new found creed and are [back to the Church of England again. ! I A Morrinsville farmer has found a ' i use for rats. One day recently he ' found his do:? sniffing excitedly around a ; pile of posts. Removing some of the ; posts, he found a rat, which the dog ; quickly accounted for. The dog, how--1 ever, did not appear to lie satisfied, and ' continued its quest for something invisible. Removing more of the posts, the '■ farmer found several newly-bcrn ' rabbits, which, it is presumed, were " i killed and taken there by the rat. j "Let ns have a fair fight, your Wor--1 ! ship," pleaded defendant in a civil ■ | case at Invcrcargill, "Let us come out ' into the open and have a fair fight and • the first one to tell a lie to be put in gaol/ ' , His Worship, however, could not allow ; this procedure, and gave judgment ' against defendant, who, as he left the ■! box exclaimed disparagingly, "This is ' i British justice!" , A tramcar and a motor lorry, both proceeding up tapper Symonds Street, 1 collided about 4 o'clock yesterday after- : noon. It is understood that the lorry ■ swerved in front of the tram with the ' result that the metal apron was torn ' off the front portion of tha latter. The ' lorry was not damaged. Neither the ' motorman nor the driver of the lorry " i was injured. Rabbits arc causing farmers in the 3 vicinity of Mount Kuranui, in the Mor- ! , rinsville district, an anxious time, the ! destructive pests eating down quite a " j lot of valuable feed. A campaign of poisoning is being carried out, and in . one week one man secured 1000 skins. i I The New Plymouth express from ' | Wellington carried bank notes to the ' I value of £100,000 in the van one day ' ! recently. Apart from an extra official 1 in the van, there was no indication that ' the train carried anything but the ordinary luggage.