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Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 250, 21 October 1924, Page 4

An accident happened in a simple way | yesterday afternoon at Onchunga. An ; empty motor lorry, belonging to Mcj Garten Bros., and driven by D. Siebert, I was proceeding down Queen Street when | it skidded after the brake was applied. The lorry travelled a considerable disr tance, gathering speed as it went. Shortly after passing Arthur Street it swerved to the right, and, turning round, struck the back wheels of a motor car which was standing in front of a shop. Both tyres of the motor car, which belonged to Mr. H. Bray, were burst. The damage is estimated at about £12. A sample of a new substance called coorongite, which is considered to be a petroleum product wa"s shown to a representative of the "Auckland .Star" today. Only two discoveries of this substance have so far been recorded. At the end of ISR.S it suddenly made its appearance on the surface of the ground east of fait Lake, Coorong district, South Australia. It was not seen again until 1020 On each occasion the appearance of this substance followed a period of exception ally heavy rainfall. After the waters had subsided, large quantities of coorongite were discovered. It is in sheets about three-quarters of an inch in thickness, corrugated on the top like an alligator skin. The sheets are flexible and ■ can be rolled up tightly. It burns with a bright flame and has a faint oily smell. > Treated with solvents, coorongi'te gives •'> a free mineral oil. The opinion has been given by an expert that the presence of coorongi'te on a large scale is evidence that oil exists in the region where it was found. . A request was received by'the University. College Council yesterday from j Professor Burbidge for a grant of £50 - •to enable experiments to be conducted 1 over Parnell Tunnel in order to gauge ] the probable effect of the proposed new ( tunnel on the physics department. After considerable discussion the Council i decided that the registrar and Professor j Burbidge should get all possible daita 1 before proceeding with the experiment, ( A. resident of Wanganui states that { birds are playing great havoc in the j gardens this year, and their hunger never ] seems to be appeased (says the ' "Chronicle"). Combined with the damage ' being done by slugs, local gardeners are * having a particularly bad time. :

The Supreme Court will sit at 8.30 a.m. to-morrow morning, when Mr. Justice Herdman will deal with prii soners who have pleaded guilty in the • Magistrate's Court to offences. All told there are half a dozen prisoners to be dealt with. "I am writing more in sorrow than in anger," was the opening of a letter • to the Manukau County Council, by a , ratepayer who wished a road repaired. , The writer added later in the communication, "so far we have borne more or less ' patiently having our lives as well as our vehicles bent and broken." 1 Consequent on the resignation of Capi tain Theet, as the Waikumete riding ■ representative of the Wnitemata County . Council, an election will be held on Tuesday next October 28, between the hours of 0 a.m. and 6 p.m. Messrs. ' H. R. Moor (Te Atatu), Frank Firth (Oratia), and F. J. Bodle (Glen Eden), have been nominated. Captain Theet still retains his position as the county ' representative on the No. 1 District '■ Main Highways Council. A deputation of leading Te Puke residents waited upon the directors of the East Coast Co-operative Freei- . ing Co., Ltd., yesterday, to discuss a proposal for tho nri si'ion of the freezing works at Whakatane by the ratepayers of the Bay of Plenty. The matter received favourable consideration. The sudden stoppage, on College Hill last evening, of a motor lorry, which developed engine trouble, was responsible for a motor car, driven by Mr. P. H. Harding, colliding with it. Mr. Harding was following behind the lorry, and had no time to swerve when it came to an unexpected standstill. Damage was done to the radiator and bonnet of the car. While chopping wood at the Onehunga wharf yes'erdav aftemnnn a lalio "vr Mr. Charles Horace Wilson, bad his neck penetrated, near the jugular vein, by a flying splinter of wood. Mr. Wilson, who lives at 4, Keppell Street, Arch Hill, was taken to the Auckland Hospital and operated on. His condition is now fairly satisfactory. In 1910 the late Pakuranga Road Board applied for a new building to be erected for a ost office for the di-strict. A reply was received, if a site was given, favourable consideration would be given to the request. A letter has been forwarded to the Hon. J. G. Coates that the new site is now available, adjoining the Pakuranga Hall, and asking that the work be proceeded with. It was pointed out in the. letter that the present postal business was conducted in a shed, which is now totally inadequate to meet the needs of the district. There has been brought to the "Star" for inspection a boll of Queenslandgrown cotton. It has been declared that Queensland cotton is of very exceptional quality, and there are great hopes in the big State for the development of the industry to a position of national importance. The sample shown the "Star" is of snowy whiteness, particularly fire texture and with a length of staple measuring nearly six inches. A motor launch, The Ragtime, owned by Mr. Greenslade, of Raglan, was destroyed by fire on Saturday evening. The boat, which was lying at its moorings, was boarded by Mr. Roy Greenslade and a friend about 11 p.m. The engine back-fired when they commenced to crank it and flames burst forth. Two hours later the launch was burned to the waterline and sank. Last week the War Pensions Appeal Board concluded a six weeks' sitting in Christchurch. A total of over 80 appeals were heard, but the percentage upheld was not so great as at the previous sitting of the board in Christchurch. Thirteen of the appeals dealt with were those of ex-Imperial men. In these cases the evidence was taken, and will be forwarded on to the British Ministry of Pensions for decision. With reference to the statement made by Colonel Holgate at the meeting of the Coalowners' Association in Wellington that no coal, mines were working full time, it is stated by Mr. Wood, former manager of the Taupiri Extended mine, that Mr. Holgate's information was not correct. He states, after investigation, that the Waipa and Glenafton collieries are both working full time. "I was very much surprised to learn that the board's expenditure on tubercular trouble is £3000 a year," stated the chairman. Sir James Wilson, at a meeting of the Palmerston North Hospital Board. "This sum is incurred by the board at its own hospitals at Otaki and Pukeroa. Although a large sum of money, I suppose the board must take its share in expenditure." Mr. J. T. Stembridge has resigned from the Pukekohe Borough Council. The Council had difficulty some months ago in getting sufficient supplies of coal, and on one or two occasions it got a truck from the Franklin Farmers' Auctioneering Company, of v which Mr. Stembridge is the managing director. In one instance a truck was supplied in exchange, but in another instance the account went through and was paid. Mr. Stembridge was not present when the account was passed by the council, and did not know it had been paid until his attention was called to it some time later. As the coal was charged at colliery price, it was not treated as a trading concern, but more as a matter of convenience than one of profit.