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Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 11, 14 January 1925, Page 4

Slight damage was caused to the body of a Ford car. owned by Mr. J. \V. Andrew, of Eden Terrace owing to an outbreak of fire at 1.-0 a.m. to-ilav. The engine of the car back-fired, and fire broke out in the car. which was being driven in New North Road, Point Chevalier. The fire brigade was summoned, and the flames were extinguished ere much damage was done. The following story indicates the tactics which are being adopted to harass the shipping industry and the general public. When the Ulimaroa was due to sail for New Zealand on January 2 the crew preferred a demand for "ham and eggs, fresh and pickled pork, preserved fruit—with cream—and potatoes, mashed, fried or chipped. .. ." "These," be it noted, says the Christcliurch "Sun," "in addition to the four regular meals a day usually provided. After negotiating all the afternoon until a late hour at night, these gourmets decided to do without the ham and eggs, and promised that the one hand necessary to complete tlic siiip's complement would be found. But the vessel has not yet sailed." Four occupants of the speed launch, Miss Auckland, were thrown into the water last evening a few minutes after six o'clock, when cruising off Victoria wharf. The launch attempted to follow in tho wake of the ferry steamer, Peregrine, and was caught in the wash, the small vessel heeling over and tipping its crew int> the harbour. Miss Auckland gyrated merrily with nobody in control, going round in three wide circles at top speed. Then the engine stopped, and two of the crew were able to climb aboard. The other two were picked up by a passing launch, and shortly afterwards the cruise in the speed launch was resumed. Ferry passengers and large . numbers of people on the wharf and foreshore enjoyed the mishap immensely, ' the plight of the launch crew never being ! at any stage serious. : An amusing incident took place in a , lawyer's oflice yesterday when two men met to complete a property deal. The buyer had just signed his name, and was about to date the. document when he remembered it was the thirteenth, and he ■ said lie did not like to complete the puri chase on that dale as it had always brought him ill luck. "All right," said 1 the seller, who was losing heavily on the ' sale, "1 myself bought the blanket}' I place on the thirteenth, and it brought , mc no luck. I have no objections to leaving tne settlement over till to-ruor- ' row," and the lawyer under the circum- '- stance? had no objection either, so the t two men picked up their hat:- and i walked out t > me<-t to-day. ! Though good progress is being made with the coruroting of Mount Eden Ronrl. the work has not been carried out 1 without interruption. A couple of days ! ago a dispute arose between the eon- * tractor and the workers, with the result that, the men downed tools and struck. A conference was held on the job, and eventually was settled by the men being ■ granted an increase in wages.

Feminine curiosity was much in evidence in and about the Police Court this morning when De Garis was brought before the magistrate. There were women inside the Court, women outside, girls in the windows of the offices round about. Two women, with a couples of children, managed to find their way to the back of the Court, and were there when de Garis came out. "There he is," they said almost breathlessly, and, after the prisoner, with his escorts, passed along towards the front of the building, they almost ran in their endeavour to keep up with the idol of their attentions. "If people want free medical advice a they must go to the. hospital or the 1 < haritable Aid Board," said Mr. F. K. [ Hunt, S.M., this morning at the Magis- i trate's Court when making an order for the payment of 5/ in liquidation of a < claim for medical services. The defen- r riant, said he did not send for the doc- r tor. A neighbour went, into hi- house 1 and called in a nurse, and the latter \ sent for a medical man. "Yes," said c Mr. Hunt, "and your wife is well again, t so you must pay for the services ren- * dered." Something in tlie nature of a novelty _ waltz was introduced the other night ' at a country bull (says the Ashburtou "Guardian"). A number of tennis enthusiasts had assembled to prepare the floor for a dance in aid of their club. To give finish to the floor a bag of chaff was dragged up and down the ball, but human labour tired. A possessor of a motor cycle saw the opportunity of using human ingenuity instearl. He yoked bis cycle to the bag, ! and he and his "partner" went round ; the. hall in fine style, the swinging of corners being something good to see. Next night dancers attested to the excellence of the floor. The chairman of the Mount Boskill ■ Road Board characterised the Motor Vehicles Bill, at a meeting of the. board last night, as a "Chinese puzzle." It would cause the board's clerk increased , work, while, the board's staff were ex- , pected to act as private detectives. Most of the revenue, it appeared to him, would go to the Government, and the , board would derive less revenue than is now received from the wheel tax, which amounted to about £200 this year. It was decided that the chairman and the clerk should represent the board at a conference of the City Council and local bodies to discuss the Motor Vehicles Bill. A party of six—t>r. Lawrence and Messrs. F. Bliss and A. J. Clarke (Te Aroha). C. E. Maemillan, M.P., Mr. R. Renshaw and Major V. J. Scantlebury returned to Tauranga on Saturday afternoon from a fishing trip to Mayor Island. They enjoyed good sport in the neighbourhood of the island. Sharks provided exciting fishing, thirteen being landed. Thirty hapuka—twenty-one in a single day—were captured, the largest being up to 701b. Kingfish fought strenuously, twelve being caught, and the heaviest was estimated to be 501b. Smaller fish were plentiful, the catch including approximately 100 schnapper, 150 terakihi and rock cod, and numerous kahawai. One tiger eel, four feet long, was also secured. The party sighted half-a-dozen swordfish. The weather was fine and the trip proved very enjoyable. There is a type of individual who should never be allowed to handle a motor ear. says the "Wairarapa Daily Times" —that is the person who has not the required "nerve to drive a car properly, line of these drivers was met on the Rimtitaka Hill on Saturday afternoon by motorists going to Wellington. He had swung his car across a portion of the road at a sharp bend, and was afraid to go back or to go forward. Eventually the driver of a charabanc pushed the car on to the side of the road in order to allow the traffic to get through. Some motorists who followed later must have come to the rescue of the nervous driver, as he was seen going along the. road in the vicinity of the Upper Hutt some time after. ' A Ocelonp nurse who established a hospital in Melbourne has. had an extraordinary experience. A doctor friend has been in the habit of sending her patients, so when a well-spoken man called and Faid Dr. . who was about to take a few days' holiday, had recommended her hospital, she took in the patient and provided him the rest the doctor said would be the best preliminary to diagnosis and treatment. The day the doctor was due back home the rest-seeking patient vanished. He proved to be a criminal in hiding. He knew the doctor's movements, and chose the means mentioned to allow the police chase to slacken. A variation of the usual mother-in-law joke was given in a case heard recently in New Zealand, before a Judge of the Supreme Court. The rpiestion in dispute was whether or not the defendant, a minister, was driving his car at an excessive rate of speed. The C<iurt asked: Was the defendant hurrying to a wedding," and the reply was: No, your Honor, he was going to see his mother-in-law." "I'm afraid," •said the Court "that disposes of the contention he was driving at an excessive rate of speed.'" Petitions for divorce filed in Auckland last year totalled 28ft, there being 53 petitions for restitution of conjugal : rights, making a total of 341 petitions. In 1023 there were '253 petitions for ■ divorce, and 43 for restitution of conjugal rights, a total of 206. The. number of decrees nisi granted was 238, against ' 2.">3 for the preceding year. The Supreme Court granted 34 orders for restitution of conjugal rights. i The bursting of a lemonade bottle resulted in Mrs. E. J. Lobb. of Westown, i Taranaki. losing the sight of one eye. i Mrs. Lobb was one of a picnic party, . and when the bottle burst a piece of j glass entered the eye. which was re- . moved at a subsequent operation. Six important deals in hotel proper- • ties in Christchurch have been effected ' recently, Messrs. Ward and Co., Ltd., having sold the freeholds of the Railway. Crown, Carlton. Foresters, Star 1 and Garter, and Eastern Hotels. In all - oases the purchasers are well-known ' licensees.