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Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 157, 5 July 1926, Page 6

Two m.nor outbreaks of lire oc unci in the course of the week end. The ' ity Fire Bripradc reeeive<] a call early yesterday morning to the Gas Company s premises in Beaumont Street, where a heap of coke had caught fire. The outbreak was soon under control, and very little damage was done. The second call was i-'ceived by the Mount hxlen Brigade yesterday afternoon to a house at >To. 17, Volcanic Street. In the absence of the occupants a fire broke out in the pantry Damage to the extent of about £25 was done before the outbreak was suppressed. The motor car. the property of Mr. M. Luui.son, which was stolen from a garage at Courtville, Eden Crescent, on Friday evening, was yesterday found abandoned in the St. Helier's Bay Road. Mr. Louisson had locked the door of his garage, but the thieves forced it and removed the car. Through being knocked down by a motor car Mr. Oliver Bartle, aged -•>, residing at Henley Street. Parnell, was admitted to the Auckland Hospital on Saturday evening suffering from abrasions to the face and body. The accident occurred in Karangahape Road, opposite the Tivoli Theatre.

At the meeting of the Wait.mata Power Board to-day, the chairman (-Mr. J. \V. Hay den) referred to the recent determination of the Devonport Borough Council to hand its electrical equipment over and become a consumer of the board's supply. The only pity of it was that the council had not been unanimous in its decision, although the opposing councillors had, he understood, now fallen in behind the rest. He hoped Havonport would have no cause to regret having come in, and that the board would have no regrets on its part. "You can't blame them for getting as much as they cm. - ' remarked a member of the board." "Yes, within fair reason,' - said another. The chairman announced that the conclusion of the agreement was now merely a matter of I'm malitics.\

'•If troubled with ruts or mice, get a cat!'' This is the usual trite advice, passed from friend to friend, when a plague of the rodents upsets the domestic equilibrium. Whether one cat has more thin a moral effect on the nibbling invaders is- perhaps open to argument It is. however, a matter of fact that several cats arc more than a match for several rats. 'This has just been demon stated in an Upper Harbour suburbs, where a lady resident was postered by rats and mice and appealed to visiting friends to scud her the first kitten they could spare. At the time of asking, no one seemed to have any cats or kittens available, and so the lady casually extended her inquiries among her acquain lances. The sequel came when, as if with one accord, her friends rallied to her rescue with cats and kittens, and fur a week or so it was a poor day if the I'pper Harbour ferry did not carry at least one puss whose rat-catching qualities were extolled in an accompany nig letter. The consequence is that tie. feline population of the district waincreased by at least a do/en and it is asserteo that in consequence the rat census shows considerable reduction. Pre monitory qualms are, however, being ex perienced that the cure may possibly develop into another pest, as the natural increase of the toms and tabbies con.-ti tute a tax upon the food supply of the neighbourhood.

A collision, which was not attended b y any serious results occurred at about 'half-past eight this morning at the Remuera tram terminus. A tram • :ir was standing ready to return to the city when a St. Heller's Bay Wis coming from the direction of town, struck the front portion of the car, carrying away the wind-screen and the front step. Fortunately no one was injured. The tram ear had to be taken to the workshop for repairs. l'he suggestion that tiie VW.lcmata Power Hoard should supply free current to the junior high schools in the district for the purpose of cookery was made byMr. (.'reenslade at the meeting of th" board to-day. It was stated by Mr lireonslade that the Thames Heard sup plied such free current, and he argued that, by helping the schools in this man tier, tiie board would eventually be help ing itself, as girls learniti'j their cookery on electric stoves would follow this method in later life, thus greatly ug meiiting the demand for current. The board decided that the engineer and secretary should make inquiries into the matter, ami report at the next meeting.

The Government has given assistance in looking after the Indian hockey players that has been much appreciated by the New Zealand Hockey Association. Mr. P. N. Quatermain, a representative of the X.Z.H.A., stated during a dinner to the Indian Army officers of the team on Saturday evening that the association was greatly indebted to the Government. Mr. Quatermain also spoke in high appreciation of the co-operation of all the affiliated associations. The N.Z.H.A. was getting ten per cent of the takings, and it was hoped, with this money, to open a fund to bring teams from overseas, without asking for help from the affiliated associations. On the present occasion all the guarantors would get back 20/ in the £.

"You will be pleased to learn that we obtained 167 new consumers and. installed 14 cooking stoves last month," announced the chairman of the Waitemata Electric Power Board at its meeting to-day. . Mr. Hayden further stated that out of aliout ">SO houses at Now Lynn, no fewer than 427 were now connected with the supply. "If it goes on like that in other areas, the board will have to seriously consider the question of its policy," he added.

Tliree weeks ago the manager of the Wellington radio station <_YK) arranged for the broadcasting of a lecturette on the subject of Esperanto. After the transmission, numerous reports favouring tbt introduction of such items into the program in c of 2YK were received, and in view of the appreciation shown it has been decided to provide further similar lecturettes. On Thursday evening last a second lecturette was broadcasted from 2YK. Mr. Win. 11. King (Victorian delegate of the Universal Esperanto Association) delivering a very interesting 20----minute talk, (hiring which he outlined the main points connected with the history ami growth of I lie international language. The south-bound mail train from New Plymouth to Wellington on Saturday morning collided with a bull near Norfolk Road, IS miles out of New Plymouth, and. as a consequence 'he engine was partly derailed. By placing timber under the derailed wheels and backing over them, the engine wag put back on the line, and the journey was resumed after a delay of only IS minutes.

Uio auto receipts of the Auckland Hockey Association at the Domain on Saturday totalled over £liOO; and it is estimated that, with the cnmplinientar-* ticket" and passes, some fourteen thousand people suv the match between 'he Indian Aran team and Auckland. It is easily a record for ~il hockey. One of the previous best gates was on the occasion of the visit of the fchiglLsh lnrlie = ' hockey team over ten vears^irro Only five thousand people witnessed the match tint win -'-lvcd ~t Reniuera during Hint visit.

A parly consist in- of sixteen members of Parliament left Wellington last evening for llawera, where they were the guests of the South Taranaki Winter Show Association to-day. Using the new exhibition sleeping car. which was attached to the up Limited express to Auckland, the party arrived at Marton at 10.45 p.m.. and proceeded on to Hawera by special train. They will return from llawera by special train this evening in order that their car may be attached to the down Limited from Auckland to Wellington at 5.4. in the morning.

If the hopes of t lie New Zealand Hockey Association materialise a hockey team will be invited from Kngland in 1928. It all depends upon the financial position of the association. There is a strong desire on the part of the N.Z.H.A. to have visit- continued by teams from overseas, and an effort is being made to consolidate the finances of the association -with this object in view.