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Auckland Star, Volume 246, Issue 246, 16 October 1926, Page 8

An expenditure of £680 will represent the cost of the School of Agriculture during 1927, according to an estimate that was placed before the University College Council last evening by Professor William Riddet. The professor said that the cost would include new apparatus, salaries to lecturers in bacteriology and stock diseases, and travelling expenses.

The overseas stea er Tamaroa, whose arrival from London' is expected in Wellington to-morrow, is bringing 395 immigrants, comprising 18S men, 137 .women, and 170 children. Of the number, 27 are domestics, 41 Salvation Army boys, 17 public school boys, and 6 Flock House girls.

With a view to developing the recreational activities among students of the Auckland University College, the council decided last evening that Wednesday afternoons during the 1927 session should be set aside for sports from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The teachers were asked to make all possible arrangements to assist the movement.

"Can you swim?" asked the chairman of the Rangitikei County Council of a candidate for the position of metalcrushing manager at the Rangitikei River works. "Oh, yes," was the reply. "I was with Captain Scott at the South Pole." This bombshell was sprung on members of the council at a meeting (says a Press Association message from Marton). The candidate had not mentioned in his testimonials that he had been on the South Pole expedition. He said he was in charge of transport on the ill-fated journey in 1913, and the party reached within 65 miles of the goal when the leader, with a few companions, went ahead, never to return. The applicant is employed on the mechanical staff at the Arapuni hydroelectric works.

A conference of allied unions and employers in the building trade, to be held on November 17, will consider proposals for the betterment of the trade, which have been drawn up by a sub-com-mittee set up at a joint conference convened by the Guild of Master Painters. It is proposed to ask legislative authority to set up an industrial council, representative of employers and the building trade unions in equal number, with power to obtain Government representation and the co-operation of experts. The duties of the council will be to promote the improvement of the industry and advance the status of all connected with it, and to arrange for the registration of all engaged in the industry. It is also proposed that the council shall gather statistics so as to be able to provide continuous employment for all in the industry and to prevent unemployment or wastage of capital or labour. It the joint conference approves of the scheme, a national conference will be convened to settle the details and to have the proposals placed before Parlia- ; ment.

The entries for the monster floral fete of decorated motor cars and motor cycles, the cycle road race from Hamilton to Auckland, and the home industries and other sections of the Royal Show, will close on November 1. Many valuable prizes in cash and trophies have been offered. ._■■--• - v^

Another lucky motor escape was witnessed this morning, \\_ien a car proceeding down Dominion Road collided with another motor earning from the vicinity of Valley Road. Since the impact was not of a very violent nature no serious damage was done. One of the cars, the heavier of the two, which had one of the mud-gairds badly bent, and other minor damage, was a new one, having only been on the road about one week. Our Taupo correspondent writes: "Owing to the heavy floods that have been prevailing in th?s district for the last week or more, the road between here, and Tokaanu is impassable, due to a big washout, bejond the TaurangaTaupo River, a distance of about nine miles from Tokaanu!, whiqfc, according to hurried observations, will take at least a week to repair. The extent of the damage has nob yet been fully ascertained, and probably it is much more severe than is now anticipated." Atho A tramcar while attempting to turn from Queen Street into Customs Street East at about half past nine this morning ran off the rails. It was in such a position that the trams were blocked -. the four ways. Before the car was placed back on the rails there was « line of tramcars extending up Queen Street for as far ac the eye could see. The mishap was soon remedied by placing the car on the other set of rails and sending it up Queen .Street. But it took some time before the traffic became normal. During the past' few days the people of Picton ha-ve been suffering from a plague of herrings, the harbour being infested %y the little fish, which have been cast ashore in thousands. Residents have been carting them away by the barrow load to use as garden manure. The borough council was reduced to the necessity of wire netting the mouth of the lagoon to keep the fish out, but tihis step has apparently proved fruitless, as the lagoon is full of herrings, bofsh alive and dead. Recently there was a Sunday School entertainment in _aumarunui, and among the items was a solo by one of the senior girls (says an exchange). Just before the concert it struck one of the committee that it would add to the effect of the solo if an echo could be produced from the gallery, and she hastily looked round for a child who could sing. On the advice of some of the ohjer scholars she selected a small girl recently arrived from Scotland, who was' reported to have a beautiful voiceThere was no time for rehearsal, the small girl was hidden in the gallery and instructed to repeat, in a very soft tone, the words, "Ely Away," which were the concluding words of the song to be sung on the stage. The senior girl came forward and #ang delightfully, the words "Fly Away" rang sweetly through the hall, and the committee listened breathlessly for the echo. It came with astonishing clearness. "Flee awa'," piped the little Scottish girl to the delight and huge amusement of the audience.