General News.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18970, 7 April 1927, Page 8

General News.

Since the 10 per cent, penalty on the overdue Citv rates became operative on March sth, only about £2OOO of the amount overdue has been received, leaving a balance owing of about £9OOO. It is probable that this balance will bo sued for next month. Smoke issuing from under the seat in the fore-cabin of the electric car ot the 1.12 p.m. tram from the Square to Papanui, yesterday, resulted in a hurried exit of passengers to the other part of the oar. A liberal application of sand on the over-heated part of the machinery smothered the smoke and the tram was able to go on.

When backing on to the road from 115 Linwood avenue, on Tuesday afternoon, a motor-car ran over an eight-year-old boy, Noel Button. He was removed to the Christchurch Hospitnl with abdominal injuries. His condition was not serious. His father, Mr A. W. Button, who was at the wheel, noticed nothing amiss until the rear and front wheels had parsed over the boy. The Auckland Chamber of Commerce recently enquired into the delays in the Patents Office, and the secretary of the Department concerned explained that they were due to outward transfers and sickness on tho part of senior officers with sufficient experience to handle cases presenting unusual or novel features. Lecturing on his impressions of Japan, at a meeting of the Philosophical Institute, held last evening, Dr. C. Coleridge Farr, who attended the recent Pan Pacific Science Congress held there, said that it had been proved that the greatest evil connected with earthquakes was the fires which followed. That aspect of tho earthquake menace should bo looked to in New Zealand in view of any possible disturbances that might take'' place here.

The Prime Minister informed a depu-. tation yesterday that exhaustive enquiries were in train to ascertain how much more New Zealand ordinary building timber could be made to fit in with the requirements of the State Adyaneos Office, in accordance with the policy ot that department. The Mayor of Baetihi (Mr W. A. Sanford), said that the Prime Minister's announcement was oue that would bo welcomed by many people in the Dominion—Press Service.

"I have taken So pages ot notes, and 1 think counsel have covered everything pretty fully," sa.dMr Justice Frazor, when the fourth day s bitting of tho Transport Appeal Board at Auckland concluded shortly hc/or«> n o'clock on Saturday evening. 'fortunately we have finished and J. <'■&« leave for tho South to-morrow evening." added his Honour, "fender tije circumstances, I will say m the words of St Paul. 'Finallv, brethren, tarewell.' " "It would surprise you, sir, how our Bcform candidates would fare in Canterbury if thero were an election in the near future," said Mr J. R. Dalton, president of*tho Mothven branch of the Farmers' Union, yefrterday, in the course of a welcome at Methven to the Minister for Agriculture, the Hon. Mr Hawken, who was tf/uring wheat-grow-ing areas of Mid-Canterbury. Mr Dalton, who was referring to the wheat position, continued: "It just behoves you to take a stand in tho interests of the farmers."

There are daily recurring indications of the scarcity of employment for women in Auckland. A business man, who invited applications for a typiste at £1 a week, received aver 200 applications for the post. Even in domestic service there is a rush for employment. A suburban resident required the services of a girl for the house for five days a week, and offered 20s as a remuneration, the person engaged to live at her own home. There was a stream of applicants during the day. and included were no fewer than 14 married women seeking employment. Purchased some time ago by the Fuller Proprietary for a site on which to erect a theatre, the old Coliseum building was recently sold to the Sutton Investment Company, the proposal to erect a theatre in Gloucester street having in the meantime been abandoned in favour of a more convenient site in the vicinity of the Clock Tower. The Coliseum has now been leased to Mr Geo. Dickinson, who intends to alter the building for the purpose of a garage to accommodate the White Diamond taxis, and al6o as a parking place for private cars. Club cricket in Auckland has never proved a strong attraction to the public and at times the spectators would not number sufficient to raise even a decent round of applause. But last Saturday must have established a record for Bden Park, as the rows on the concrete terraces recently constructed on the hill held but a solitary occupant when the games began, and though the crowd increased as the afternoon wore on, the terraces, which must have cost many hundreds of pounds, never at any time, on Saturday held more than half a dozen enthusiasts.

"I am talking like this;" sand Dr. H. T. J. Thacker at yesterday's meeting of the Lyttelton Harbour Board, when criticising the policy of the Board, "because there is an election pending. If he stood for the Board again, it would be as an advocate of the Port Christchurch scheme and every vote cast for him would be a vote for that scheme. He added that he had been asked to stand for the City Council, but had not yet made up his mind whether he would accede to the request or not. He had also been asked to stand for a seat on the North Canterbury Hospital Board. "If I get there," he said, amid laughter, "the Tory element will get a tremendous shake up." The unusual spectacle of a Turkish flag flying on a British ship induced a reporter to go on board the steamer Argyllshire at Port Chalmers and enquire about its significance. "This is the Mohammedans' Christmas Day," replied an officer who was consulted. The steamer is manned by Lascar deck hands, firemen, and stewards, who were shipped in Calcutta. They are devout Mohammedans,. and they were celebrating Mohammed's birthday, a , holiday being granted for its due obseri vance. The ceremonies included a procession to salute the 6un as the source of light, warmth, and other factors of physical well-being. Every coolie bowed reverently reciting a formula of gratitude and supplication. The story of the adventures of the much-travelled black cat on the steamer Maunganui has moved an old Auckland sailor to relate a stranger story of a dog's sea voyage. In the early 'nineties a sailor arrived in Thames with a small Irish terrier, which had accompanied him on several voyages. Having just been paid off, the sailor went on a "spree," aisd before he was sober he left for Auckland. leaving the dog at the Thames. In Auckland he joined a ship for Iy.ndon and in due course was paid off in ihnt port. While wandering: about the docks some time lator he was nipt bv an Irish terrier which went wild with joy. It was his own dog. which, knowing no other home but a sailing ship, had joined the first one which had called at the Thames, and had eventually taken up its quarters on a vessel bound for England.

A new development in tho Takapuna tram and ferry tangle is the announcement by the Devonport Ferry Company that it is applying for authority to run ferry steamers between Auckland and Bayswater, to which the Takapuna Ferry Company's boats now run, connecting up with the trams, states an Auckland Press Association message Captaiii H. Muuro suggested at yesterday's meeting of the Lyttelton Harbour Board that one of the matters that should be given consideration in the future operations of the Board was how to overcome the bad effect of the range, which was so obvious in tho harbour at certain times, and which caused so much inconvenience to shipping-

"Compared with Japan, we don't know what cultivation is here in Zealand. The Japanese cultivate their land ur> to the eleetric transmission lines and if there is any space between tho supports of the towers carrying the lines, they will cultivate that too."— Dr. C. Coleridge Farr in his nddress at the meeting of the Philosophical Institute held last evening. At a recent meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce it was reported that the Prime Minister had written slating that the formalities to be complied with on arrival from overseas were, as a result of the representations of the Chamber, being slightly cut down. It was decided to thank tho Prime Minister's office for its favourable consideration of the representations of the Chamber. '•'The Japanese. Government wants to increase the stature of the people by encouraging them to oat meat," said Br, C. Coferidge Farr at last night's meeting of tho Philosophical Institute. "But it is extremely difficult to run sheep on the hills on account of the very thick growth of bamboo. Anyone opening up a meat market with Japan, might do very well," he concluded.

Tiio'secretary oJ: the Auckland Chamber of Commerce some time ago took up with the secretary of the Tost and Telegraph Department the matter ot the difficulty of distinguishing between 3's and s's as printed m the le.ephonc Directory: At a recent meeting of the Chamber it was reported that a promise had been given that more easily distinguishable type would be used in future issues. Hindus to the number 01 :>9 attended tho auction sale of Wellington street fruit stands for the April-June quarter, which was held at the Town Hall vesterday. The stands, which cost tho Citv Council nothing, veahsed £*3o /s 6d, against £216 7s 6d for tho conesPo idiuK quarter last year. The stands with the exception of one, were all disposed oT to Indians, who in each casepaid-up spot cash for the whole quarters rent. Prices ranged from ■h 10s to £sS.~Pkess Service. Recently a deputation waited on the Mayor of Wellington and P™»ented him with a petition signed by 4450 ratepayers, asking that a poll be taken to affirm or reject the principle that all cit? rates he levied on the basis of unimproved values. As more, tiian the reauired fifteen per cent, of ratepayers Sid the requisition the Mayor has acceded to the request, and a .poll is announced to take place on April -7th, the date of the municipal elections. Press Association.

Tho last old wooden shop, in Queen Btrcot, Auckland's main business thoroughfare, is shortly to d*appear. It is situated next to Tonson, Garhck, and Co.'s premises, which are soon to give place to the St. James Theatre Fullers' new house of entertainment, lhe shop is said to be eighty years ohi and in- its time it has played varied parts as a tearoom, butcher's shop, and latterly as a bootmaker's shop. Outside the shop is a post.-to which, is attached a hitching-ring for tethering horses. That post and the old iron hitching-ring just outside the Metropolitan Hotel in Queen street are the last souvenirs of the days before tho motor came into use.

The maximum load at the Lake Coleridge power station during the week ended the 3rd inst. was 17,420 k.w., and was recorded between 7 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. last Friday. As already announced in The Press, this constitutes a record for the station, and is an increase of 830 k.w. compared with the previous week's maximum, which, till then, was the record for the station, and was 16,590 k.w. Last week's maximum was well within the nominal capacity of the equipment in service, which could have provided an additional 2080 k.w. At the Addington sub-sta-tion last week the maximum was 12.940 k.w. (12,640 k.w. the previous week), and was recorded during the same halfhour as ihe power station load. The lake level was at 1669.85 ft (previous week 1670.12 ft); and the inflow from the Harper river averaged 84 cusecs (previous week, 229 cusecs). By the Tainuij carrying this mail (says our London correspondent), there are 324 assisted passengers going to the Dominion. Included in this number are 35 Salvation Army boys in charge of a Salvation Army officer; 12 Public school boys\ and 10 farm workers. The migration officer in London has adopted a new scheme which gives him greater opportunity for culling out applicants for passages who are not likely to make good settlers. Everyone now has to forward his or her photograph with the application. Hitherto the migration officer has had to adjudicate in most | doubtful cases without a personal interview, and when he has watched the migrants going on board the ship there have been people whom he would have turned down bad it been possible previously to have seen them. Now the migration officer when in doubt, owing to some point in the medical or character report, can make a final appeal to the general appearance of the applicant as depir+ed in.the photograph. Schools' Breadmaking Competitive Examination. —The 1927 examination is now in progress, and about 1100 girls will make up at school one small white loaf. The bread will be displayed by the courtesy of Mason, Struthers and Co., Ltd., in one of their windows in Colombo street on Friday and Saturday, the Bth and 9th inst. —6

No party is complete without a generous supply of Cooke's Quality Ice Cream Cooke'6 pure ice cream is supplied in any quantity for dances, picnics, bazaars, fetes, garden parties, sports meetings, and school treats, etc Ring 'phone 8610 or write your instructions and Cooke's will do the rest. New large, up-to-date tea rooms are in course of preparation at the old address, TV. R. Cooke and Son. 218 High street, Christchurch. 6 Don't hesitate a moment «hen considering moving your furniture. J. M Heywood and Co., Ltd., are the people to do it for you. —6 Ransome (British) Tractor Thresher. —A Public l>emonstratioii—in Tuscan wheat—wilt be given on the farm of L. Williams, Esq., Shand's Track, Prebbleton, on April 12th, 13th, and 14th, afternoon. By courtesy ot Mr William*, all interested aro invited. Full particulars at triai. Booth. Macdonald and Co., Ltd. 0512 Claw' Harrows soiling on sight! They have, created a sensation in agricultural circles by their surprising efficiently and moderate cost. For getting twitch to the surface they haveu't i a riral hi sight, and for general culti- | vat ion work they lead the lot! And j they cost only about half what wheeled cultivators cost. But we aro prepared to let the Claw Harrow prove its own case on your farm. That's a fair offer, j isn't it? We can arrange tria} to * your satisfaction and convenience. I 800-Jh, Macdonald and Co., Ltd, 0612