LAND SALES

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 28, 28 October 1926, Page 7

LAND SALES

Messrs. S. George Nathan and Company submitted to auction yesterday afternomi a brick factory situated in Home Street, which up till lately has been used as a hosiery mill, with floor space amounting to 5500 square feet. Bidding started at £5OOO, and rose to £6OOO, at which price it was passed in, as the reserve was not reached. The second property offered was 5 acres 3 roods 39.7 perches of vacant land situated Melbourne Road; Mace and Jackson Streets, Island Bay. Bidding started at £450, and the property was sold to Mrs. Pearson for £5OO. The firm also reports having sold Mr. A. B. Knight's residence >n Hobson Street, and Mr. Bradney Williams's home in Scatoun Heights, which they recentlv offered at auction.

A short, vivid drama, strongly reminiscent of the photoplays of Old Spain and the bull-ring, was staged on the Queen's Wharf, Auckland, one afternoon (says the “New Zealand Herald”). A young bull, an intended passenger on the Tofua for the Islands, broke free and gave a number of amateur matadors an exciting half-hour. His first move when the door of his truck was opened was to hurl himself across the wharf with a short bellow of rage and to disappear down the narrow space between the side of the vessel and the wharf. Not without trouble he was hoisted on to the wharf again, and there, in a temporary bull-ring, there ensued an Homeric struggle before one toreador in dungarees twisted a rope round the animal’s forelegs and hauled him, an unwilling captive, into the loading crate. Afterwards, an occasional stifled bellow reminded the dispersing crowd that one at least of the Tofua’s passengers regretted leaving New Zealand.

An amusing story of a minister’s disillusionment comes from Ohai. On a recent Saturday night (says an exchange) the power supply failed shortly after the commencement of the pictures, and it was announced to the disappointed audience that the remainder of the programme would be screened on the following night, Sunday. The visiting minister being unaware of this arrangement, held a service in the hall on the Sunday evening, and was pleasantly surprised at the size of the congregation, which increased every few minutes. The climax was reached when, iy* the middle of his eloquence, a the back sang out, “Cut it short, mister, we are waiting to see the rest of the pictures.”