LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 155, 29 December 1925, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

About twenty members of the Tararua Tramping Club are at present spending an enjoyable holiday at Mount Holdsworth. They are making various excursions along the ranges from their camp in the Waiohine Valley. Smaller parties from Mastertou, states the "Wairarapa Daily Times," have also been among the ranges. A party consisting of Messrs. Selby, Gardner, and Stidolph, set out on Christmas Day for Mount Dundas, and intend to return on Tuesday.

The Christchurch tramwaymen have taken a ballot during the last f"w days on a proposal to strike, stav^ a Press Association telegram from Christchurch. It is said that the motormen and conductors are strongly in favour of a strike owing to dissatisfaction with their treatment by the management. The ballot taken, however, embraces all members of the union, aud all the employees arc not so dissatisfied as the traffic men. The result of the ballot is not declared yet. If the declaration is in favour of strike the proposal is that work shall cease on New Year's Day. '

One hundred and ninety passengers arrived at Dunedin on Sunday afternoon by the Union Company's sstcaincr Mararoa on her second, trip from Wellington direct. The favourite old vessel made another smart passage of twenty-five hours, wharf to wharf, at an average speed of 13.6 knots. All the passengers speak highly of the ship and the comforts of the trip, which was made all the more enjoyablo by the exceptionally fine weather and smooth seas (states the "Otago Daily Times"). That the trip is becoming very popular is shown by the increased number of travellers this voyage. PracticaHy all the passengers are Exhibition visitors, and about 135 have their meals and also sleep on board during the Mararoa's stay of three days. The vessel's weekly visits have attracted the attention of numerous citizens, and hundreds who usually take a Sunday afternoon stroll to the Botanical Gardens and other places, now visit the waterfront and watch the excursionists disembarking.

After scouring Auckland in a motorcar on Thursday, Detective Barling succeeded in running to earth a boy aged 15, who was in possession of a stolen car. Detective Barling was proceeding to the police station in the morning in a car that had been recovered, wheu, in the vicinity of the waterfront, he saw another car which had been reported as missing. The driver, a boy, apparently recognised the detective, and made off (states the "New Zealand Herald"). Not knowing the speed capabilities of the vehicle in his charge, Detective Barling proceeded to the police station, and resumed the chase in an official ear. After tracing the boy through the suburbs, the detective rinally overtook him in St. James's street, city, several hours later. The boy confessed to two other enses of unlawful conversion of motor-cars. In one in-sbuH-e he proceeded to Hamilton, where the car broke down. He told a plausible story to a garage proprietor and returned to Auckland, by trnhi, WHlg liia fare vsit,)* MVHuy \w Uuti borrowed,

In an endeavour to warn children of the danger of touching live wires, the Southland Power Board has made arrangements with the district Education Board by which directions, written in clear and simple language, will be read by teachers in all schools in Southland.

Dunedin City, with its great attraction, tho Exhibition, is tho Mecca of New Zealand at present, telegraphs "Tho Post's" correspondent. By train nearly ten thousand visitors have arrived during the past few days, and many hundreds have corao by car. The tram and bus services are being taxed to the utmost, and their takings on Boxing Day were a record—£l3oo.

A finely-wooded area of forty acres, adjacent to Botorua, has been placed at tho disposal of the Borough Council by Messrs. Steele Brothers for a camping ground for motorists (states the "New Zealand Herald")- • Tho town is rapidly tilling, and all the motor companies report that business is brisk, ffhe weather continues delightful. There were over 1000 people in the Government Gardens on Thursday evening.

A very fine lunar halo, perfectly circular in form, hung in the sky over Christchurch almost due north, at half-past nine on Sunday night. The colours of the' spectrum were all plainly seen in the brilliant and impressive halo (states the "Press). The spectacle was one most rare, and by timid-minded people was viewed as a portent presaging disaster, such at) an earthquake, or the tail-end of the tidal wave which overran the island of Yap in the North Pacific a few days ago.

Mombers of Parliament had a loug talk last session, which ran for fourteen weeks. A Wellington gentleman who has an itching for facts and any amount of time at his disposal, has been delving into "Hansard" to uncertain how far the speeches would reach in single column and how far the lines would go if placed end ou. In column the speeches would covtr 44,378 inches, or 1232 yards, and line to line they would string out for 887,----560 inches, or 14 miles. If the speeches were worth 5s per inch, which some of those who heard them may doubt, the total value would bo £11,094.

The frequency of cases of breaking and entering was commented upon by Mr. Justice Reed in the Supreme Court at Auckland. "One hesitates very much," said his Honour, "about giving probation unless the circumstances are exceptional. Breaking and entering has been going on all over the Dominion, and it has to be stopped." His Honour was speaking of the caßes of two men committed for sentence from Whakatane, (states the "New Zealand Herald"). As the police report had not arrived from Gisborne, the headquarters of the district, he remanded them until, after the holidays, remarking that Mr. Justice Stringer would probably be able to deal with them early next mouth.

When General Sir Charles Mansfield Clarke was in Wellington recently he renewed acquaintance with Su?-gcant-Major Be.zar, of the 57th ("Diehards") Regiment, with whom ho served in the Maori War from 1801 to 1866. At that time General Clarke was a young lieutenant in the "Diehards," and was adjutant to the regiment. Although they have not mi;t for 60 years General Clarke and Ser-geant-Major Bezar frequently corresponded with one another. When the General arrived in Wellington he and his former sergeant-major wen photographed together. In the eourso of a letter to Sergeant-Major Bazar, General Clarke says:—"My deuv Bezar. —I was much touched by your visit to me on Saturday and shall value much the photo, of our meeting on the wharf on 22nd October. It has been a great pleasure to me to meet you and to have a talk over old times."

The recent cruise of the United States navy to Australia and New Zealand is now being featured as an attraction to draw volunteers to the navy, posters showing views of the life in the Southern Hemisphere being displayed in various American cities, writes a New York correspondent. One of these conspicuous in New York bears the title, "The Metropolis of Sidney.".. Possibly the mis-spelling might be forgiven even in a poster that stresses the advantages of travel as an education were it not for the fact that the view is not one of Sydney at all (states the "New Zealand Herald"). It was taken from the Welleslcy Street Library tower in Auckland, and shows the junction of Queen and Welleslcy streets, with St. Matthew's Church in the background. The error was tho subject of comment in several New York newspapers.

The touring BriUsh bowlers are having a particularly busy timo in New Zealand, but they are enjoying every moment of it. This is tho manner in which Mr. G. Wright, 'captain of. the team, expressed himself at Auckland on Thursday. "I cannot give you any opinion about Auckland," he said, "except to say that it and the people we have met here might be just a bit of England. No, lam not quite right there," he added, "the surroundings here are newer and you get here and there a reminder in the shape of indigenous bush and a more brilliant colouring of your flowers to emphasise that this country vis not just England in a good summer." That was the only difference that struck Mr. Wright (states the "New Zealand Herald"). "The people are typically British," he said. "Just look round here." It was on the Auckland bowling green. "You might bo on any green in England. I never felt more at home in my life."

The stately American yacht Kaimiloa, now lying at anchorage above the Auckland wharves, has been brilliantly illuminated each evening since Christmas Eve, and the striking picture she has presented has been much admired, states the "New Zealand Herald." Christinas is always a joyous festival with the Americans, who decorate their homes with holly and shaded lights and hang huge holly wreaths in (lie front windows. Although far from his home port, the owner of the Kaiiniloa, Mr. M. K. Kellnm, is keeping up the traditions of his country. It is his custom to keep the lights of the deck cabins en the yacht burning until late in the evening, so that the sheer of the vessel is outlined, but since the beginning of the festive season festoons of electric bulbs have been hung. Red and white bulbs arc strung closely from the end of the jib-boom to the foremast head, and from masthead to masthead and then down to the stern. The outline of the hull is picked out with similar lights along the top of tho bulwarks on both sides of tho iseliuojiei', &roiij u« stcru to Hie wd of the. jib-feoouw.