NEWS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 19, 24 January 1927, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY

An Order from America,

New Zealand is accustomed to buying many tools from tho United States but it is at least unusual for an American to send an order to the Dominion. An Auckland business man was, therefore, greatly surprised last week to receive an order, accompanied' by cash from Berkley, California, for a certain typo of trowel which, the American explained, could not be purchased in his own country (states the "New Zealand Herald"). The fact that the tool was procurable in New Zealand was brought to tho American's aotice by an advertisement in a New Zealand paper. Deaths from " Flu." Deaths from influenza showed an in-" we«e » England during the week ended 15th January,, the- victims totalling 326 m 105 great towns, including London. Cabled advice received by the Minister of Health from the High Com* missioner in. London states that there were 137 deaths in the county of London and 233 in Greater London. Notifications of pneumonia totalled 1867 a slight decrease. Eeports received from the Ministry of Health indicated some increase in the prevalence, of influenza, particularly in the larger centres of population. So far London has been chiefly affected. The type of disease is mild, and complications are rare, and confined principally to children and the aged. On the Continent there is practically no change. Influenza is prevalent in France. In Switzerland it is decreasing, but Germany reports an increase in influenza cases of a generally mild type. Although Europe generally is affected, influenza is not prevalent in Austria and the Irish Free State. Safe Blown Open. At 4 o'clock this morning a safe in the office of the King George Theatre, Lower Hutt, was blown open, and some of tile contents stolen. The offico is situated in an arcade in the Town Hall buildings. Tho door of the office had been forced, and a charge of explosive used on the safe, which blew the door completely off. The sound of the explosion was heard, however, and the burglars disturbed "by the approach of a person who was proceeding to investigate, hastily decamped with only a very small portion of the fairly, large sum which the safe "contained. Results Long on 1 the Way. A" strong protest against the inconvenience caused by the late publication of the matriculation examination results was made by Mr. S. G. Smith at the meeting of the Taranaki Education Board recently, states the "Taranaki Herald." Mr. Smith mentioned that the boai-a was unable to make a number of appointments because the results of the examination were not yet known They all knew that the marking of such a largo number of papers was a long and difficult task, but the present difficutty could be obviated if the examinations were held earlier in the year. A complaint had previously been forwarded to the Minister of Education, but he had replied that the 'matter was entirely in the hands of the University Council. Mr. A. Lees agreed with the chairman that it was highly desirable that the examination results should be made known earlier. It was necessary that a full staff, particularly in the case of young teachers, should assemble' at the beginning of each year, ana, what with medical examinations and other formalities, it was frequently a month or six weeks after the opening date that the board, could make appointments. Danger on Mitfprd Track. ' A party of nine ladies.ana five men experienced a rough trip over the M'Kinnon Pass on the Milford track a few days ago. Just after they left the Qumtin huts the rain, which had been railing fairly steadily, increased in intensity until by the time the tourists had reachea the top of the pass it was a heavy deluge—one of tho heaviest that haa been experienced on "the track for a, long time. , On the Pompalona side of the track the party was faced with real danger. All the creeks were raging torrents, and they were rising every minute, ana there were several narrow escapes from drowning. In some places the travellers haa to use the telegraph wires to assist them in fording the streams, while, more than once they were compelled to leave the track in search of a less aangorous place.to cross. The aistance between Quintin and Pompalona is nine miles, ana it took the party nine hours to reach their destination—the last two miles taking four hours. A rescue party was aispatchea from Glade House, but it was unable to reach Pompalona. Congestion in Constable street. Tramway, bus, lorry, ana car traffic congestion is at present very baa in Constable street, where, by reason of the re-conditioning of the tram tracks, both lines of traffic, inwara ana outward, are thrown to one siae of the roadway. Constable street necessarily carries very heavy traffic, but the present serious congestion, even more 'dangerous than occurred auring . the long months of the re-conditioning of the tracks on Crawford roaa, wouia be considerably reduced were cars ana lorries, which are not bound by calls on the way. to travel via Constable street and Newtown, to follow tho levol going round Evans and Oriental Bays. Constable street is to be wiaened by another 14ft, but, even so, it may bo that it will not in future be the main roaa. to the eastern districts, for a. suggestea now roadway taking off from Riadifora street at a point considerably nearer the city than Constable Btreet, is 'rocoiving a gooa deal of consideration, and niay, likely enough, take the place of a second tunnel through Mount Victoria. Certainly its cost would bo much below that of a tunnel, whatever tunnel route was followed, ana, it is stated, it'will-be possible to set out a roadway with very fair grades. ■ Race Traffic Blocked, A car swerved off tho Main Hutt roaa, south of Taita Hotel, on Saturday ancl crashed into an : electric light polo .doing damage to the pole and being vory considerably damaged itself The car was completely wrecked. So far as is known, no one was seriously injured the driver escaping with-cuts about.the raco from tl w broken windscreen. As a result bf the accident, practically the whole of the race traffic returning to Wellington^ was heia up, the blockage affecting the stream of cars f or miles back towards Trentham. ; "