Local and General

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 12, 28 December 1926, Page 4

Local and General

We have to acknowledge receipt of a copy of the New Zealand Official Year Book for 1927 from the Census and Statistics Office.

The sum of £5O in banknotes was stolen early on Christmas morning from a visitor staying at the Central Hotel, Auckland, who left the money in the pocket of his suit on the end of the bed. A return furnished by the Government Statistician, Mr Malcolm Fraser, in the Abstract of Statistics for December, shows that Now Zealand had a balance of exports over imports during 1925 of £2,805,8*65. Robert Ogden, who appeared at the Napier Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning before Messrs. W. J. McGrath and C. Prime, J. P. ’s. charged with resisting the police on Christmas Eye, was fined £3. On a charge of being drunk and disorderly he was convicted and discharged. Although the Wellington'telegraph office appeared to be m»re crowded with Christmas work than ever, the official returns show there w r as a falling off in the number of messages, the figures being 101,486, against 110,025 last year. Postal business also showed a reduction from 20,341 packages to 18,9-10. Out stamp sales exhibit an increase from £5,045 to £5,862. Christmas Day at the Parke Island Home was celebrated in timehonoured fashion. Bodily ailments and increasing years were for the time, forgotten and the spirit proper to the festive occasion was very marked. On Christmas morning a large and very valuable assortment of seasonable gifts was distributed much to the pleasure, of the old folks. The dinner tables were prettily decorated and laden with abundance of Christmas cheer. Mr R, HayChapman. the superintendent/ had an exceedingly busy day A and in the women’s ward Miss Anderson did the I best possible for her charges.

Several bottles of Communion wine were stolen from the Saeristry of St. Paul’s Church, Symonds street, Auckland, on Thursday morning. An unsuccessful attempt had been made to open the safe. Many articles of value, including the Communion Plate, were left untouched.

H. M.S. Laburnum is to leave Auckland to-morrow for the Bay of Islands to take soundings for a safe anchorage for the Henown, -which is going to Bussell with the Duke of York. The Ke now ti is due there on February 24th with a party for two days deep sea fishing.—(Press Association.)

Mr J. D. Brousing, of Mahakipawa, Marlborough last night caught a blue chequer carrier pigeon bearing a message stating that it landed on the Union Company's Kaiwarra bound for Lyttelton from Newcastle on December 18th last, when the vessel was 1000 miles from the Now Zealand Coast. It was liberated at noon on December 20th off Farewell Spite.— (Press Association.)

Reports have boon received that the gannet sanctuary at Capo Kidnappers is being visited by youths and adults without obtaining the necessary permit from the Commissioner of Lands, Napier. At present it is the gannets’ breeding and nursing season, and visitors should not go on to the nesting ground.

Carrying over 000 tourists from England, Canada' and the United States, the 20,000-ton Cunard liner Carinthia arrived at Auckland from Port Moresby, New Guinea on Sunday afternoon on her second visit io New Zealand. Most of the passengers are Americans, but there are twelve from Englund, besides a small baud of Canadians. Among interesting personalities are Mr. F. W. Kellog. of Los Angeles, owner of the “Los Angeles Express,” and 15 other American west coast papers, and Miss Ethel Weldon Donaghue, New York’s leading woman lawyer and formerly Assistant Attorney-General in that city.

Tho year 1926 has seen a record amoutt of building undertaken in Napier, and a review of the annual returns shows that Napier’s advancement during 1926 was greater than for many years past. Work valued at £158,625 was undertaken during the year, which is an improvement ot about £2D,500 over 1925, and more than double that of 1922. Ona, of the features of the year’s work has been the progress made industrially. Expansion of business has necessitated- several firms going in for more upto-date premises while others have been obliged to undertake substantial additions. The erection of new dwelling*. when compared with other years, shows a slight falling off.