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Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7250, 1 September 1933, Page 6

The bridge at Awahuri was reported to be closed for heavy traffic yesterday and will also be closed to-day while repairs are being effected. During the month ended yesterday, the Palmerston. North Fire Brigade answered 11 calls. Five of the calls were to chimney outbreaks, two were actual fires, two falso alarms, one a burning hodge and one an over-heated oil-burner.

Bankruptcies registered at the office of the D.O.A. for the montn ended yesterday totalled four, an increase of two both over the return for July and for the corresponding period of the previous year. Of tho four, three wero city cases and one from tho country. An indication of tho improved economic position is affordod by tho fact that tho Government has abolished the office of tho Official Assignee at Ashburton and is administering bankruptcies from Christchurch as from to-day. There were only four bankruptcies in Ashburton this year. The steamer Port Fremantle, which has a damaged starboard engine, was towed into Cook Strait by the tug Toia yesterday and proceeded to Sydney on her port engine, the Toia remaining with her in the Strait. The Port Fremantle expects to reach Sydney on Wednesday. William Gee, aged- 27, who was found under a bed in a suburban house at Auckland, pleaded guilty yesterday to a charge of breaking and entering with intent to commit a crime, also to other similar charges. He was committed for sentence. Amongst his possessions were 54 keys.

Pleading guilty in the Magistrate’s Court at Wellington yesterday, to the third offence of being intoxicated when in charge of a motor-car, Walter Frederick Harris, aged 34, was fined £3O and prohibited from obtaining a driver’s license for five years. Accused was also fined £5 on a charge of driving without a license.

Tho Wellington Cricket Association’s management committee has accepted Canterbury’s proposed dates of December 30 and January I, 2 and 3 for the Plunket Shield match, Canterbury v. Wellington, at Wellington. It is suggesting to Auckland that December 23, 25, 26 and 27 be the dates for the Auckland-Wellington match, which is also to be played at Wellington.

“There’s nothing "beautiful about the pukeko—l think we should get permission to shoot them,” stated a member of the Palmerston North branch of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society, in pointing out that this protected bird was a real thief and also responsible for the disappearance of duck eggs. “We should get a fortnight’s open season and have an ’open slather,’ ” he said. Eventually it was decided to approach the parent bSdy requesting that tho first two weeks of the shooting season be granted for this purpose.

That the Milson aerodrome is not the only available lauding field in the vicinity of Palmerston North was proved on Wednesday when a ’plane arriving late from Wellington mistook its destination and alighted in a field near Bunnythorpe. Flares had been prepared at tho ’drome, but owing to the poor visibility the pilot was unable to pick them up, with the result that he passed on to a less orthodox landing ground. However, in spite of high tension cables surrounding the paddock, he made a successful landing, and lost no timo in coming into town by car.

At the Police Court at Invercargill yesterday, a married woman, with five children, was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment for stealing a gramophone record from a shop. Counsel asked for lenioncy on tho ground of hardship to the husband, who is a relief worker, and the children. The Magistrate (Mr. Levvey) said that shoplifting appeared to be increasing. Under certain circumstances, such as absolute destitution, some forms of shoplifting could be pitied, if not condoned, but in this case thcro was nothing to justify leniency. At; counsel’s request the sentenco was increased" by one day to enable accused to appeal.

When the 'Wellington-Wairarapa ranger (Mr. P. W. Willson) reported that he had seized 234 opossum skins from two Wellington persons he mentioned in his statement read at last evening’s meeting of the Palmerston North branch of the "Wellington Acclimatisation Society, that the trappers wero to bo proceeded against for taking skins from opossums that had been poisoned. Mr. E. G. Matthews (chairman) at the meeting, mentioned that the case was to be heard in 'Wellington to-day and would be particularly interesting if successful for it would show that rangers could discern skins taken from poisoned animals. The rangers had gone into the area concerned to collect cvidenco and to prove their contention had trapped, snared and poisoned opossums to display as evidence to the Court the difference in tho appearance of the skins.

Escorted by a New Zealand seaplane and two Australian flying boats, and led by H.M.A.S. Canberra, four warships came up the Hauraki Gulf at the dawn of a perfect spring day and arrived in Auckland harbour at 7 a.m. yesterday, The Australia followed the Canberra and then came the Dunedin, flagship of the New Zealand Division, and the Diomede, the Dominion cruisers showing up much smaller than the visitors with their high rakish masts and three funnels. The Canberra berthed at the Central Wharf, the Australia anchoring in the stream, while the New Zealand cruisers went to their usual berth at Devonport. Ofiicial calls were paid yesterday morning on Kear-Ad-miral Dalglish by the Mayor and chairman of the Harbour Board. The Australian visitors will stay a week and a round of sports and social engagements have been arranged, including intersquadron .Soccer, Rugby, hockey and golf contests. Next Wednesday all four ships will leave for gunnery practice in the Hauraki Gulf, with aircraft co-operation. The Canberra and Australia will then sail for southern ports. The annual meeting of the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board was held at Wellington yesterday, when, after a general discussion on problems of marketing, the delegates to the board unanimously adopted the report and bal-ance-sheet.