LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Northern Advocate, 5 June 1924, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There are 1330 consumers of electricity connected with the reticulation in Whangarei, together with 56 in Kamo. Arrangements have been completed for a visit of the Lyric Quartette of Auckland (Messrs Ripley, Richards, McElwain and Ryan), who will appear at the Whangarei Orchestral Society's concert on Friday, June 13. The Education Department has authorised a grant for the removal of a disused school building from Tangihua No. 2 to Waiotama. The Auckalnd Education Board has instructed its architect to have the building removed as quickly as possible.

The proposal of the Whangarei Borough Council to extend sewerage* to the site of the new Hora Hora school if the Auckland Education Board would contribute £200 to the cost was before the Board yesterday. Mr .1. 1). MeKen/.ie w-as deputed to discuss the question with the Council. Minor grants authorised yesterday by the Auckland Education Board include £~> for a stove for Omana Tunnel school, and £5 for improvement of windows r.t Waipu Upper school. The Board has accepted Messrs Mason Bros.' offer of 3d per cubic yard for stone to be taken from the grounds of the school residence at Whangarei' Heads. 'The Opuawhanga school stands on a large reserve,.and the Auckland Education Board has decided that it is unwise to allow so much 'land to' lie idle. On the recommendation of Mr J. T). Mclvenzie, the Board has allotted four acres V>i' school purposes', and tenders f'or the lease of the rest, of the reserve will be invited. ' '' As the committee of the Whangarei District Court for the Auckland Winter Exhibition has so far only one pheasant for t'he Court, and appeal has been made to local sportsmen to send some specimens along. At least four brace are required and donors are requested to hand them in at Messrs Timewell and Ivngi's butchery before Monday morning. Attention of the Railways Department has been drawn by the town clerk, Mr C. L. Grange, on behalf of the Whangarei Borough Council to the dangerous condition of Morningside caused by the operations of the steam shovel widening the railway cutting. The road is described as unfit for use and unsafe, and the Council has called upon the Department to remedy the condition of -affairs without, delay.

At the meeting of the Auckland Education Board yesterday it was stated that a. child's signature in printed characters had been refused at the Whangarei Post Office Savings Bank, and she had had some difficulty in

signing in cursive writing. It was stated that teachers could teach pupils either to print or to write, and the senior inspector had recommended the print system. The Board decided to ask the inspector for a report on the subject. The Flag Cup essay competition under the auspices of the Auckland Education Board has been judged, and the committee has awarded the cup to Edmond Weannouth, Matakohe school, and highly commended the essays of the following: Jessie Mill, Thames South; Phyllis Gee, .Belmont; Peggy Glasgow, Parnell. The essays of Dorothy Woolley, Hamilton West, and Margaret Mackie. Taneatua, were commended. The Board yesterday asked Mr J. D. Mclvenzie to visit Matakohe and present the cup. The Auckland Education Board yesterday received a letter from the Board of Governors of the Whangarei High School, asking foi: the Education Board's co-operation in regard to the proposal to establish at Whangarei n junior high school, the idea beiug to class this institution as a junior division of the existing school and place it under the control of the Board of Governors. Discussion on the letter was favourable, and Mr J. D. Mclvenzie was asked to interview t'he "Whangarei School Committees with a view to ascertain their 'attitude towards the proposals.

The Waimate North school has been destroyed by fire, the cause not being known. This fact was reported by telegram yesterday to the Auckland .Education Board. A •-■cording to a passenger who travelled, by railway from Auckland to Whangarei yesterday, signs of the recent floods are much in evidence and many gangs are busy repairing the embankments or clearing away debris. The third of Mr W. A. Given's series of scientific lectures under the auspices of the W.E.A. will be given at the Whangarei High {School to-morrow, beginning at 7.30 p.m. The subject is '' acids and bases," and this will give opportunity for the discussion of many matters of great interest. The lectures are open to all who are interested.

Residents in the vicinity of Hora Horn School witnessed an exciting chase after the man William Sutherland. who was sentenced to threo months' hard labour t'his morning. Constable Beasley, aided by a local householder armed with an axe, chased Sutherland two or three times round a house before the Constable caught him and placed the handcuffs on his wrists. After being fined and paying £15 yesterday for using obscene language and refusing to leave licensed premises when requested to do so, William Sutherland appeared before Messrs T. Hardy and E. L. Whimp, Justices of the Peace, at the Whangarei Courthouse this morning, charged with repetition of t'he first mentioned offence. He was sentenced to three months' hard labour. Michael Melville was fined £2 fcr being drunk and disorderly.

A meeting of the Whangarei Liberal Association was hold in the Town Hall supper room last evening, when final arrangements were made in connection with the visit of Mr T. M. Wilford 011 Monday next. Invitations have been sent to members of local bodies and prominent citizens to meet the Leader of the Liberal Party on his arrival. It was announced that as Mr Wilford's itinerary of the South had been definitely arranged he would be unable to proceed any further North than Whangarei. Experimental work on the Whangarei Harbour Board's reclamation opposite the Grotto gardens is being carried on by the joint Hockey and Cricket Association's committee. Extra drains are being dug, and the relative success to be achieved by ploughing and cropping, or by simply scarifying and surface sowing is to be tested. The chief objection to ploughing is that it turns up shells, but it has been found that these decay more rapidly than was anticipated when once they have been exposed 011 the surface.

The opening day of the Auckland Racing Club's winter meeting at Ellerslie occupies a leading place in this week's issue of the "New Zealand Sporting and Dramatic Review," the Great Northern Hurdles being represented 'in snapshots of the event during its progress. Other items 011 the programme also have a good showing. Footballers will be keenly interested in the photographs of the Rugby exponents assembled in "Wellington forthe final All Black trials, two splendid groups having been obtained.

The Auckland Education Board, by five votes to three, decided yesterday to permit the Nelson system of Bible instruction at the Kotorua school, the ordinary timetable being suspended for half an hour once a week to enabic

ministers of religion to give the proposed instruction. It was stated that the householders of Rotorua had carried a resolution in favour of the project by 225 votes to 21, and that the ministers at Kotorua were especially well able to conduct the classes. The chairman of the Board pointed out that the decision did not affect other schools.

Delegates from the Whangarei Rugby Union to the recent meeting of the N.A.R.U. reported to a meeting of the Management Committee of the former body last evening upon the decision to allow Kaipara to make the first attempt this season to wrest the Harding Shield from Northern Wairoa. It was claimed that the Ivaipara challenge lodged last season had referred to that year only, that it had sim:i};']l|jpscil and that the Whangarei Union's challenge was the only one in when the annual general meeting o? the North Auckland Union took plac. 1 . It was decided to ask Kaipara to give way on the point and if they did not do so to seek a special meeting of the. senior union to discuss the matter. In reply to the request of the Railways Department that the Whangarei -Borough Council should improve the water service for the cottages to r e cicctcid by the Department on Morningside Road, it has been, pointed out that nccount of elevation the existing pipe installed by the Department wiil give onlv an indifferent service. Ithas been suggested that the Department pay one third of the cost of installing a four-inch main from the twelve-inch supply main on Railway Road to a point opposite the last house now built, and bear the whole cost of the private pipe from a reliable service. The Department is also asked to pay the cost, of installing a sewer from its property outside the borough boundaries to the main sewers within. Electricity will be available provided the Department pays for the pole line.

Shortly after noon to-day a motoi}. lorry sank into a recently filled iflt sewer trench in Eathbone Street, Wha« ngarei, the back wheels dropping al* most to the axles. Jacks were .-end*'- / ployed to get the waggon out of th<s bole. It is estimated (says an exchange)! that the settlers at Kai Iwi got £2001. to £400 worth of posts and as a result of the flood in the Wanganui River during April. There wua a lot of good totara amongst the tiim ber cast- up on the Kai Iwi beach. Whitebait in winter is an unusual event, vet these delectable little iisix have been caught within the last few days in the creeks branching off thej Wanganui River (states an exchange). Their extraordinary appearance is ro garded by some natives as an iudiea-*.-tion of an early spring. "The floods came earlier this yeaE than I have ever known," remarked the chairman. Sir James "Wilson, at aj meeting of the Manawatu County; ■ Council (states the "Manawatu Dailyj Times"). "Generally they do not come until June. Something will havQ to be done, as the floods are costing us a lot of money.''

Work at Culpan's filling near Mr G« ITawkes' property on the Whangarei to Onerahi road has been completed. Good progress is also being made under bad conditions by the contractor, Mr A. Ferguson, on the remaining threequarters of a mile requiring metal taf complete the road between the boroujjhi and the seaside suburb. Keen interest is being shown in tho" arrangements for the children's fancs dress ball to be held in the Town Hall to-morrow. The children! will have t'he floor from 7 till 9 p.m.j and from then till midnight it will be! occupied by adults. Prizes will bo( given for the best and the most orw ginal fancy dresses worn by and competition is likely to be keen.