LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15549, 5 March 1914, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

News received by the Union Co.'s 'steamer Talune, which arrived at Auckland early yesterday morning from the , Cook and Society Islands, states that a hurricane swept over the outlying islands of the Cook Group during the second week lof January. Although no definite inl formation could be gathered as to the ex- ! tent of the damage sustained on the various small islands affected, it is believed that the fruit and other crops have suffered considerably. When the Talune arrived at Rarotonga, it was learned that a trading schooner had left Rarotonga on February 13 on a visit to the Cook Group to gather particulars. It was stated at ! Rarotonga that the islands of Aitutaki, Rakahanga, and Manihiki had suffered considerably from the blow. The members of the Royal Artillery Band left by yesterday's mid-day express for Wellington, where they will join the Ruapehu for the Old Country. At the station they were accorded a very hearty farewell by the many friends they have made during their stay, and also by members of the Exhibition Executive and representatives of the musical profession. Mr. George Elliot, president of the Exhibition, accompanied the band. A record kintrfhh was caught on Tuesday off Cape Brett, by Mr. J. Calthorpe, of Auckland, and was landed after a tight ! which was estimated to have lasted over I an hour and a-half, and which went a long way towards exhausting the strength of the fortunate angler. The fish measured sft 2in in length and 36in in girth, and 1 scaled 971b. About a fortnight ago j Mr. D- C. Campbell landed near Russell a •kingfish sft long, 3ft in girth and 911b in weight, thus breaking the record , held by Mr. H. P. Barry, who had caught a fish of 85ilb on the Waihi beach. Mr. Calthorpe's capture was made singlehanded from a launch, and the absence of a helper made it very apparent to the fisherman that he was at times on the verge of losing his catch, which put up a great fight. It ran out the full length of the 200-yard line and effectually prevented, for a considerable time, the recovery of any of the advantage that comes from having some line on the reel. The fish was brought to Auckland on the Clansman yesterday morning and put into a freezer to await the attentions of a taxidermist.

The Government has adopted a suggestion that the old Auckland Courthouse should be renovated and brought more up-to-dat,3 for the purposes of the Lands and Deeds Department and the Stamps Department. The scheme, row said to have been adopted by the Government is that the Lands and Deeds Department should take the whole of the ground floor of the old building, and that practically the whole of the upper floor be taken by the Stamps Department. The staff is also to be provided with a luncheon room on the upper floor. A similar convenience iB to be installed at the Customs Street building, where other improvements, including the installation of an elevator, are to be carried out. This is a similar plan to that which the Chamber of Commerce feared the Government would adopt. The chambev then decided that nothing but a thoroughly up-to-date new building should be built and resolved to appoint a deputation to wait upon the Minister for Justice in regard to the question during his next visit to the city. A boy named Charles Andrews, six years of age, • residing in Valley Road, -was knocked down by a city-bound tramcar at about five o'clock yesterday afternoon in Dominion Road. He was playing with, some other children in front of the Empire) Theatre, when he suddenly ran out on to

the road and stood directly in front of the approaching tram. The motorman pulled up very promptly, though not in time to, avert the accident. The boy was attended by Dt. A. N. Houghton, who found him to be suffering from only a few bruises and slight shock. He was able to walk home. A somewhat striking spectacle met the eyes. of the Exhibition authorities.yesterday morning on the site of the previous night's farewell concert by the Royal Artillery Band. All round the outside of the area occupied by the 2000 seats for hire was an untidy disarray of empty boxes, crates, cases, and timber structures of various sorts. Tuesday night's audience had commandeered this paraphernalia whereon to sit from all conceivable directions. Cases had been hauled out from beneath buildings, and from other storage places, one had been bodily lifted with its contents (three full tins of. biscuits) from the exhibit of a manufacturer, and even the trestles and tables of the Horticultural Society had been taken from the concert hall, where they had been stacked, to serve as temporary resting places. ' So great was the accumulation of these " free seats " that five lorry loads were carted away from the site during yesterday, kuch was the aftermath of a notable night in the history of the Exhibition.

A movement of interest to sporting enthusiasts was set on foot at the meeting of the council of management of the New Zealand Rugby Football League last night Ihe president (Mr. D. W. McLean) drew attention to the fact that with the Exhibition drawing to a close, some improvements might be expected in the Domain sports ground. The turn-stiles might be acquired, as they had been by the Canterbury Rugby Union after the "last Christchurch Exhibition, but most important of all, the material for extra seating accommodation was at. hand, and might with profit be utilised. At present, said Mr. McLean, the grandstand at the Domain would accommodate very few besides officials and friends, and if extensions were made to that stand, or another erected" the departure would be greatly appreciated by the public, especially j n we weather. It was eventually decided to send circulars to various sports bodies of Auckland, asking each to appoint two representatives to meet representatives from the council on March 18, with a view to discussing the matter and ultimately forming a deputation to wait on the City Co. cil with reference to the improvement of the Domain sports ground. Messrs. D. W. McLean and J. B. Morton were appointed to represent the league at the proposed conference.

The proposed memorial to fallen soldiers is one of the instances of the patriotic spirit which it, is the. object of the Victoria League to inculcate. The executive of .the headquarters of the league in Auckland report that designs for this memorial have been received from Australasia and England, and that in considering these they will have the assistance of a" special committee. The- care of soldiers' graves is now being' arranged for by the Government, which has appointed, as its official agent, to see that the work is properly carried out, Miss Statham, the secretary of the Auckland Centre. It will not now be long, the report states, before the grave of every brave man who gave his life I for bis country, will be suitably marked I and honoured,'

A proposition has been made to th« 1?1 Mayor (Mr. C. J. Parr) that medals should ' ? be subscribed for, and presented to, the ' members of the band of the 3rd Regiment (Countess of Ranfurlv's Own) who won '-• the Hawke Shield, for the highest number of points in music and drill at the recent band competitions held in connection with the Exhibition. It is suggested that as this is the first time the trophy has been won by an Auckland band, the members should have something to show that thev ' had held the shield. The Mayor h as approved the idea of raising £25 for the purpose, and has opened a subscription list at the Town Hall. Mr. Parr is himself acting as treasurer of the fund-

The unveiling of a monument on the site, of the battle at Orakau, Te Awamutu i= to take place on April 1. At its meeting yesterday the Education Board decided to grant a special holiday on that date to the schools in the Waikato and Waipa Counties, to enable the teachers and pupils to attend the unveiling ceremony. Further the board adopted a recommendation that in those schools in the Waikato and Wai pa Counties not taking part in the ceremony the children should be assembled, the flag hoisted, and a lesson given on the difficulties of early settlement in New Zealand The Hon. Dr. Pomarc has signified his in", tention of being present at the Orakau celebrations. He has expressed tho opinion that if the remaining restrictions preventing Maoris from travelling are removed, the occasion would be marked bv one of the largest gatherings of natives yet held in New Zealand- Local bodies of th» Waikato are to be represented at the njj. I veiling function, and tho Hon. F. M. J | Fisher will be present as representative of ; the Government.

The essay competitions promoted by 'the Victoria League subjects of which were Sir George Grey for seniors and Captain Cook for juniors— as follows:—Seniors; Merta Fisher, 1; Beryl Bayliss (Girls' Grammar School), 2; Mollie Egerton, 3. Juniors: Sarah McCarroll (Mareretu School), 1; Alan Kayll (Te Awamutu School), 2; Leslie Simpson (Auckland Grammar School), 3. The prizes were donated by Mrs. Lewis and Mrs. Leo Myers.

A proposal has been under the consideration of the Education Board for the building of an infant school on the Grammar School reserve in Eden Terrace, and the matter was referred to the Finance Committee for report. The committee's report was submitted to the meeting of the board yesterday, and the committee recommended that, in view of the high valuation of the property, the board should abandon the proposal to build an infant school on the reserve, and that the chairman, chief inspector, and architect should report regarding the acquisition of a less expensive site. The board decided to adopt the committee's recommendation.

The proposed Jermyn Street outlet was further considered yesterday afternoon at a joint meeting of the special committee set up by the City Council and the Citizens' Committee. The Mayor (Mr. C. J. Parr), from whom the scheme originated, presided over the ■ deliberations, which lasted two hours. Maps and diagrams were exhibited and explained by the city engineer (Mr. W. E. Bush). The members of the City Council committee have yet to visit the locality. The Citizens' Committee is now engaged in considering the financial aspect of the matter, and it is expected that its report will be ready to hand to the Mayor about the end 6f next week. , Street' improvements in the Archlii'l , district are to be commenced in the course. . i of a few days, under the supervision of- the- '| city engineer (Mr. W. E. Bush). The--1 City Council has allocated between £6000 1 and £7000 for street works in this portion. 1 of. the city. : A start will probably be made '• on Brisbane Street, from the Great North i Road, near St. Peter's Church.. Several ' secondary streets in the city have t>e*n *> selected for attention during the ensuing I 12 months, at a nestimated cost of £27,0)0. i The City Council will be asked to-morrow i night to approve the selection made and i authorise the work. The steamer Moeraki arrived at Wellington early yesterday morning from Sydney with a large quantity, of Australian mail matter. The Auckland nortion will. | arrive by the Main Trunk >xpress this mornings r j Lying to the east of New Caledonia are f\ the Loyalty Islands, of which Mr. W. J. 5 Watriama, who ha* resided in Sydney for . some years, claims to be king. He disi likes the French Administration, and has ~ the warmest admiration for British a methods, and for years it has been his ■ aim to get the protection of Britain substis| tuted for that of France. With this end I in view, he has been in communication ' with Federal members, but has been some- , what discouraged by their lukewarmness. , He now intends to appeal to the New Zealand Government, which may, he I thinks, be favourably disposed to negotiate for the Loyalty Islands, whose inhabitants . are keenly desirous of living under the i British instead of the French flag. Mr. ! Watriama says that the islands are being over-run by Japanese. If the Commonwealth or New Zealand does not soon take . action, the Japanese will, he declares, be, ; in virtual, if not actual, possession of the r group- He asserts, moreover, that, as far . as the natives are concerned the French 7 are proving hard taskmasters.

Probably one of the wisest moves of 'the whole agitation carried out in the Bay of Plenty regarding railway construction was (says our Bay of Plenty correspondent) the decision to let the whole question of route go, and simply hammer away at the one point—railway connection, by any route the Government chose; and if the resolution was a wise one, surely the essence of its wisdom lies in the keeping to it. This is borne out by the strong advice given by the Prime Minister recently, when replying to deputations in this district— to take part in a battle of routes. Coming so dierctly from such a source, this advice, it is hoped, will be carefully followed by all concerned, to get on to the route question carefully and the tendency shown now and again checked.

Evidence given in tie Christchurch Magistrate's Court shows that it is a habit of some persons to pick up a bicycle somewhere in the city, ride it half-way home, and then drop it in the river. A witness stated that while employed on the drainage works, he had fished out no fewer than four bicycles from the river.

According to the Commonwealth Statistician, Mr. Knibbs, there was, during the last quarter of 1913, a general improvement in industrial conditions throughout the Commonwealth, resulting in a decrease . in unemployment. The percentage of unemployed members of trades unions was 5.3, compared with 7.0 per cent, for the . preceding quarter, 7.3 per cent, for -be second quarter, and 6.4 per cent, for the , first quarter of the year. The percentage of unemployment at the end of last year . (5.5) was lower than that for the corres- * ponding period of any year for which records were available, with the excep-.," tion of 1911 (when the percentage was [.4.7), ' .#; u , -'&