LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15801, 26 December 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

More than the usual large crowd took possession of Queen Street and Karangahape Road on Christmas Eve. Everyone was in the brightest of spirits, and there was no trouble of any kind. The police looked on with a kindly eye, and only found it necessary to arrest a few citizens for inebriety. Those individuals who co-ild not arrange bail had to spend their Christmas as guests of His Majesty, as there was no sitting of the Court yesterday. The weather was perfect for Christmas Eve and excellent on Christmas morning, but light showers fell shortly after two o'clocK.

Christmas gifts of tobacco and cigarettes have been provided for every member of the New Zealand expeditionary force from the patriotic fund organised by the Mayor of Wellington. A few days ago a package was sent to each member of the reinforce'ment contingent encamped at Trentham, and to every soldier in the forts and on duty at Somes Island. Instructions were cabled to London to distribute IOOOIb of tobacco among the New Zealand troops in Egypt as a gift from the citizens of Wellington.

An arrangement has been made between the Hospital Board and the Point Chevalier Road Board by which the grounds of the isolation hospital, containing about eleven acres, and enclosing a popular beach, will be thrown open to the public during the summer months. There is at present no occasion for using the hospital buildings, and as the reserve is a very popular one, the controlling authority has agreed that during the holiday season, its recreative value should be fully utilised. A caretaker will be appointed to protect the hospital property, and to check any infringement of the conditions under which the control of the property has been given to the Point Chevalier, Board. No fires will be allowed within the reserve, but hot water will be furnished to picnic parties by the care taker. There is a motor-'bus service between the Grey Lynn tramway and Point Chevalier Beach. The present arrangement is only a temporary one, but the Point Chevalier Board is hopeful of securing the area as a domain, as efforts are being made by the Hospital Board to transfer the isolation hospital to a. new situation.

The Cape Corso, which arrived'from New York on Thursday morning, is the third steamer to reach Auckland via the Panama Canal. The first vessel was the Purley, which arrived on November 20, after a passage of 42 days. The Caldegrove followed on December 7, the voyage occupying 46 days. The Cape Corso only took 39 days, and she easily holds the record. She left New York on November 15, and reached Christobel, at the Atlantic entrance to the canal, on November 26. After coaling, she proceeded through the canal, the voyage taking six hours. She was delayed for an hour and a-haif on account of a landslide in one of the locks. Only two sailing vessels were sighted during the run across the Pacific Ocean, and nothing was seen of the Westward Ho, which left New York 10 days previously, and was coming to Auckland by the same route. The Westward Ho is now some days overdue.

Minor damage was sustained by a small motor-car on Thursday morning through a collision with a tramcar at Epsom. The motor was driven out of Golf Road, and struck the larger vehicle when the latter was almost stationary. The front axle and one mudgear were bent, but 60 slightly that the car was afterwards driven into the city for. repairs under its own power. Neither the driver of the car nor his companion was injured.

Much resentment has been excited in a small settlement in the Mangonui district by the manner in which the daily bulletins of war news are being virtually suppressed by the local postmaster. The office is held by a German farmer, and as is usual in country districts, the postal business is transacted in his residence. Settlers in the neighbourhood state that the official refuses to display the telegraph messages for general information, and inquiries for news are evaded by irrelevant answers or by statements which have frequently been found inaccurate. Messages reporting the enemy's successes have, however, been promptly displayed.

On Monday last the New Zealand Dairy Association, Limited, distributed amongst its suppliers the sum of £68,420 4s 9d. For the same period last vear similar pavments totalled £68,724 17s Id. Thus the association's December payments showed a slight decrease • s .-ompared with those for the same month last year, this being due to the very seriously curtailed miik supply caused by the drought.

Litigation had been threatened between the City Council and the Wonderland Syndicate in connection with matters in dispute, but a compromise between the council and the syndicate has now been effected. As a result of a meeting in the office of the city solicitor, Mr. J. Stanton, between the Mayor, Mr. C. J. Parr, C.M.G., and representatives of the syndicate, the council has intimated that all of the syndicate's buildings must be removed by February 1. The syndicate has agreed to pay £70 in full satisfaction of all the City Counoil's claims.

Indignation has been expressed at East Tamaki concerning a report which has been circulated about a celebration held by supporters of the Government after the election. It is denied that An effigy of Sir Joseph Ward was burned and it is also denied that there was any drunkenness in connection with the affair. A well-known resident of the district explains that a bonfire of tar barrels was lit soon after seven o'clock one night and that while the fire was burning those gathered around sang the National Anthem and gave cheers for the Hon. W. F. Massey. The proceedings concluded about 8.30 p.m. at which time the participants returned to their homes.

The motor picnic usually given to the children of the Jubilee Institute of the Blind by members of the Auckland Automobile Association at Christmas has had to bo postponed for some six weeks, as most of th- children are away on holiday. There are still about a dozen children at the institute, however, and it has Iveen .irranr-d that individual members of the ass. ■ iation will call at various times to take the little ones for a drive.

Considerable repair work has been carried out on the Exhibition Drive at Titirangi with the result that the damage done by the carting of heavy pipes over the drive has now been made good. The drive is now open to traffic again, and it is expected will be used extensively during the holiday season and throughout the remainder of the summer.

In addition to those already acknowledged the following have sent the season's greetings to the New Zealand Herald:— The city engineer and officers of his department, the chairman, members and executive officers of the Auckland Harbour Board, the officers and staff of the Auckland Electric Tramways, the literary staff of the New Zealand Times, Mr. W. A. Beddoe_, Canadian Trade Commissioner, Mr. Neville Newcombe, Mr William Rattray, secretary of the Auckland centre of the St. John Ambulance Association, and Millar's West Australian Hardwoods Company, Ltd.

News has been received by Mr. Robert Burn*. Acting-Consul for Belgium, of the shipment, free of cost to the fund, of 635 cases of clothing collected in the Auckland Province. The shipment has been distributed among three steamers in the proportion of 185, 269, and 181. A further lot of 28 cases is going forward next week in two vessels, and there is a still further lot of 40 cases remaining, to be consigned to England. The Government bears the whole cost of shipping the clothing Hornet

It has been decided by the New Zealand Government to despatch the Government steanur Tutanekai to assist in the search for ti:e trawler Endeavour, now overdue at Melbourne from the Macquaries. The Tutanekai will probably get away from Wellington on Saturday.

The Hon. James Allen, Minister for Finance, interviewed at Dunedin as to finance, said that so far the Customs revenue had kept up better than had been anticipated. He quite expected a material drop in consequence of the war, but such had not been proved to be the case. The railway revenue had improved. That was all he could say about finance until the December returns came in. As to the war loan, his opinion was that the proper thing would be to keep it in a separate account, and as soon as Parliament met, to make provision for interest and sinking fund to provide for that loan covering a reasonable number of years. The Dominion had already borrowed two millions, and interest on this was now being found out of the Consolidated Fund. That extra charge would, of course, diminish the surplus at the end of the year.

A washhouse connected with premises in Milton Road, Mount Roakill, occupied by Mr. W. H. Long, was destroyed by fire on Thursday evening. The copper in the building was being used for cooking, and some wood-work caught fire, with the result that the place was soon ablaze. The Mount Eden Fire Brigade was promptly in attendance, and the outbreak was confined to the washhousa. The property is owned by Mr. A. Walker, and the damage done, estimated at £35, is covered by insurance,.