LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15829, 28 January 1915, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

KETRcrrs are still offering for the sixth reinforcement draft of the New Zealand expeditionary fore*. To date about 40 men from the Auckland district have been passed as medically fit and have been accepted. The sixth contingent will probably not leave until about the middle of March. About 100 men are still required to complete Auckland's complement for the draft. Yesterday six men enlisted, and on Saturday morning 24 men will present themselves for medical examination.

The Myers Park will be officially opened by the Mayor, Mr. C. J. Parr," C.M.G., at 3.50 p.m. to-day. The generous donor of this tine city breathing-space and recreation ground, and of the kindergarten to be erected therein, Mr. Arthur M. Myers, M.P., will be present, ard will deliver an address. Other speakers will include the chairman of the Education Board, Mr. G. J. ,Garland 2 the chairman of the City Schools Committee, Mr. J. Trevithick, the president of the Kindergarten Association, Mr. E. K. Malgan, »nd the member for Auckland Central, Mr. A. E. Glover. The public are invited to attend the opening ceremony, and access to the new park may be readily gained by any of the five entrances leading from Queen Street on the one side and Grey Street on the other. The area takes in practically the whole of the eight acres of gully stretching from the rear of the Town Hall to the top of Queen and Grev Streets.

A site has been purchased for the erection of a Roman Catholic church, convent, and school in Remuera. The property consists of three acres and a house in Alexandra Road, previously owned by Mr. Thomas Ching. The purchase price is between £3000 and £4000. The new buildings are to be commenced shortly.

The collision between the steamer Wakatere and the scow Katie S. off Ponui Lighthouse on December 16 was further discnssed yesterday before Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., and Captains Read and Couldrey, who acted as nautical assessors. Mr. Selwyn Mays appeared for the Minister for Marine, Dr. H. D. Bamford for Neil McArthur, second officer of the Wakatere, and Mr. M. G. McGregor for Norman Matheson, master of the scop - . Mr. C. Z. Clayton watched the proceedings on behalf of the Northern Steamship Company, owners of the Wakatere. Lengthy addresses were delivered by counsel, the Court announcing at the conclusion that it would deliver judgment on Saturday morning.

An inspection of the Maori contingent at Avondale was made by Colonel J. E. Hume, officer commanding the Auckland district, yesterday. He expressed his satisfaction at the progress the men had made. Tactical exercises were practised by the men, and these will be continued to-day.

Periodically scow-masters and others are summonsed in the Police Court for removing shingle from prohibited places. When a similar case came before Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., yesterday, he suggested that sellers of shingle should be obliged to produce permits each time they sold a load showing whence the shingle had been procured. " Some local man must be buying these illegal loads of shingle and be carrying on a thriving trade," he said " The offending scow-masker* come before me and plead poverty, asking for time in which to pay their fines. Yet they go and do the same thing again on the" first opportunity." The defendant before the Court was William Brown, who had taken a small load from Fig Bay, Waiheke. This being his second offence, .he was fined £10 and 7s cost*.

Nearly the whole number of the 58 members of the main body of the NewZealand expeditionary fore* who returned to Auckland from Egypt last week have received the full amount of pay due to them. They were discharged as from December 18- Some of the men/have left Auckland, so the sums owing to them will be forwarded by post. The men have been asked to return their uniforms to the Defence Department.

A tally was taken of the number of passengers coming ashore from the 6.20 p.m. fern- boat, the Pupnke, from Bayswater to Auckland, on December 27. As this number proved to be 790, or 52 in excess of the number of passengers which the steamer is licensed to carry, the master, Joseph Stewart, was proceeded against in the Police Court yesterday. The facts of the case were not in dispute, but Mr. A. Brown, for the defence, said that it was very difficult to prevent overcrowding on holidays, everybody wanting to reach home for :>ea at the same time° The company usually allowed six tram loads to each boat, the manager being thus able to estimate the numbers going on board. Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., pointed out that the company could take more adequate precautions "to prevent overcrowding if they checked the number of passengers on the Bavswater counsel saying that he would recommend the company to act on this suggestion. "The offence is a serious one, and the defendant will be fined £5." said the magistrate, adding that he thought that the company ought to par the fine.

The war is having its effect on the price of liquor in Auckland. Mr. J. E. Pagui, secretary of the Licensed Victuallers' Association, states that despite increased wages and the increased cost of com modifies during the last seven or eight years the trade has never put np prices, but the effect of the war-risk charges caused the association to set up a committee to go into the question with a view to slightly increasing the cost of spirits taken away from the hotels. Liquor of all descriptions consumed on the premises will be sold as formerly. English beer has increased in cost, but no extra charge will be made.

The average daily discharge of sewage at the outfall at Orakei for the nine weeks ending January 23, has been about 3.000.000 gallons. The outfall-valve has been operated twice daily since December 14, with the exception of Sundays, when une discharge only is made.

A prompt reply to a telephone call by the Mount .Albert Fire Brigade yesterday afternoon was the means of saving from destruction a six-roomed house in Leslie Avenue. Kingsland, owned by Mr. Duncan Grey and occupied by Mr. Archibald Sullivan. The fire originated in a washhouse, which was completely destroyed, but the flames were prevented from -spreading to the house, 15yds, distant.

As the result of what he saw through the back window of a Chinese laundry in Victoria Street, Detective Cummings effected an entry through the door and took away with him some opium and the accessories for smoking it, which he found inside. The two Chinese whom the detective saw smoking the prohibited drug will in all probability be the recipients of summonses •within the next few days.

An organising tour in the jacent to Auckland is bein* 1* ,d * by Mr. A. Schmitt, -• Auckland provincial branch of U. - " Zealand Farmers' Union. P.*- - ***» the district* of Tuakau and 'fi^ 8 Wi which he passed through on TueadW' Schmitt said there -were verdant '" in both districts, due, he considS the fact that artificial manures ha?!' 0 extensively applied. The oat croc" Bucklaud district would only be h u"* very little was sown. On the othXlV wheat was promising veil and ad » of 100 acres was expected to yS 40 to 50 bushels an acre. The potatoes was about the average *"* '** crop was looking well. As far\l 2! P* was concerned, Mr. Schmitt said U^" s supply had not fallen away to flj ** anticipated, and on the ' whole 6 - ettait considered to be only a little, bd *** of last season. Mr. Schmitt, paid J"*** 1 * visit to Tuakau last night/lnd Onewhpro to-day. ~ ' B°** to

Tenders for the erection of t* 0 hashed* at Onehunga., one for women other for men, have been received h?*** J Park, architect, and are *ZF *. Brady and Co.. £237; Ctapfa T?Tr them, £213 ; F. E. Drew. £209 W. W ' C Coldicntt, £189; F. C. CfaJ*j* Moss and Christini, £180 3 S 10d ' d ; Barr. £179 ; T. S. Stokes, fijfc *- E. Morten. £152. At the Onehunga Borough Council, 1,.u - ' - mittee on Monday night, M »* coa |" tender was accepted. " aw «3iu

A marked increase in the umpK. travellers through Taagiteroria, , £ Northern Wairoa River, from and Dargaville, has taken place dak! the present summer. In addition to t»* daily ferry and special motor-car sen**? from Dargaville, there are daily coaciS taxi communications with Whan, whilst other transport facilities areW* unusually well patronised by the trj ? ling public, *

A new firebell tower has been erected in Princes Street, Onehungv between ft. National Bank and Carnegie Library. i t is built of iron supports and girders," »«, a galvanised iron roof. Tne original fir,, bell has been removed from the old wooden frame and placed on the new lower.

An effort is now being made at OneJnni;*. to secure the unimproved value svaca of rating in the borough. The promoters of the movement are canvassing tie town to obtain the" necessary number of signatures, amounting to ]5 per cent, of tit total number of ratepayers on the tdL There are about 1500 bona-fide property, owners in Onehunga. When the signatares have been secured they will be presented tr the council, requesting that a poll of tr.e ratepayers be taken on the question As the council is bound to accede to ft* request it is expected that the ratepayers will be asked to sanction the change* or otherwise at the next municipal electiaa in April.

With a wound on his head, a railway porter at Lambton station was admitted to the Wellington Hospital in an inseasible condition, just before midnight on Saturday. He regained consciousness the next morning, and then, explained that while he was protesting at the action of two troopers in interfering with a Westinghouse brake one of them struck him on the head with a bottle of beer, cawing his injury. The two men then harriedlT departed.

The continued fin© weather has result*! in large crowds journeying to Takapna and the trains and steamer of the Tibpuna Tramway Company have ft severely taxed to cope with the nuufe travelling. Pome months ago two «T cars, ea«h capable of accommodating SHGt 75 persons, were ordered, and it ■*» hoped to have them running during tin present season. The bodies of the can, which were ordered locally, have ben ready for some time, but owing to ft* war delivery of the tmder-carriages ha ; been delayed- These are now expected to arrive early in March, and it is hoped to have the cars in commission by tie end of that month. The compaany an enough engine-power available at present, to haul the new cars, and when they are|4 in use much of the present congestion will ■_ be eliminated. ,'-."3k

The system of numbering pleasure crait for identification purposes is working wdL At the commencement of the season, wife a long programme of sailing and powet races in view, the members of the Auckland Yachting Association devised *? scheme whereby cruises and races mights not be unduly interfered with. At tiat< time it was necessary for every class of vessel to report to the examining steamer anchored well down the Rangitoio Chan-1 nel and this obviously meant a. longde-M tour for boats proceeding to, say, Mowidfc or Waiheke, The Defence authorities «' cepted the Yachting Association's schema of numbering and a duplicate of the «- sociation's register is kept ox board th& examining steamer. Pleasure craft bearing a registered number are permitted to pass without reporting. Quite recently it was found necessary to fire on a launch whose number was not placed in such a position as to be plainly seen from the examining vessel. All that the Defence authorities ask is that the number shall be fixed IE a conspicuous place, that all boats shaH report after dark, and that all boats shiiS keep well away from Motuihi Island.

Behind the immediate causes of the war, there are Divine causes of purification and judgment, said Dr. T. H. Sprott, AngHcan Bishop of Wellington, in tie course of a sermon. Dr. Sprott declared that only * superficial reading of history would load to the conclusion that the war was <&• outcome of no more than the schemes « a half-dozen men. Long periods of peace and prosperity tended to make men ana nations morally stagnant and spiritually indifferent. Professor Cramb hed said there was a mystical element in war—* something which baffled human reason. That mystical element was God, who was shaking the modern world to-day, making men realise that their landed security **» illusory. God was showing to the world to-day" that the civilisation that they had been building up in ostentatious indtterence to Him was unable to bear the strain of storm and trouble.

The valuation list of the Nortbcot* Borough, just compiled, shows the affl«»value to be £17.045, an increase of £2°° over that of last year. The valuer, MrH. T. G. McElroy, states that tew booses erected during the year represented » capital value of a little over £5000.

Inquiries mad© yesterday show tba » while the freezing works are °p*"tJn» at full pressure, plenty of stock is offering at present The War Office contracts* said one authority, must paj high rat for the freezing space required, bnt . circumstances did not affect the b " tc °~_ at present. There was no doubt, he <*>- tinned, that prices were high and there was no likelihood of cheap beef for ** time on account of heavy oversea pure ing. There was very little grass, **° anyone with cattle reasonably fa* put tine: them on the market. The- re price of meat—beef principally— ,f up, but probably not for some ■- t Ol any rate, not for the next two.: mant»