LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16338, 19 September 1916, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

As- uneventful voyage was experienced by the Royal mail steamer Niagara, which arrived from Vancouver early yesterday morning. The vessel had on board, in addition to a large number of passengers, 651 bags of English and American mails for the Dominion, 167 bags of which were for Auckland. Included in the mails, which were delivered yesterday morning, wcro several packages from the troops. During the day a large number of waterside workers were engaged in unloading 1305 tons of general cargo, of which 1001 tons were for Auckland. Tho vessel sailed for Sydney, in continuation of her voyage, at a late hour last night. She had on board over 200 passengers from the Dominion, and a number of through passengers from Vancouver. A falling-off has been shown in the sale of war loan certificates at the chief post offico since Friday last. On Saturday only nine certificates, of the face value of £1, were disponed of, and yesterday the £1 and £10 certificates sold did not result in £100 being obtained.

A further telegram from the Minister for Defence in regard to the question of a portion of the eighteenth reinforcements parading in Auckland was received by the Mayor, Mr. J. 11. Gunson, yesterday. The Minister, however, is as yet unable to state definitely whether any section of this draft will visit the city.

The steamer Moeraki, which arrived at Wellington from Sydney yesterday morning, had on board 60 bags Australian mails for Auckland. These will be delivered this morning.

Reference to the death of the late Sir G. Maurice O'Rorko was made at tho meeting of the Auckland University Collogo Council yesterday, when the following resolution was passed:—"That this council records its deep sense of tho valuable services rendered to the cause of national education in New Zealand by the lato Hon. Sir George Maurice O'Rorke, who from the foundation of the Auckland University College until the day of his death was chairman of its governing body. During all that time he did his best to promote the interest of higher education in Auckland and to increase the public usefulness of this college, whose establishment we owe in great measure to his earnest efforts in the past. While deploring * his recent death, this council desires to extend to his son, Mr. E. D. O'Rorke, and the other members of his family their sympathy and condolence in their great bereavement."

While the Customs officials were making the usual examination of the Niagara, upon its arrival from Vancouver yesterday morning, a quantity of ladies' hosiery and boots and shoes were discovered concealed in the forecastle. The police were informed, and investigations resulted in the arrest of two young men named Dominick Joseph McDonagh and Albert West, both employed as seamen on the vessel, on a charge of broaching cargo and stealing a quantity of silk stockings valued at £12 and shoes to the valuo of £8 10s. They will bo charged in the Police Court this morning. ! A valuable" donation has been made to the Navy League Committee in the form of a handsome hand-embroidered bed- j spread, sent in by " the nieces of a naval doctor." Steps are being taken to dispose of the gift, and the money raised will be devoted to the Navy Relief Fund. The total amount of the fund is now £22,690 lis 2d, the latest donations including £11 16s 6d collected by Mr. M. Cowio, postmaster, Paterangi, £9 from the Silverdale Patriotic Society, £5 from the Opotiki Masonic Lodge, and £5 from | Bycroft and Co. i The distribution of opossums in the | Auckland district has already made some I headway, apart from tho new movement' which the Acclimatisation Society con- i templates taking in hand. Some three [ years ago tho society liberated a number , of the animals in the Waitakere Ranges, i and the secretary, Mr. S. Stuart, reports' that, according to information which has' reached him, they have multiplied there. About a dozen black opossums were obtained from the Wellington Acclimatisation Society a few months ago, and wero liberated on the hills in the neighbour-: hood of Karangahakc. . As that locality is i considered very suitable to tho little marsupial, thero is little doubt that it will make progress on the goldfield ranges. The society intends to make other distributions as opportunities offer, and as requests from settlers interested in the matter come to hand. The matter of providing light and interesting occupation for convalescent sol-' diers is one that has for some time been ' engaging tho attention of tho authorities at, Rotorua. Baskctmaking has been introduced with somo success, but is most popular with the men who are unable to , stand or walk about. With the idea of' interesting other patients, it is proposed to start a class in wood-carving, and any-, one who has wood-carving tools' to spare will help on this work considerably' by forwarding them to Miss Fenton, Victoria League, Shortland Street.

Some information respecting the new armoured cars, which played a great part in the latest British success, was given yesterday by Lieutenant-Colonel Mclnnes, of the Salvation Army, late of Manchester. He said that for some time Britain had been manufacturing armoured cars by tho thousand. The type he had seen, and there were many varieties, were forts on wheels, carrying guns capable of being fired in every direction- The cars were so strongly armoured that they could stand almost anything, and cut through almost any obstacle. Alluding to Zeppelins, ho said the German raids did not now extend far beyond the coast. .The British air defence had improved beyond j expectation, and the raids wero in no way feared.

Trite sayings as to the frequency of coincidence are recalled by a letter which has just been received by an Auckland resident from his brother, who is a captain in tho Royal Navy. It so happened that tho officer in question was one of a party who were told off recently to conduct a number of the colonial Parliamentary delegates on their visit to the fleet. Entering into conversation with the guests, be soon made tho discovery that one of their number hailed from New Zealand; indeed, that he represented an Auckland seat in Parliament, and, further, that the politician, who turned out to be Mr. C. J. Parr, M.P., was personally- acquainted with the officer's brother in Auckland, and that both had near relatives in a contingent of New Zealand reinforcements which was at the moment crossing the ocean.

On the motion of Captain Thomas, the following resolution was carried with acclamation at the animal meeting of the Navy League held last evening:—"That the Auckland branch of the Navy League respectfully offers the commander-in-chief and tho officers and men of the Grand Fleet, and the officers and men of all the fleets operating over all tho seas, their tribute of profound gratitude for the zeal, devotion, and unbounded 's"elf-sacrifice with which the navy has discharged its great trust sinco the outbreak of tho conflict. Also our profound gratitude is due to the officers and men of tho mercantile marine for the invaluable service which they have rendered since tho beginning of the war. The splendid bravery of our merchant seamen and their entire disregard of danger in the continued* discharge of their duties merit the warm recognition of every citizen of the Empire." Territorials who have been called up for despatch to camp to-day must return their uniforms and equipment to the company commander or quartermaster before the hour of departure, otherwise they will not be permitted to proceed to camp. At tho Mount Albert Borough Council meeting last night, a lady ratepayer owing £12 offered a novel suggestion for the payment. Sho said there was a quantity of blue metal on the premises, and that her husband was willing to break it and hand it over to the council. The Mayor, Mr, M. McLean, thought it would establish an awkward precedent if such a course wero adopted, and it was eventually agreed that the rates must be paid in the ordinary way, but that the council would bo willing to purchase the metal at the ordinary rate if the man took the trouble to break it. It was stated that the property was a valuable one.

The following further donations to the fund promoted by the Auckland Dra matic and Vaudeville Employees' Association for the equipment of a children's hospital, have been received: —Amount, previously acknowledged, i-998 17s; collection AvondaJe races, £30 3s 7d; proprietors Marble Bar opening, £21 3s 7d; Mutual Aid Society, Remuera, £10; sale of Allen Doone tickets, £9 16s 6d; proceeds Otahuhu football match, £8 Is; J. Court and Son, £5 ss; sale envelopes $er Mrs. Davis, £3 15s; St. Cecilia Choir, further payment, £3;, sundry amounts, £13 ss; total, £1103 6s 8d-

Dominion Day will be observed next Monday, September 25, and the banks and public offices will close. As September 25 falls during the holidays, Dominion Day will be observed in the schools on Friday, September 22, when flags will be hoisted and special addresses will be delivered to the children.

A very largo crowd assembled at the Queen's Wharf last night to witness the departure of the Royal Mail steamer Niagara for Sydney. The entrance gates to the wharf were closed at six o'clock, and, upon payment of the entrance fee to the wharf, the public were admitted to a barrier between Sheds 50 and 60, opposite the berthing placo of the steamer, which left at half-past eleven o'clock.

The works which.have been in hand for more than two years for the harnessing of the Wairua Falls to provide motivepower for the new mill erected by the Dominion Portland Cement Company at Portland—formerly known as Tikorangi—on tho shore of Whangarei Harbour are now so near completion that it is expected the electric lighting of Whangarei, which is an offshoot of the principal enterprise, will be accomplished at tho end of th o present week. Mr. E. W. Parry, chief electrical engineer of the Public Works Department, arrived in Auckland by yesterday afternoon's Main Trunk train, to make the official inspection of the works, so far as the plant at tho falls and the light supply of Whangarei are concerned, and went on to Whangarei rjv the Manaia last night', accompanied by Mr. S. Irwin Crookes, the engineer who designed and has carried out tho scheme. Successful trial runs I have already taken placo at the powerI house and the Whangarei sub-station, ! and it is expected that Whangarei will j have its new illuminant available for Frii day evening, if not earlier. I Satisfactory progress is being made in the harbour improvement works at Whakai tane, according to Mr. H. H. Metcalfe, ' the engineer. The Whakatane River has i been so confined that a channel has been i scoured, giving a depth at full tide of i 10ft in the shallowest places. Tho whole 1 scheme allows for the expenditure of £25,000, of which only £5000 has been spent, almost two years' work having been : done, the channel at the commencement , being blocked. There are now prospects j that in good weather the channel will be ! navigable at low tide. At the meeting of the Mouut Eden Borough Council last evening a letter was received from the Minister for Internal Affairs stating that the Government was prepared to consider applications from municipal bodies for the making of regulations under section 13 of the Cost of LivI ing Act, 1915, The section in question pro--1 vides for the making of regulations by the Government authorising and controlling tho establishing by municipal councils of milk stations, bakeries, and other trading , departments in connection with the distri- ' bution of food supplies- The letter was not greeted with any apparent indications of , keen interest by the councillors. "Wo arc : not likely to do anything in the matter," observed the Mayor, Mr. O. Nicholson. "When we desire to start a bakery we will know what to do."