LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16656, 28 September 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

As indicating tho progress made by tho Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company during the past 10 years, Mr. S. J. Ambury, nt the annual meeting of shareholders yesterday, stated that since 1907 tho company had grown from one of the smallest of similar concerns in the Dominion to tho second largest, the New Zealand Refrigerating Company of Christchurch being the only company possessing greater storage capacity. He said he believed the export value of the produce handled by tho company to be greater than that dealt with by any other company in New Zealand. Tho value of the principal products received at the cpmpanv's works for the year ending June 30, 1917, totalled £3,786,000 representing a tenth of the total exports of the Dominion. When the company commenced operations in 1905 the storage for frozen produce was 154,000 cubic feet ; now it was 1,682,000 cubic feet.

Inquiries made yesterday elicited tho information that the tourist traffic during the present month shows little variation in volume from that for the corresponding period last year. Tho number of Australian visitors has decreased considerably owing to the strike, but the shrinkage in this direction has been more £Kan met by the increased number of New Zealanders travelling within the Dominion. It is estimated that over 90 per cent, of tourists nt I tho various resorts are residents of New Zealand, who, owing to tho restrictions on oversea travelling, are visiting the beauty spots of their own country in ever increasing numbers. It is expected that the influx of American tourists will show a further decrease this summer owing to America being now involved in the war. It is probable that the reduction in the railway services and tho abolition of excursion fares will cause a decrease in the tourist traffic figures during the Christmas holidays, but. these restrictions do not appear as yet to have appreciably affected the tourist traffic.

A scheme for inaugurating an exchango of letters between New Zealand school children and pupils attending schools in England was brought before tho City Schools Committee last night by Mr, Ernest Lilly, secretary and member of the committee. The suggestion was favourably received by the committee, and it was decided to refer it to the headmasters of the city schools, with a view to its adoption.

A native named Popia Whanwaka was drowned while attempting to ford the Broadwood River, Hokianga, on Wednesday afternoon. He was a married man, aged 27, and lived in the Raweno district.

Replying to Mr. C. J. Parr (Eden) in the House of Representatives yesterday, the Prime Minister said that the reconstruction of tho Efficiency Board was practically completed, and that tho new board would probably start next week to follow up the good work already commenced. He expects to be able to make a statement on the subject about the beginning of next week.

Tho use to which the additional cold storage accommodation provided to overcome tho congestion caused by tho shortage of shipping will be put after tho war was the subject of remark by Mr. S. J. Anibury, at the meeting of shareholders of the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company, yesterday. He said the necessity of sending regular supplies of produce to the Homo markets all the year round, instead of shipping large quantities for a few months, and then leaving the markets without supplies for long periods, was becoming better understood. When producers thoroughly realised that the old system of irregular shipments was simply playing into the hands of thoso who were wise enough to supply the retail trade all the year through, he did not think the storage would be unused. He would like to see the trade organised to provide for regular fortnightly shipments, and this might be accomplished with sufficient storage, space available.

What was described as the " unsuitable and inadequate" school accommodation in the Birkenhead district was the subject of discussion at a public meeting held at Birkenhead last night under the chairmanship of the Mayor, Mr. J. P. McPhail. Several speakers urged the necessity for the immediate erection of a side school, though it was urged that the district was entitled to a new main school and should bo constituted a separate school district. A resolution was carried protesting against the present conditions, and urging the Education Department to make a grant immediately for the erecttion of a suitable building. Copies of the resolution are to be sent to the Hon. J. A. Hanan, Minister for Education, Mr A. Harris, M.P., and the Board of Education. It was decided to circulate petitions in support of the resolution, a committee being set up to further this phase of the activities, and also, if considered necessary, to arrange for a deputation to interview the Minister in Wellington on tho subject.

The Auckland branch of the Locomotive I Knginemcn, Firemen, and Cleaners' AsI fociation, at its last meeting, passed, a fociation, at its last meeting, passed, a motion urging the executive council to petition Parliament to allow the association to come under the provisions of tho Arbitration and Conciliation Act. Two young Auckland soldiers have dis- | tinguished themselves in the final examinations of a noncommissioned officers' i camp to which they were scut on arrival lin England. Out of 300 candidates exI amined from all parts of the Empire, tho j highest place in the awards was won by Sergeant Brickcll. of Howick, and Corporal R. C. (I. Weston, of Takapuna, who wero bracketed first, with M marks out of a possible 380 in four subjects. Corporal Weston passed first ip drill and second in musketry out of the whole class.

Complaints have been made regarding the action of carters in removing sand from the beach at Devonport in front of the bathing sheds. Owing to the school holidays this week a large number of children have been playing on the beach, and the other afternoon, when :<he little ones were enjoying themselves, three carters, each with a dray and two horses, commenced to remove sand. Those of the parents and children who were in the way were requested to move, and other parents with small children moved away of their own accord in order to prevent the children meetincr any harm from the horses. Resident? are very indignant about the matter, and express the opinion that if it is necessary to remove the sand at all the work should be done early in the morning, and not at a time when the public has to he deprived of the use of a public beach.

The value of the concessions made to shareholders by the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company was referred to by Mr. S. J. Anibury, at the annual meeting of shareholders yesterday. He said the company had carried out its own insurance scheme for condemned stock, and during the year had paid away £2239 more than bad been received in premiums, the excess shown being a direct contribution to the producers of fat stock in the province, Tho company had also made a rebate of 7j per cent, on the killing and freezing charges on meat, and the same percentage on the freezing of butter and chilling of cheese for export. Tho total rebates amounted to over £12,000 in two years. It had been decided to make a rebato of not less than 10 per cent, on the killing charges for the current year.

In a letter to the president of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, the General Manager for Railways, Mr. E. H. Hiley, says:—"l desire to convey to the executive and members of your society the Department's appreciation or the assistance given to the Department by all grades of railwaymen during the war crisis. The manner in which raihvaymen have met all the military obligations is most praiseworthy, as is also the loyal and cheerful service rendered to the Department by all those members of the depleted staff on whom devolves the duty of assisting to successfully carry on the operations of the Department in the Dominion. This may truly be regarded as a national service during the present war crisis."

A boy named John Howard, aged 16 years, met with a fatal shooting accident at Kohatu, Nelson. Ho was rabbit-shoot-ing, and while he was pulling his gun through a fence it went off, the charge shattering his knee. He was taken to the Nelson Hospital, where he afterwards succumbed to his injuries,

A noteworthy record of regular attendance at school is held by four children of a Dunodin family. One child attended 10 years without a break, another nine years, while two others attended eight years without losing an attendance mark.

Girls are- to bo employed as messengers at the Wellington suburban post offices, owing to tho scarcity of boys. It is not intended, at present, to employ girls in that capacity at the ; larger offices or in any other part of the' Dominion.

An appellant before the Military Ser vice Board in Hamilton stated that more was mado out of an acre bee farm than from 30 or 40 cows. Last year his relatives took £560 from their bees, which meant a profit of £400.

A midshipman on a warship has been awarded the silver medal of the Royal Society for tho Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in recognition of a rescue of a dog under circumstances involving personal danger. hi a bitter gale in the North Sea recently the bulldog of IJ.M.S. ran to the side to bark at a dog in a missing fishing-boat. It was snowing hard, the decks were covered with ice, and the dog slipped and went overboard. It was at once obvious that the dog, u great favourite, would drown ; each wave threw it on its back, as it tried to swim, and the spindrift and broken sea made it dangerous water for even a good swimmer. But Midshipman Sydney T. Wan'Buckley at once jumped overboard fully dressed and swam hack with the dog to a rope thrown from the ship.

A sensational accident occurred at Ferndale, Southland, the other day. Miss Falconer was driving from her father's farm in company with two friends. A young horse was attached to the trap, and coming down the steep hill from the farm to the road the animal " ph.yed up" and capsized the trap. The friends got clear with a shaking, but Miss Falconer was carried by the vehicle down a steep slope into a swampy creek, where she,was almost completely buried in the mud and was in danger of being asphyxiated when the struggling horse dragged the trap eff her. Miss Falconer's injuries were a f>-ac-ture and dislocation of the elbow.

The staff of assistants at the Gardens, Christchurch, is about to bo increased by the engagement of another woman gardener, this making the fourth to bo employed. Tho new gardener is the daughter of a West Coast nurseryman, who has already had considerable experience in her father s gardens, particularly in regard to the care of native flora. She will be in charge of the native section at the Gardens.