LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16762, 31 January 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

High values ruled for fat stock at the Westfield market yesterday, Choice fat oxen sold as high as £2 13s per 1001b, and the average for this quality was £2 12s, last week's highest rate. Other beef cattle brought from £2 4s to £2 lis. Steers realised from £11 to £25. There was a steady demand for sheep, of which there was a good yarding. Generally the prices were equal to last week's rates. Extra heavy prime wethers realised from £1 17s to £1 19s 9d. A moderate yarding of lambs met with keen sale at advanced prices. Fat lambs sold at from £1 10s to £1 14s 3d, tho latter price being the record for the season. Pigs sold well choppers making up to £7 15s, baconers £4 to £5 ss, porkers £2 to £4, and weaners from 8s to lis 6d.

Weather conditions still continue changeable. The fine weather experienced since 9 a.m. on Tuesday gave place at 2 a.m. yesterday to heavy showers, but the rain ceased before 8 a.m. Though no rain fell during the day, the sky at times was dull and threatening. The wind, which had changed to the south-west on Tuesday morning, changed back to the north-east yesterday morning. The rainfall for the 24 hours ending midnight last night, as registered by the Herald, gauge, was .10in.

A alight outbreak of fire occurred shortly after eight o'clock last evening in a shop in Ponsonby Road, owned and occupied by Mr. G. Bnster, butcher. The City Fire Brigade quickly extinguished the flames, and the only damage done was the burning of a dressing table. The house and shop are insured with the Commercial Union Assurance Company for £700.

The Board of Education yesterday appointed Mr. Edmund C. Purdie, assistant master at the Napier Street school to the position of advisory inspector to the board, at a salary of £450 per annum. There were 14 applicants, 'the duty of the officer is to report on the establishment of new schools, sites, etc., the Education Department having advised, that it would he prepared to give due weight to recommendations of such an officer.

As a result of representations made to the British Minister for Munitions by the Hon. Arthur M. Myers, Minister for Munitions and Supplies, 497 tons of sheet iron, consisting of 347 tons of corrugated and 150 tons of plain iron, have been released for use in New Zealand. The iron, which is due to arrive in the Dominion shortly, will be proportionately taken into stores in the chief centres. 'The supply was released on condition that the purchasers' price would be fixed, and that a fair distribution would be made for essential purposes. Delivery will be made accordingly. The price has been fixed at £70 a ton, '

j A« showing tho remarkable development [ in -wireless telegraphy since the Marconi system was patented in 1896 Sir Joseph Ward stated yesterday at the official opening ceremony of the Dominion Radio-tele-graphy Collego extensions, that the first exhibitions of wireless given in England were over distances of eight or nine miles. Somewhat later messages were sent a dis: tance of 200 miles, and in December, 1901, communication was effected between England and Newfoundland, a distance of 1500 miles. It would doubtless surprise many people, he said, to learn that to-day messages from stations in Europe, America, Asia and Africa could be clearly heard in New Zealand. Speed in transmitting by wireless had also been wonderfully developed, and between San # Francisco and Los Angeles the Poulsen wireless system had been worked at as high a rate aa 300 words a minute by the use of a special transmitter operating somewhat on the Wheatstone automatic principle used in ordinary telegraphy.

The effort made by the City Council to secure an alteration in the plans of the proposed new post office in Wellesley Street East, to enable letters to be posted on the street level, has been successful. In the original plans the letter-boxes, as at the chief post office, were placed at tho top of a flight of steps, but the plans have been amended in the desired direction. Tho alteration will result in a considerable extra convenience to the public. The Mayor, in referring to the subject yesterday, remarked that tho question of securing a similar convenience at the chief post office should not be lost sight of. "These matters," said the Mayor, "may appear trivial, but from the point of view of public convenience they arc of considerable importance, especially to the aged and infirm."

A youth mimed Erie Harrison, whose parents reside at 13, Victoria Crescent, Newmarket, was admitted to the hospital last evening suffering from slight internal injuries. 'It is said that Harrison, who is employed as brass boy on the steamer Ngatiawa, tripped and fell down a bunker. The claim of the Auckland University College Council for £20,289 Is compensation for the loss of the building in Eden Crescent, which is to bo demolished to make way for the new eastern outlet works, is set down for hearing before the Compensation Court to-morrow. The Mayor stated yesterday that the City Council and the College Council had arrived at an agreement in regard to the value of the land, and that it only remained for the Court to determine the value of the buildings and to adjudicate upon one or two minor points. Judgment in the compensation case of John Whitehousc, engineer, v. the Waihi Gold Mining Company, Ltd., which was heard before Mr. Justice Stringer in the Arbitration Court in November last, was given yesterday. The facts of the wore that Whitehousc, while in the employ of the company, met with an accident in October, 1916, which rendered him incapable of work. Doubt existed as to whether his indisposition was directly due to the accident, as alleged by tho plaintiff, or to muscular rheumatism, arising independently of the accident, as claimed by defendant company. As medical evidence was conflicting, judgment was reserved, in order to obtain the advice of a medical expert. Dr. Milsom's report was in favour of the plaintiff, and the Court therefore granted compensation for the period of incapacitation, October 30, 1916, to November 20, 1917. amounting to £105. with costs. The Judge also recommend that the plaintiff be allowed three months' time in which to recover. |

The fascination of wireless telegraphy for young people was referred to by Sir Joseph Ward yesterday when speaking at tho official opening of the extensions at the Dominion College of Radio-telegraphy. Sir Joseph said that since the entry of the United States into the war the Courts had suspended from operation about 300,000 amateur installations of various: kinds. Many of the owners of plants regarded that action as a hardship, and in order to detect the clandestine use of wireless the Government had found it necessary to mount wireless apparatus on vehicles so as to patrol certain areas with the object of discovering unauthorised installations.

The Mayor of Takapuna, Mr. W. Blomfield, at last evening's meeting of the Borough Council, gave a brief outline of the work he considered the council should do during the current year. The period would be a strenuous one, he said, as there were many important things that should be clone. He was strongly of the opinion that roads should be formed in concrete where possible. The water service had been most unsatisfactory, and he thought a board should be set up to control it. Something should be done to beautify the splendid park recently donated to the borough by Mr. W. X. flushbrook. Steps should be taken to acquire the Takapuna tramways and ferry system, and he would move at the next meeting that the council go into the matter of the company's offer to sell the system for the nominal value of the shares', namely, £1 each

The hearing of the ammunition employees' dispute will be commenced before a conciliation council this morning.

The annual meeting in connection with the Auckland Hospital Auxiliary Fund was held on Tuesday evening. The balance-sheet showed an annual income of £585 5s 2d, and a credit balance of £30. It was reported that during the year the committee assisted 130 families, including 236 children, in providing food and clothing, and in other directions. It was decided to hold the annual street collection on March 1, and to aim at fecuring £1000. It was a'jio derided Salter the name of the society to the Auckland Hospital Patients' Benevolent Fund. The Mayor and the ,non. Arthur M. Myers arc the joint trustees of the fund.

A monument in memory of the late Mr. Alex. D. Brodie, who for many years was a commercial traveller for a city firm, has been erected in the Purewa Cemetery by the commercial travellers of the Auckland district, The late Mr, Brodie was a son of Mrs. A. Brodie, of Fairview Road, Mount Eden, and formerly of Thames.

The criminal sessions of the Auckland Supreme Court will bo opened before Mr. Justice Stringer nt eleven o'clock on Monday next. Civil business will be taken b" Mr. Justice Cooper on Tuesday next, and the three following days. The lastnamed Judge will preside at n sitting of tho Compensation Court, which opens tomorrow.

Tho ratepayers of the Waitakere Riding of the \iaitemata County, at a meeting held at Taupaki on Friday last, decided to ask tho County Council to afford ratepayers a full opportunity of being represented cither personally or by counsel, at tho proposed inquiry into matters affecting county administration, and to give evidence. It was further decided to ask that the inquiry be open to the press.

The Board of Education yesterday passed resolutions of sympathy with the relatives of Private C. H. Simpkins, lata head-teacher at Waimai, who has been reported to have, died from wounds, and Captain Hugh R. Clark, late teacher at Mangatu and Tutamoe, and Corporal Wm. C. Lyall, lato head-teacher at Orini, both of whom have been reported wounded.

The road from Coromandel to Mercury Bay is at present blocked by landslips and wash-outs that resulted from exceptionally heavy rainfall that occurred about a fortnight ago. It is expected, however, that through traffic will bo restored in tho course of a few days.

The sum of £11,344 was raised in Fiji in response to tho Red Cross special appeal. This is an increase of £3252 on tho amount contributed to the fund in 1916.

In the bushes of the Auckland Province just now, tho rata blossom is to be seen in its glory. Wherever tho coach-roads traverse forest-clad hillsides, the tree may be seen lifting to the sky its roseatecrowned head.