LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Issue 17266, 16 September 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Westralia, which is due to arrive at Auckland from Sydney to-morrow, has on board a number of New Zealanders who served in Imperial units. A list of their names has not yet been received.

A total of 42 civilian prisoners of war remain in internment at the Narrow Neck camp. These men are those who did not wish to be repatriated to Germany and Austria when the opportunity was given some months ago. A fair number of these prisoners came from Samoa, whither they wish to return. No announcement has yet been made by the Government as to its intentions in respect to the remaining prisoners.

A request to circulate among all members of the Farmers Union copies of the prospectus and application forms of the Victory War Loan, has been received from the Government Treasury Department by the Auckland provincial secretary to the union, Mr. W. Huey. In the letter requesting the assistance of the union to make the loan a success, the Secretary to the Treasury emphasises that the war loans hitherto raised have been expended in the Dominion, and that it is intended that the loan now being raised will be similarly expended.

, Eighteen cases of influenza were notified to the district health officer during the week ended noon yesterday. They comprised seven mild cases in the citv area, two mild cases at Mount Eden, one mild case each, at Mount Albert, Onehunga. Aka Aka, Tauranga, To Awamutu, two mild cases at Waihi, and one severe case each at Whakatane and Ngongotaha. Last week 11 cases were reported. No cases of lethargic encephalitis occurred in the Auckland district last week.

Additional amounts realised by the Soldiers' Mothers' League in connection with the street collection on Friday are :— Grand Hotel £3 3s 2d and Hon. A. M. Myers £3 3s. The secretary to the league, Mrs. E. Nicol, stated yesterday that the league considered the collection a great success.

The members of the Australian League football team left for Rotorua by the express train yesterday morning. They will be shown the wonders of the thermal region and taken on various trips of interest. They will play a Lower Waikato League representative team at Hamilton on Thursday and will return to Auckland in time to play the Auckland representatives on Saturday.

A resolution of interest to motorists was passed by the conference of the Municipal Association in Wellington, when it was advocated that local authorities should have power to order the trimming, removal, or lowering of trees, fences, or hedges on corners of roads where such trees, fences, or hedges, by obstructing the view, are calculated to cause accidents on highways; reserving to the owner the right of appeal to a magistrate. With regard to overhanging trees, the conference also resolved to urge that section 196 of the Municipal Corporations Act be amended providing for the owner or occupier of the property to comply with an order from the council within 14 days, instead of two months.

A question as to what was being done in the direction of having a " cleaningup" week in Mount Eden on the lines of that carried out in the city, was asked by Mr. A. M. Bryden, at the Borough Council last evening. The clerk explained that the sanitary inspector was making a house-to-house inspection in connection with the poultry by-law, and when he noticed anything requiring attention he drew the attention of the householder to it.

Apropos of the reduced train services the following resolution was carried unanimously at the conference in Wellington last week on technical education * " That capitation should not be lost to technical high schools in respect of pupils who have been prevented from attending owing to reduced train services."

Following the repeated complaints concerning the inadequate tramway service on the Mount Eden Road route, the general manager of the Auckland City Tramways, Mr. J. J. Walklate, has * notified the Mount Eden Borough Council that a car will be put on, leaving Mount Eden at 6.36 a.m., reaching the city at 7 a.m. This, it was stated, was to be tried as an experiment for a week or two.

The promise given by the Prime Minister, Mr. W. F. Massey, while in Auckland recently, that he would give his support to the proposal to secure the Metropolitan area, which forms portion of the Government House grounds, as a site for the Auckland University College, is being followed up by the College Council. At its meeting yesterday the chairman, Mr. T. W. Leys, intimated that he proposed to go to Wellington in connection with the project, and he was authorised to take any steps he thinks necessary to secure the passage of a Bill setting the site aside for the college.

The erection of a tramway shelter at the top of Windmill Road, for which money . has been subscribed, is now engaging the attention of the Mount Eden Borough Council. The engineer reported at the meeting of the council last evening that he had in mind the formation of j rockeries, and proposed to go on with the construction of one at the corner of Mount Eden Road and Windmill Road, where he also contemplated the erection of a rustic, .shelter. The Streets Committee was asked to meet on the ground for the purpose of considering the best means of exi pending the money raised for the shelter.

' The meeting of the Mount Eden Borough Council last evening was commenced at half-past six o'clock, one hour earlier than usual, as it was feared the reduction in the pressure of the gas supply, which has been operating from eight o'clock during the past few nights, might interfere with the meeting. The lights lost some of their brilliance about eight o'clock, but as the meeting came to a close shortly after no inconvenience was caused. At the Mount Albert Borough Council meeting the light was so bad after eight o'clock that candles had to be requisitioned to enable the council to conclude its deliberations.

The Claims Committee of the Rotorua branch of the Auckland Provincial Patriotic and War Relief Association has unanimously decided to endorse the resolution of the Wanganui-Waitotara Patriotic Association, asking the Government to deal with all applications for the purchase of houses under the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act through the repatriation boards and their committees, instead of through the Lands Department, as at present.

So rapid has been the growth of the Hamilton district and the influx of population that the new school at Whitiora, which was to have been opened next month, has been found to be too small to meet requirements. Mr. C. Wycherley, secretary to the Hamilton West School Committee, _ has received the following communication from the secretary of the Auckland Education Board:"I am directed to inform you that having considered the report of the advisory inspector on the question of school accommodation in the Hamilton district, the board has resolved to apply to the Department for a grant for the erection of three additional rooms at the Whitiora school."

A Press Associationjmessage states that at a meeting of the Otago University Council yesterday a motion was passed that the Government be asked to introduce legislation empowering the council to pay an honorarium to the Chancellor, and that the governing bodies of other university colleges be approached with a view to securing their co-operation.

The reduction in the supply of gas was discussed by the Mount Albert Borough Council last evening. Complaint was made of the inferior quality of the gas. It was decided to protest to the company, and apply for a reduction in the charge for street lighting, owing to the curtailed supply.