LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17275, 26 September 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The traffic arrangements at the Queen's Wharf yesterday were the subject of several complaints by persons wishing to visit the New Zealand and drivers of carts having business on the waterfront. The pedestrian and vehicular traffic was all admitted through the same gate, and the gathering of a great crowd of people anxious to gain admittance to the wharf occasioned great delay to the carters, and endangered some of the children among those round the gate. Thanks, however, to the discretion of the police and Harbour Board officials, there was no untoward incident. The opinion was freely expressed that, had all the horse traffic been confined to one gate and all the pedestrian to the other, delay and anxiety would have been reduced to a minimum.

To-day is the twelfth anniversary of the proclamation of New Zealand as a

•' Dominion." The approaching change in status from "colony" to "dominion" was first announced in the Governor's Speech at the opening of Parliament on June 27. 1907. It was stated that in compliance with representations made to the authorities at Home by the then Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, the Imperial Government had agreed to the chance of designation being made upon receiot of a request to that effect from the New Zealand Parliament. A resolution embodying this request was passed by Parliament, and the new " Dominion " formally came into being on September 26, 1907.

The total value of the products handled by the Auckland Farmers' Freezing' Company during the year ended June 30 last was stated yesterday bv the managing director, Mr. S. J. Ambury, to have amounted to £4,155.194. The chief'items were meat, wool, hides, pelts, tallow, manure, butter, and cheese.

A warm tribute tojhe work of the men of the Royal Mercantile Marine was paid by Lord Jellicoe in the course of a speech at Bishopscourt yesterday. He was proud, to have the opportunity, he said, of pub-' licly expressing his very high appreciation of the work of the Flying Angel Mission to beamen, which devoted itself to the interests of these men. Before the war the people of the Empire had not recognised their work as it. deserved, but the past four years had brought their magnificent service before the attention of the whole world. They had kept the trade routes open, had dared countless perils, and done their duty as British seamen most loyally and nobly. "I am proua to pay a tribute to the service of my brothers of the Royal Mercantile Marine,'' concluded the admiral, and I most sincerely trust that their work will always be remembered throughout the Empire, and that loyal citizens will do all in their power to aid the work of the mission to seamen and to make conditions better for them in the future than they have been in the past."

A collision between two motor-cars occurred in Symonds Street, a short distance above St. Paul's Church, about seven o'clock last evening. Two cars were proceeding down the street when the driver of one of them, which contained 9. party of from H.M.S. Few Zealand, attempted to pass between the other moving car and a stationary car. The steering was somewhat erratic, and the result was that the car struck the stationary car with great force. Considerable damage was done to both cars, particularly to that containing the seamen, which skidded across the street and eventually came to a standstill alongside the kerb, about 100 yds from the spot at which the collision occurred. None of the occupants of the cars were injured.

Commendation of the system of Government inspection of meat killed for human consumption was voiced at the annual meeting of the Farmers' Freezing Company yesterday by Mr. S. J. Ambury, who stated that the system was one of the best things that had been done by the Government in the interests of meat consumers both at home and abroad. The scheme adopted by the company three years ago to pay compensation for condemned stock had cost the company £2485 7s 5d during the year ended June 30 last. It would, however, be necessary to adjust the premium on bulls, as the loss on these animals cost the company 6s a head as against 2s a head on oxen and 2s 6£ d a head on cows.

j The District Repatriation Board conI tinues to transact a great deal of business. •During the week 33 applications for loans for furniture were granted and 18 loans for businesses were recommended or granted. 11 applications being adjourned, held over or refused.

A great deal of interest was taken by the New Zealand soldiers on the Tainui and the Corinthic regarding the question which transport would first reach Wellington. The Corinthic left London 23 hours after the Tainui, and the vessels called at the same ports en route. The Tainui left Norfolk (Virginia) 24 hours ahead of the Corinthic, but on leaving the Panama Canal the Corinthic had reduced the interval to 23 hours. The Tainui, however, gained several hours on the final stage, arriving at Wellington at 5.15 a.m. on Sunday, while the Corinthic reached port at 3.20 p.m. on Monday.

Referring yesterday to the altered conditions due to the termination of the war. Mi. S. J. Ambury, managing director of the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company, emphasised that the sooner all classes of the community realised that increased production was the only way to meet our financial responsibilities the better it would be for everybody. No policy of "go-slow" or direct action could by "any stretch of imagination relieve us of our responsibilities, decrease the cost of living* or increase our happiness. The watchword a year ago was "get the war finished" ; to-day it should be " cease fooling and get to work."

An elderly woman, Mrs. Boord, who resides in Dilworth Terrace, Parnell, was admitted to the hospital at about 9 a.m. yesterday in an unconscious state. She was found by the Parnell police lying on steps in the rear of her bouse. Her condition had improved last evening.

Referring to the increase in cold storage space provided by the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company during the year ended June 30 last, the managing director, Mr. S. J. Ambury, stated yesterday that additional space had been provided for more than 200,000 freight carcases. At one period the stores contained more than 13,000 tons of butter and cheese, and at the close of the season nearly 420.000 601b carcases of meat. The extensions had cost over £56,824, but the expenditure had been fully justified by the fact that all the space was filled. There had also been a large increase in special storage, chiefly of fruit and eggs. The Auckland store had accommodated no less than 36,629 cases of fruit and 8867 cases and tins of eggs during the year.

A motorist approaching Whangarei late on Wednesday night from Hikurangi was slopped by a waving lantern held by a muddy and dishevelled woman. Innuirv elicited the fact that she had received a telegram at Hukerenui stating that her husband, in the Whangarei Hospital had become dangerously ill. The train had just gone but, armed with a lantern she immediately started to tramp the journey. She had done about fifteen miles, a.nd was struggling bravely on when the car overtook her and gave her a lift for the remaining 10 miles.

The exciting sport of hunting may still be indulged in within easy distances of the centres of civilisation in New Zealand, a Southern exchange states. Mr. Alex. Rankin, who is employed on VVvndham Station, Southland, in odd times within the past eighteen months killed no fewer than 500 pigs by shooting or knifing them. Two other men from Owaka were given a contract to kill 300 at 2s 6d per snout, and in a month devoted to their special work, fulfilled their contract. "ft is necessary to keep down the natural increase of' pigs, or sheep farming would be rendered iliiprorital/h in the localities which rigs frequent. Tin pigs emerge from their rover, generally at night, and raid the flocks, particularly in the lambing season, thus taking a heavy toll. * J