LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17328, 27 November 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A small Australian mail arrived at Wellington yesterday afternoon by the steamer Nuddea The Auckland portion will arrive here by train to-morrow morning. The next Australian mail to reach NewZealand will probably be by the Riverina, due at Wellington, from Sydney, next Monday.

Tne express train for Wellington left Auckland last night with an unusually laro-e complement of passengers, all the seats in most of the cars being occupied. The demand for sleeping berths was such that, though an extra sleeping-car was put on, all the applicants for such accommodation could not be satisfied.

Motor-car accidents resulted in two admissions to the Auckland Hospital yesterday. A married man, Mr. Samuel Davics, aged 27, ding at 5, Bedford Street, Parncll, was admitted suffering from a fractured leg. He was knocked down by the motor-car of the traffic inspector. Mr. Charles Young, who resides at 286, Great North Road, Grey Lynn, was knocked down by a motor-car, and sustained painful injuries to the face and arms. The concluding day's racing of the Takapuna Jockey Club's Spring Meeting attracted a large number of visitors to the North Shore yesterday, and though a stiff westerly wind was in evidence, with occasional showers, the gathering passed off most successfully. The leading event of the programme St. Andrew's Handiresulted in a surprise victory for Mr. W. K. Morrison's mare Waiuta. Durinir the day the sum of £50,531 10s was passed through the totalisator. which gave a grand total of £106,675 10s for the meeting. Compared with the corresponding meeting held in 1916 (the last previous occasion on which the gathering extended over two days), the investments this year show an increase of £52,486 10s.

The primary schools of the Auckland district will close for the Christmas holidays on Friday, December 19. As regards the poll'ng day of the general election, December 17, school duties will be carried on as usual in all schools that are not used as polling-booths.

St. Andrew's Day—November —falls on Sunday next, but, in accordance with a notification recently gazetted by the Public Service Commissioner, all Government offices will celebrate the day by closing on Monday. Holiday will also be observed by the banks and insurance offices, the Supreme Court, and the law offices.

The well-known R-akino Island, in the Hauraki Gulf, which has been in the possession of Mr. A. Sanford for some time, was offered for sale by public auction yesterday by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, in conjunction with Alfred Buckland and Sons. Limited. Rakino Island is 12 miles from Auckland. It contains 360 acres of good land and two homesteads, one of 15 rooms and one of six rooms. There are also a number of farm buildings on the island. The property was offered in one lot. together with all buildings and farm implements. Considerable interest was taken in the sale, although the biddine was not brisk. The first bid was £10.000, and the price then rose to £10,500. £10.750, and £10,800. At the latter figure the property was passed in.

A grant for an important addition to the New Lynn school ha 3 been made by the Minister for Education. In notifying Mr. C. J. Parr, M.P.. of this fact the Minister, Sir Francis Bell, stated that tenders for the extension will be invited .it once, and also that the Department bad approved the purchase of sections of .and adjoining the school for the purpose of considerably enlarging the playground. The Minister also has sanctioned the purchase of about 3j acres of Mr. G. Hart's land at Henderson as an addition to the playground at the school in that district. Thi= extension will give' a total playground area of about five acres.

\\ hat seemed to be a miraculous escape from serious injury or death was witnessed by a large crowd in Customs Street West at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. A hack attached to a light spring cart had bolted, and came galloping at great speed down Customs Street towards Queen Street. It attempted to swerve into Little Queen Street, but the impetus of the cart gave it a diagonal direction, and just before it crashed into the telegraph pole at the corner it knocked down one of three young wi men crossing the street. The force of the impact made eye-witnesses fear that she must have sustained serious injury. When the shaft struck the post it broke, and the horse crashed to the footpath, and for a second the girl's head appeared to be among the horse's hind feet. The girl, who was not seriously injured, kept her presence of mind, and called out "Quick !" to two men, who dragged her out. Beyond a cut on the head she suffered no outward injury, and did not have to go to the hospital.

The appearance of children of school age at public performances was condemned in a letter received by the Education Board yesterday from the Headmasters' Association. The association suggested that steps should be taken to prevent children from taking part in' night recitals, and that the Education Department should be asked to procure legislation against the participation of children of primary school age in such performances. In a discussion of the question the members of the board expressed the opinion that while the utilising of the servicer of talented children at miscellaneous public performances was reprehensible, there should be no undue interference with assistance by pupils in entertainment for purely school purposes. The secretary was authorised to draft a circular to the Department setting forth this view.

The need for a goods shed at the New Lynn station has been represented to the Railway Department by Mr. C. J. Parr, M.P. A telegram received by Mr. Parr from the general manager of railways, Mr. R. W. McVilly, states that ne is obtaining a report upon the matter, and that if the business warrants the erection of a goods shed he will favourably consider the request.

■' We are ready to agree that the present fire brigade service in Devonport is inadequate," said the Mayor of the borough, Mr. H. S. W. King, at the council meeting last evening. The question arose from a letter rece.ved from the Waitemata Chamber of Commerce, asking for information upon the advantages or disadvantages of setting up a Fire Board at Devonport. The Mayor said he thought the council shou.d do everything to support the voluntary system. C'pon lis motion the council referred the Chamber of Commerce to towns 111 which fire boards had been already established* for further information on the matter.

"The whole of the members of the recent conference of the New Zealand Education Board's Association,'' said Mr. E. C. Banks, at yesterday's meeting of the Auckland Board, " were satisfied that a dcteiin.ned attempt is about to be made to abolish boards and centralise the control of schools with the Education Department." A circular prepared by the Hoard's Association, in defence of the board-control system, was approved by the board, and ordered to be issued to the Auckland district school committees, with a view of having question.-, relat.ng to the subject addressed to candidates for Parliament.

When addiessing the. jury in a Supreme Court case at N.ipier yesterday, eays a Press Association mewsuge, in which Beresford and Roberts claimed £730 from J. Love 11, fisherman, for breach of contract in connection with the supply of fish, His Honor Mr. Justice Chapman said: "This is a fish story. Kith stories have been popular since" the davs of Jonah. In those day* fish swallowed a prophet, but nowadays the public swallow fish and somebody else swallow, the profit."