LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17335, 5 December 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

An elderly man named Harry Walker was admitted to the Auckland Hospital last evening suffering from shock. It is ■understood he fell off the end of the Railway Wharf into the harbour, being rescued by two seamen who threw him a rope. He was taken to the Sailors' Home at about seven o'clock, but collapsed two hours later. "The Rangiriri Hills portion of the Main South Road is not ' navigable' after a day's rain," said Mr. C. F. Bennett, Government candidate for Auckland West in his address last evening. " I use the word ' navigable ' advisedly," he added, amid laughter. The heavy Homeward cable traffic has caused a block on the Eastern Extension Company's lines. In consequence all full rate traffic for the United Kingdom is being sent by the Pacific route. The soldiers' viewpoint in the matter of the increased cost of living, was humour ously put by Mr. Clutha Mackenzie in the course of his political address last evening. " Everyone thinks they are, ' getting it in the eye* from the 'profiteers,' " he said, " but I really think we ' diggers * have particularly good grounds for complaint! When we get our discharge, the Government grants us the munificent sum of £5 for our mufti allowance; we go to •a tailor and are informed that w» cannot get a decent suit under ten or twelve guineas, and when we go home in disgust to get out our pre-war suits we find the moths or some other pest have got to them. (Laughter.) Therefore we know only'too well this particular phase of the increased cost of living!" A grass fire at Leslie Avenue, off Edendale Road, resulted in the Mount Albert Fire Brigade being called out at 4.45 yesterday afternoon. The outbreak was quackly extinguished. , The belief that the weighing machines in use in a number of stores were not accurate was expressed by a correspondent in the Herald of yesterday. Questioned m regard to the matter, the inspector of weights and measures, Mr. G. Glenister, said that in addition to the annual inspection of weighing machines surprise visits were frequently made to shops for the purpose of testing them. Another safeguard the public had was provided by the Pure Foods Act administered by the Health Department. If anyone received underweight goods the case should be reported to that department. / An ethical point that is not usually supposed to occasion electors any qualms of conscience was put to Mr. M. J. Savage at his meeting at Ponsonby last evening. The questioneran elderly man and a recent arrival in the districtasked " would it be honest for me to ride to the polling place in one of Bennett's or Entrican's cars and then vote for Savage?" The candidate's jocular reply was prompt and decisive: "Take all you can get for nothing; you take the ride!" he exclaimed amid laughter. The Auckland Canary and Cage Bird Club held its first feather show in the club rooms on Wednesday evening, Mr. T. : Brown acting as judge.. The honours of the evening were awarded to Mr. T. Hanson for best Yorkshire, and Mr. H. J. Fielder for the best bird of Norwich type. A lecture was given by the judge, and a discussion by the members followed. A mild diversion occurred at Mr. C. F. Bennett's meeting in the Jervois Road hall last evening after the audience, as a demonstration of loyal feeling, had sung the National Anthem. Everyone in the hall stood except two giggling girls and a woman of mature years, the latter being in the second back row. Another woman sitting in the back row made some comments about her neighbour not rising and a wordy argument developed. The police, however, cautioned the pair against making a breach of the peace and the trouble did not develop further. Neither of the women looked as if they were in the habit of creating disturbances. The needs of the Avondale district in regard to banking facilities were discussed at the last meeting of the Avondale Road Board. It was decided to make representations to the Bank of New Zealand urging that a branch be opened in the township.

The proposal to amalgamate the boroughs of Birkenhead and Northcote is to be placed before the electors of Ehkenhead on Monday evening at the public meeting to be held in the Foresters' Hall. The Town Clerk of Auckland, Mr. H. W. Wilson, will attend the meeting, and will speak on the general aspects of amalgamation. Members of the Borough Council will address the meeting on the various local phases of the proposal. The heckling that some of the candidates for Parliament have been subjected to, chiefly by supporters of the Labour Party! led to the announcement by Mr. J. g! Dickson, candidate for the Parnell seat! at his meeting at the Epsom Hall last evening, that he would only answer questions that were written and handed to the chairman or oral questions delivered by the questioner from the platform. The speaker was not interrupted during his address, and only had to reply to one question. The "go-slow" policy has been keenly felt on the Westport waterfront. "Watersiderswho, in the ordinary course of events, would have been making £4 and upwards have had to take home to their wives and families weekly wages of £2 10s and less," says the Westport News. "But this is not the whole of the rub. Owing to the 'goslow' policy the mine-owners have been compelled to raise the charges for retail coal, so the watersiders, besides having smaller wages to draw at the end of the week, have had to pay higher prices for one of their main necessitiescoal. This is only a small phase of the question, but it is rather a striking illustration of how the cost of living is raised under reduced production and gives emphasis to the clarion call of the British Prime Minister, echoed in every responsible quarter in the world, for increased production. Labour leaders who advocate the 'go-slow' policy are hitting no one more severely than the labouring classes." The water supply for the borough of Miramar failed on Monday, and for ten hours, from 10 a.m. to 8 "p.m., no water was available for domestic requirements or the sanitary service. The borough engineer Mr. T. O. Fox, explained that the , Wellington Gas Company had made an extraordinary demand on the supply, thus leaving the , bo, "° without water. Some 160.000 gallons had been taken by the company, consequently there was not sufficient for the domestic needs of the borough. This had occurred before, and it was possible to recur. The seriousness I of the position was fully recognised by the council; but any notice to householders to , draw off sufficient for the day's needs would have been futile, as the waterwas not in the council's reservoir to give them. e The price of potatoes in Wellington has fallen from 4d per lb to 2d owing to the arrival of large supplies. Large consignments have reached the Wellington market from Pukekohe and the South Island, I