LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17348, 20 December 1919, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

, A large English and Australian mail is due at Auckland by. the Maheno at m.on on Monday. The Maheno left Sydney at noon last Thursday. Railway traffic to and from Auckland has not yet set in with the full holiday swing. All the express trains despatched or arriving yesterday were well patronised,, but there was nothing approaching congestion. « To-day is the fourth anniversary of the completion of the evacuation of the Anzac and Suvla positions at Gallipoli by the British forces. The announcement of the withdrawal was made in the House of Commons on December 21, 1915, by Mr. Asquith, Prime Minister, who said: "It was here where our gallant kinsmen from Australia -and New Zealand won undying honour." The total losses in withdrawing were four meu wounded and the destruction of six guns and a quantity of stores. The landing at Gallipoli by the'Anzacs was effectd on April 25, 1915. A special Christmas supplement is circulated with to-day's issue of the Herald, containing a varied assortment of seasonable matter and. liberally illustrated. On the principal page "Matanga" discourses upon "The Meaning of Christmas," Iv.eut.Colonel Grace reviews "The Mainsprings of Peace," "Rambler" upon "Christmas Rambles," and Mr. J. Drummond, F.L.S., F.Z.S., contributes a budget of "Christmas Nature Notes." "Mercutio" has a chatty column of Local Gossip. All the regular and special columns are filled with interesting paragraphs. fifteen candidates entered for the examination in connection with the four scholarships offered by the Auckland Catholic Federation for 1920. The first five places were filled by the following — Francis Sweeney,, Marist Brothers, 459 marks; Elen Turner, Marist Brothers, 434; Ernest Bailey, Otahuhu Convent, 412; Clem. Callaghan, Marist Brothers, 411; Desmond O'Brien, Marist Brothers, 398. The scholarships are each of an 'annual value of £10, and are tenable for three years at the Sacred Heart College, Auckland. Acting on instructions from the Waihi Ratepayers' Association, Messrs. Clendon and Vollevaere, solicitors, of Thames, have written to the Waihi Bordugh Council with regard to the status of Mr. Walter B. Corringham as a councillor of the Waihi Borough Council. The letter, which was read at a meeting of the counoil on Thursday evening, alleges that Mr. Corringham has become disqualified, under section 42 of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1908, for having participated in a contract with the council in respect of which he was paid a sum of £10 15s, which is in excess of the amount permitted by the Act. Application is accordingly to be made at the Magistrate's Court for an order adjudging Mr, Corringham to be ousted from this office. Forty certificates of proficiency and six of competency have been gained by sixth ■ standard pupils at the Northcote school. . The certificates, with a number of prefects' and school merit badges, were presented by the chairman of the school committee, Mr. R. Darlow, at a breaking-up ceremony yesterday. It is announced by the Education Board that when the schools resume in February ' tho practice of the past two or three years ■ of opening only for three and a-half hours daily will be followed during that month. ' Any school having special reasons for full- [ time tuition, may apply for exemption from the rule. Pennies silvered in imitation of half--1 crowns have been discovered in Auckland • recently, and shopkeepers and others would be well advised to beware lest others are in circulation. One woman who received • a number of coins as change after a pur chase found later that two such pennies were included. Referring yesterday to the general 1 activities of the City Council and its finances, the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson. ' said no policy statement could be subI mitted until the council met in 'January. [ Ha expressed gratification at the ex- - peditious manner in which the road ' works had been carried out during Ids \ absence. He was sure the citizens must ' appreciate the fine highway they now > possessed in Symonds Street. As a piece , of concrete work he had seen nothing better in the whole of his travels, and '' he had looked into the matter very ) closely. ' The long vacation of the Supreme Court starts from to-day, and will extend to the end of January. The offices of the registrar will be closed from Christmas Eve to " January 3 inclusive, and for the rest of the 1 vacation they will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The unsatisfactory position regarding the metalling work throughout the Waitemata County was referred to by the county engineer, Mr. G. A. Jackson, in his report to the Waitemata County Council yesterday. Mr. Jackson stated that the quantity of blue metal delivered had not come up to expectations, and there was a grave 3 possibility of difficulty again arising during the summer months. The position had been intensified by the fact that, i owing to the railway " cut," no metal had . been received during the months when the main supply for the season was usually ' obtained. The Waihi Borough Council has been ; advised by the Public Works Department . that it can, in lieu of forming an electric : power board, obtain electricity under a > special license. It is anticipated that steps will be taken at an early date to obtain power from the HorahoTa plant for i lighting and heating the Waihi Hospital, , and for and for any business firms requiring power. 1 The fact that much more money is ex- • pended upon parks in most of the cities i in the United States than in Auckland, was remarked upon yesterday by the . Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson. Though many of the parks in America were large and very beautiful, he had seen nothing in 1 the way of results for expenditure better , than those attained here. Mr. Gunson added that he considered the time had ! come when the outer Domain should be > developed, with the object of making it , more readily accessible to the public. The purchase of the Oakley quarry at Point Chevalier was decided upon yester- . day by the Waitemata County Council. The engineer reported that the option of purchase had been extended until Decemi ber 20, and, as so much money had been i sunk in the development of the quarry, it was essential that negotiations for the puri chase be continued, as refusal would mean ( considerable loss to the council. Some of the members raised the objection that, as their ridings would not benefit, they should ; not be saddled with the cost. It was : decided that the cost be apportioned among the ridings using the metal. ! The appreciation by the New Zealand ' Government of the hospitality extended to • our soldiers by the American people, , which was conveyed to Mr. Chas. G , Winslow, who acted on behalf ef the American Consul-General, Mr. A. A. Winslow, during his absence from Auck i land, has been acknowledged by the State Department at Washington. Included in ■ its communication is a message from the Mayor of Richmond to the effect that it ! was with keen pleasure that the hos- ! pitality of his city was extended to the , gallant New Zealanders, than whom no finer men had visited the town. The State Department's letter has been for- • warded by Mr. Winslow to the Prime ■ Minister, Mr. W. F. Massey. i In the interests of country soldiers , many of whom were late in applying for - their gratuity payments, through not getting information as to the mode of pro- ' cedure as early as their city comrades, Mr ' St- h P ? rr, T P " telegraphed to the Minister lor Defence some days ago asking , that the payments to such men be expedited. A reply has been received from Sir James Allen stating that gratuities are being dealt with in the order "in which applications were received, and no depar- , ture can be made from this rule. The maximum staff is working at high pressure, Payment are being made at the rate of 1000 a day. A