LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17457, 29 April 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The following weather forecast issued by Mr. Clement L. Wragge at 7.30 o'clock last evening:—The .barometer is rising steadily. This, with the southerly wind, indicates that the Centre of the disturbance, Quolath, has passed into west longitude, and that the weather will become finer. The most unsettled d'stricts will be along the East' Coast, south from Tckomaru Bay. Winds from between S.W., S., and S.E. Sea rather rough on East Coast, with increase of latitude.

Two accident cases were admitted to the Auckland. Hospital yesterday. The first patient was Mr. William Reuben Card, aged 78, a Maori War veteran, residing at the Veterans' Home, who received injuries to the back and shoulders through falling down a hatchway on the Renown. The other case was Mr". Charles Doyle, aged about 50, a returned soldier, residing in, Otahuhu, He was sitting in a gig in the main street, when the horse, frightened by a motor-car, reared up. The gig was capsized, and Mr. Doyle was pinned down, being rendered unconscious, in which state he as admitted to the hospital. His condition is serious.

Owing to the railway strike tho actingconciliation commissioner, Mr. P. Hally, will be unable to arrive in Auckland from Wellington before Sunday, when he will come by the Mokoia. As a consequence, disputes awaiting consideration by conciliation councils up to that date wiil have to be postponed, and further arrangements made as regards dates of sittings.

A deputation representing the Mount Eden Borough Council and the Mount Roskill Road Board recently waited on the Public Services Committee of the City Council, and urged the extension of "the tramways service to the boundaries of the respective districts. The chairman of the Road Board, Mr. G. E. Tansley, reported to that body v on Tuesday evening that the chairman of the committee, Mr. W. J. Holdswortb, had stated that the extension would be made as soon as possible.

There was a phenomenal demand for the Royal Visit Number of the Auckland Weekly News yesterday, and the first edition was completely sold out at an early hour, notwithstanding the fact that several thousand extra copies were printed. Today a limited number of copies of the second edition will be available, and those who desire to secure the paper should make early application, as no further editions can be published. The handsome two-colour presentation plate issued with the News has proved ex 4 -' tremely popular, and as a few more than required hav e been printed separate copies ma v be purchased on application at the Herald Office.

The prices obtained at the hide sales held in Auckland yesterday were on a par with those ruling last week. Heavy hides made from 19d to 20d per pound, medium 18d to 18Jd, light 17d to 17Jd, and calf 36d to 40d.

A suggestion that the services of a teacher should b$ provided for the purpose of allowing children in-patients of the Hospital to continue their education was made by the superintendent of the Auckland Hospital Board, Dr. C. K Maguire, to the Board last evening. Dr. Maguire pointed out that while' in hospital much valuable time was lost for children s studies, and he considered a class of at least ten boys could be formed if a teacher could be engaged. The chairman, Mr. W. Wallace, and the medical superintendent, were authorised to wait, upon the Educ.v tion Board in furtherance of the proposal.

The opening for settlement of several areas of land near Mangonui was tht> subject of a request made'to the Crown Lands Commissioner for the North Auckland district, Mr. R. P. Greville, by a deputation at Mangonui last week. The areas proposed for settlement include . the Taipa Block cf About 2800 acres, the Mangon ii East Bl.ck of about 4000 acres, arid the Paranui Block of 2200 acres. The commissioner promised that these areas would be recommended to be thrown open under the homestead conditions, and said hoped that before long they would * e available for settlement. The deputation urged that, on the Taipa Block, which adjoins the Mangonui township, areas from 10 to 20 acres should be made available along the coast line for fruit farms, for which the deputation considered tho land -well adapted.

About seven hundred bluejackets from the Renown were motored yesterday afternoon to Papatoetoe, where they were entertained by the ladies of the borough.

The fees for treatment at the Auckland Hospital are to be increased from 6s to 6s 6d a day. This decision was arrived at by the Hospital Board last evening.

A shop in Pollen Street, Thames, occupied by Mrs. Whelan, confectioner, was broken into about 4 a.m. yesterday. An entrance was made by breaking a plategla.« window in the front, and considerable damage was done to the contents of the shop, while a quantity of goods is missing.

The request by the Mount Roskill Road Board that slot telephones be installed at the Royal Oak and Greenwood's Corner cannot be entertained at present. Intimation from the postal authorities to this effect was received by the board at its meeting on Tuesday.

Several thousand people visited H.M.S. Renown yesterday afternoon. Though the public was not allowed on board till one o'clock a large crowd was waiting on the wharf at noon. A steady stream of men. women and children poured into the vessel throughout the afternoon, being shown o\er all accessible parts by members of the crew. The mechanism of the guns was open for inspection, and explanations were given at all interesting points.

The proposal of the Royal Colonial Institute, London, for the holding of an " Empire Shopping Week" throughout the Empire during one week next year, in which the public should be asked to purchase only goods produced within the Empire, has been brought under the notice of the president of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce by the corresponding secretary for the institute, Mr. W. J Napier. He suggests that the advantage of adopting the proposal is obvious, and asks the chamber to initiate steps to secure the co-operation of kindred bodies with a view of having it carried out.

A considerable portion of the land now being drained at Kaitaia was inspected last week by the Commissioner of Crown Lands for the North Auckland district, Mr R P Greville, and Mr. J. Wells during their Northern tour. The commissioner came to the conclusion that the drainage work was not sufficiently advanced for the land to be available for settlement at present, and that it would be at least a year before the road and drainage "works would admit of settlement. The drainage operations affect 4000 or 5000 acres of Crown land, a great deal of which is of first-claos quality, well adapted for dairy farming.

Parliament has been further prorogued until May 20.

Authority has been given for the raising of a loan of £245,000 by the Christchurch Tramway Board. Other loans sanctioned by Order-in-Council are as follow : —Te Aroha Borough Council and Pjako County Council, £14,000; Papa kura Town Board, £10,000; Waimanno County Council, £5150; Helensville Town Board. £5000; and Wbangarei County Council, £2900.