LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17652, 13 December 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

An Australian mail, consisting of 97 ba<?s, is on board the Riverina, which is due from Sydney late to-night or early to-morrow morning. Delivery of the mail will be made to-morrow.

Holiday excursion railway tickets will be issued from any station to any station on the North Island main line and branches from Friday, December 17, to Monday, (January 3, both days inclusive, available for return up to and including February 18. From December 17 to January 7 excursion tickets issued at any station north of Taumarunui will not be available by the Main Trunk express train unless such tickets ar e for Taumarunui, or for stations further south, with, the exception that excursion tickets to and from Te Awamutu and Te Kuiti will be available by the 7.40 p.m. AucklandWellington and the 2 p.m. WellingtonAuckland extra express trains. From December 17 to January 9 an extra express train will run between Auckland and Wellington and between Wellington and Auckland each day. Further train arrangements are advertised.

The launching of the Governor-General's new 14ft. one-design boat. Iron Duke, which was to have taken place on Saturday morning, was postponed owing to the wet weather. Should the conditions be favourable to-day the boat will be launched at hall-past nine o'clock from Bailey's' yards in Freeman's Bay. The Iron Duke is painted a royal blue and has a gold streak finished with red edging. She has the crown on her bows and will fly a blue and gold flag at her masthead. It was Lord Jellicoe's intention to take part in the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's race for 14ft. boats on Saturday, but this arrangement had to be cancelled owing to his boat not being launched. His Excellency, however, spent the afternoon on the harbour in, the launch Marguerite, and was very much interested in the doings of the boats racing in the one-design class. ,The Iron Duke will probably be out for a trial spin this afternoon, and later on Lord Jellicoe will race her against the boats belonging to her particular class.

An outbreak of fire occurred shortly before nine o'clock yesterday morning in a house in Edendale Road, occupied by Mrs. Mary Archibald, milk vendor. The Mount Albert Brigade was quickly on the scene, and confined the fire to one room, which, however, was gutted. The damage is estimated at £50. The house is owned by the Braund estate.

Only one accident case was admitted to the Auckland Hospital during the week-end. The patient was a three-year-old girl, Winifred Mary Kneebone, whose parents reside in Stewart Street, Mount Eden. While playing in a l oin in the house yesterday the child put her left arm through a broken window, sustaining severe laceration. She is progressing favourably.

An examination of the hull of the Northern Company's steamer Apanui, which went aground in the Kaxikari Channel during a fog last week, while coming from Awanui, was made on Saturday morning. It was found that a number of the iron angle frames were bent, and several small plates buckled. The woTk of repairing the vessel was put in hand immediately, and she is expected to be ready for launching to-day.

To-day is the third anniversary of the escape of Count von Luckner and 10 other prisoners of war from the Motuihi Island internment camp. The prisoners were recaptured on the scow Moa, near the Kermadec Islands, on December 21, 1917, and were brought back to Auckland on Boxing Day.

Although counter Bales of surplus military stores at Auckland have been concluded, the fulfilment of mail orders, which number several thousand, is still in progress. In many cases, however, orders can be only partially executed owing to stocks being depleted.

The resolution recently passed by the Soldiers' Mothers' League urging the construction of a New Zealand Victory highway as the most fitting memorial to the soldiers who fell in the war, was communicated by the league to the various members of the Government. Replies have been received from the Prime Minister and several other Ministers stating that the suggestion will be given careful consideration when the subject comes before the Cabinet. The Minister for Agriculture, the Hon. W. Nosworthy, states that the question of the supply of trees by the Government for planting along the proppsed highway is a matter for the consideration of the Forestry Department.

A warning against the practice of boarding trains -while in motion was a case heard before Mr. W. R. McKean, S.M., in the Juvenile Offenders' Court on Saturday, when a schoolboy was charged with having boarded a railway carriage at New Lynn while the train was in motion. It was stated that the train had left the station, but stopped to pick up another passenger. This encouraged the boy to run after it also. Before He reached it the train had started, but he caught up -with it and jumped on. He was admonished 'and discharged.

An ex-Imperial soldier, discussing the conditions under which he and his comrades arrived in the Dominion, said yesterday that efforts should be made to have the men placed all over the Dominion. He said that if they were concentrated m one or two of the cities, as the scheme developed, unemployment might easily result. This would breed discontent," and. an undesirable state of affairs generally. He suggested an organisation among the men themselves to assist them in settling under the conditions best -suited to them.

The honey season prospects are reported to be particularly bright in the Auckland district. In Wellington the wet weather has delayed brood rearing very considerably. In Canterbury and Otago the yield is expected to be above the average.

" When six o'clock closing was mooted first," said the union advocate in the Arbitration Court in Wellington during the hearing of the licensed hotel dispute, "I thought with the employers that it would have a disastrous effect on the industry, and would throw hundreds of workers out of employment. However, six o'clock closing has made more work than ever before. To-dav there are more persons employed in 'bars than before the early closing law came into force. There are bars all over some hotels, special bars built in every available corner, as a result of the decreased hours."

Referring to the position in regard to supplies for public works, in an interview in Wellington, the Hon. J. G. Coates said materials all round were easier, but still fell far short of requirements; and the labour situation was also somewhat better. According to the latest weekly report, the total number of men now in the emplov of the Public Works Department was in the neighbourhood of 4800, or practically 1000 more than were employed in June last. The public works throughout the country were "jogging along" as usual, and that must continue to be the case until more adequate supplies of materials and a considerably greater number of men were available.

It was decided at a meeting of the Wellington District Retail Fruiterers' Association to support the Christen urch Association in its efforts to prevent the charge for irmt cases which is being imposed tuere, and to refuse to purchase any Christchurch fruit which may be consigned to the Wellington markets. The assooaton further resolved that, should a u "Si? ,^- me a similar charge be made in the Wellington markets, the members will refuse to purchase on those condition* The association points out that it recognises the cost of fruit cases has increased very considerably during the past few few years, but the cost of paper bags which the retailer has to supply, has increased in just as great a proportion, and it 16 the responsibility of th,e grower as well as the retailer to provide the package which is necessary to enable him to dispose of his goods.