LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17664, 28 December 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The City Fire Brigade received a false alarm from Messrs. Kempthorne, Prosser, and Company's warehouse, in Albert Street, shortly before noon yesterday. The call was due to an automatic alarm in the building being affected by the heat of the sun. Two accident cases were admitted to the Auckland Hospital yesterday. The first patient was a single man, Mr. James Brady, aged 30, who received injuries to I the nose and face while boarding a motorcar at the Ellerslie racecourse, but his condition is not serious. He resides in Logan Terrace, Parnell. The other case was Mr. William Grilly, who was suffer- : ing from severe injuries to the head and ' face and bruised shoulders, caused by a I fall on the pavement in Queen Street late ■ in the afternoon. He was unable to give , his address or particulars of his accident. The Auckland Racing Club's Summer Meeting was opened at Ellerslie yesterday, and attracted a record attendance. , The Governor-General, Lord Jellicoe, and Lady Jellicoe were present, and on arrival at the course Their Excellencies met with an enthusiastic welcome. The racing throughout was of a highly interesting character, and everything passed off most pleasantly. The Auckland Cup, which brought out a field of a dozen contestants, was won by Mr. G. L. Stead's gelding Starland i who beat the favourite. Sir. F E. Ross' First Salute by a narrow margin. During the day the sum of £154,188 10s was invested on the totalisator. which represented an increase of £29,272 compared with the eum handled on the corresponding day last year. A party of 40 excursionists, including men, women, and children, who travelled by one -of the ferry steamers to Cowes Bay, Waiheke, yesterday were left behind last evening when the steamer returned to Auckland. A steamer was due to leave Cowes Bay at six o'clock this morning, and the excursionists should be back at their homes shortly after nine o'clo:k. The four Ponsonby residents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Knock, Miss Kosina Nelson, and Mr. Charles G. Knock, who were admitted to the Auckland Hospital on Sunday night suffering from ptomaine poisoning, are making fair progress. The cause c_f their illness was apparently ham and sheep tongues, of which they had partaken in the afternoon. The meat had been boiled in a copper. The work of the boy scout camp in the Henderson Domain, which is being attended by scouts from about sixtoen troops in the No. 1 Auckland district, was commenced yesterday. The advance guard went out on Friday last, and the main body of the boys proceeded to Henderson by train from Mount F.deri yesterday morning. The total strength of the camp is about 150. Mr. A. S. Oxley, actingdistrict commander is in charge of the camp, which will extend over a fortnight. The need for extreme care in the handling of wood infected with the fire blight was referred to by Dr. iR. J. Tillyard, biologist to the Cawthron Institute, in. his recent address at Motueka regarding the disease. He said that while he was in Auckland in the early part of this month a friend of his had stated that he had sent a specimen of the diseased wood to someone at Nelson. He was, he said, so astounded at " such a silly action," that he was left almost speechless. He informed the officials of 'the Department of Agriculture of what had occurred, and was told that several Nelson people had asked that samples of the fire blight should be sent to them. Dr. Tillyard added that specimens of the blight, if put up in proper chemicals, would be perfectly harmless. He regarded it as rather a pity that pickled specimens could not be sent to orchardists, so as to give them an idea of the appearance of the disease. The last does not appear to have been heard of tile Samoan Civil Armed Constabulary, which, after a brief existence, was disb.-fided in September last, the final draft being returned to New Zealand in October. A member of the Force in Wellington stated that a number of the men jointly and severally are instituting proceedings against the Crown,. claiming damages, on the ground of alleged breach of contract. Very favourable impressions of New Zealand and its attractions as a field for immigration have been formed by Mr. T. L. Mac Lean, of the Isle of Skye and London, who is about to conclude a visit to the Dominion, extending over nearly 18 months. Mr. Mac Lean, whose itinerary has extended from Auckland to Stewart Island, speaks enthusiastically of the apparent possibilities of the country, both as a field for immigration and as a resort for the tourist and holiday-seeker from the Old World. One of the objects of Mr. Mac Lean's visit Is to make inquiries on behalf of parents who are contemplating the bringing of boys and girls to New Zealand. He states that his report in this connection will be a most satisfactory one. Of the scenic attractions of both islands, especially the wonders of the thermal regions and the beauties of the Southern Alps and Cold Lakes regions. Mr. Mac Lean speaks with the greatest admiration. Thirty-seven years ago a prisoner at the Mount Cook gaol relieved the tedium of brickmaking by neatly inscribing one brick: "In memory of J.H.C., who departed this gaol without a tear, 30th June, 1883." Last June, while the big kiln chimney stack was being taken down, brick by brick, another prisoner discovered the " memorial," and handed it over to the gaol officials. Other bricks from the stack have been placed on the market, but that brick has been placed on the gaol office mantelpiece. J.H.C., apparently, departed and did not return, for the police records contain no reference to him after his discharge in June, 1883. Speaking of educational needs at the prize-giving ceremony of the New Plymouth High School; Professor Hunter expressed the opinion that the community would not he doing its duty until it was prepared to put the sum of ten millions on the Estimates for education ajone. While it was true that some of the conditions in the secondary schools were not what thev should be, the conditions in the university colleges, particularly the two northern ones, were disgraceful. Students weTe being taken in with no provision made for their physical welfare. They had to make their own arrangements for board and residence. What was wanted were residential colleges that would provide the home life and that corporate spirit that was so necessary, thus carrying on the good work done in the secondary schools. He honed that before long the authorities would see the , desirabilitv of having residential colleges so that the team spirit could be carried through the universities and into life itself. " This man pleads guilty and wishes me ■ to- express his gratitude to the police for the care they took of him," said a city solicitor as a man charged with drunkenness stepped into the dock at the Dunedin Police Court last week. " He- had a lot 1 of money in his clothes at the time, and no doubt he would have lost a good deal of it if he had been left to himself." " That speaks very well for the police," remarked the magistrate (Mr. Widdowson. S.M.). "' but he will further show his gratitude by paying-a fine of 10s." A new timber company has been formed in the Taranaki district. A mill has been erected 17 miles from Awakino township, which is capable of an output of 5000 ft. of timber daily. There is estimated to be 20 years' supply of rimu, white pine, and tawa. The work dealt with at the Supreme Court and Magistrate's Court at Napier during the past year constitutes a record for the town, and places Napier next to the four chief cities in this respect.