LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17872, 29 August 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The fine weather which had been experienced in Auckland for nearly two weeks terminated yesterday evening, when light rain began to fall, and continued up to a late hour. In the morning the wind changed from the south-east to the north, and freshened somewhat from that direction. The day was fine, with bright sunshine, until late in the afternoon, when the sky became dull and to the north-west, and was followed later by rain. The barometer had been £airly steady at a high reading for some days previous to Friday, when it registered 30.45 in. It .has fallen slowly since, and. last night registered 30.20 in. The rainfall up to midnight as registered by the Herald gauge was .03in,

A brass memorial plaque, presented to the Young Men's Christian Association by the Women's Auxiliary, was unveiled in the association lounge yesterday afternoon. The acting-president, Mr. W. E. Bush, before calling on Mrs. Bush to perform the unveiling ceremony, referred to the large number of association members who had served with the colours during the great war, and to the many who had made the supreme sacrifice. Mrs. Bush, in unveiling the memorial, said that it would be a constant reminder of the call for service upon the part of everyone. An address was given by the Rev. D. 0. Herron on "Our Glorious Dead," in the course of which he referred to the services rendered by the Y.M.C.A. during the war. The president suitably thanked the Women's Auxiliary for their gift.

Nominations for the vacancy in tho Northcote Borough Council created by the resignation of Mr. K. Smith close at noon to-morrow. So far only Mr. F. 0. Devlin has been nominated.

No light has yet been thrown on the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the well-known Auckland solicitor, Mr. A. E. Skelton, who has been missing from his home at Ladies' Mile, Ellerslie, since early on Saturday, August 20.

A dislocated shoulder was sustained last evening by Mrs. Fanny Hulston, aged 52, of Broadway, Newmarket, through a fall from a fcramcar at the foot of Khyber Pass Road. The injured woman, it is stated, was alighting from the car, when it moved on, and she* was thrown to the eround. She was conveyed to the Auckland Hospital.

A chimney fire at Green Lane on Saturday afternoon resulted in a call to the Remuera and Parnell Fire Brigades, which found, however, that the fire was beyond their district. The outbreak was extinguished before any damage was done. The Parnell Fire Brigade was called to a grass fire in the Domain, at the end of the Parnel] tunnel, shortly after noon on Saturday. The fire was beaten out with sacks.

An official mission to the Urewera Country, comprising the Hon. A. T. Ngata, M.P., Mr. H. R. H. Balneavis, and Mr. J. Knight, of the Lands Office, who are empowered to negotiate with the natives with a view to Consolidating the interests of the State and the natives in the Urewera, returned to Auckland on Saturday, and reported progress to the Minister for Native Affairs, the Hon. J. G. Coates. The Minister stated afterwards that the progress made was satisfactory, though it would be unwise to sav more until the negotiations regarding Lake Waikare moana were corrjpleted. These negotiations would recede consideration at Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, on September 8.

A memorial tablet, erected by the parishioners of St. Philip's Church, St. Heliers Bay, in memory of their former vicar, the late Rev. W. H. Wilson, and his wife, the late Mrs. M. E. Wilson, was unveiled in the church yesterday by the Ven. Archdeacon Mac Murray. The late Mr. Wilson was vicar at St. Heliers Bay from 1910 until his death in October of last year. His widow died in March last.

Two footballers who had been playing at Carlaw Park on Saturday afternoon were admitted to the hospital for treatment, as the result of injuries received during the game. Mr. Harold Church, aged 31, of Ellerslie. had one of his legs hurt, and Mr. J. Harley was treated for a slight concussion.

It was stated at a meeting of the Wellington CoDege Board of Governors that the income from endowments amounted to £8000 annually. The money was utilised to pay salaries, and could not be used for building purposes without the authority of the Minister for Education. Under the educational scheme of the Government endowments were not of great value to the board, as the amount received from them was deducted from the Government payments.

It was stated at a meeting of the Canterbury Industrial Association that one of the largest boot manufacturing firms 'in Christchurch was at present employing 80 operatives in place of 179 or 185 12 months ago. This.was due to heavy importations from Australia.

Although " Pelorus Jack " is dead, his nainie still lives in countries outside New Zealand. By a recent American mail the Mayor of Nelson (Mr. Lock) received a letter from a resident of Kansas City, asking for a photograph of "Jack" for the purpose of embodying it in articles on natural history subjects. The writer also asked if the fish was preserved after his death. Unfortunately, no definite information hats been obtained accounting for the disappearance of " Pelorus Jack " (says the Nelson paper), but it is .supposed that he fell a victim to a Norwegian whaler which was operating in the Sounds at the time.

Notification has been given by the Comptroller of Customs that when goods arrive in New Zealand on and after January 1, 1922, from countries having an appreciated rate of exchange computed with reference to the relative values of the sovereign and of the gold or silver monetary units of ■ such countries, the goods will be assessed for duty at the banking rate of exchange at or about the time of the exportation of the goods, as nearly as such rate can be ascertained. Previously, assessment of duty in such cases has been based on the par rate of exchange.

In compliance with the desire of settlers, the name of the locality known as Cabbage Bay has been changed to Colville, and the bav itself has" been redesignated Colville Bay.

A consignment of hares shot as the outcome of recent drives in North Canterbury has been presented to the Mayor of Christchurch for distribution among the poor of the city.

"I always told her to tell the truth and be a little lady, and when she did so I would give her a toy," said a witness in the Wellington Magistrate's Court. " That's one way of encouraging veracity," remarked the magistrate, amid laughter.

" It can truthfully be said." stated the report of the applications committee presented at the last meeting of the Wellington War Relief Association, " that at no time since its inception has the work of the committee been busier that it while there is abundant evidence that the next few years to come will be just as arduous." Persons who have land to sell or lease are not generally expected to tell "the truth, the- whole truth, and nothing bat the truth" about it. A certain latitude is by custom permitted them. But the Lands Department, when it has sections to offer, tells the truth coldly and severely. Here, for example, is its description of some sections that it is offering to discharged soldiers:—Broken country, covered with fern, short manuka, and hakea. Soil of very poor clav, on sandstone formation; badly watered • very much disfigured with mine-shafts, tramlines, tip-h_eads, etc' About a quarter of a mile distant from Kawakawa.