LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17956, 5 December 1921, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

I A fire broke out in the galvanised iron factory of Alexander Harvey and Sons, •Ltd., manufacturers of dairy supplies, in St. George's Bay Road, Parnell, on Saturday afternoon. The Parnell fire brigade was summoned at 3.45 p.m., .and found a packing case and a quantity of loose wood lying in the rear portion of the building ablaze. The flames were suppressed before any material damage had been done. Numerous complaints have been made lately concerning the state of the footpaths and roadway of the Domain Drive, which has recently been tarred and sanded. Owing to the heat of the sun the tar has broken through the thin layer of sand, causing considerable inconvenience to pedestrians and vehicular traffic The Drive is patronised largely on Sundays, with the result that the ground becomes very soft and tar "pools" are everywhere in evidence. The Bteps leading to the Domain Kiosk are covered with tar scrapings, where people have epdeavoured to remove the tar from the soles of their boots.

The Supreme Court vacation begins on Tuesday, December 20, and lasts until the end of January, but the office will not be closed until December 23, re-open-ing on January 4. As Mr. Justice Stringer will leave to-day to preside at the session of the Supreme Court at Hamilton, Mr. Justice Herdman will sit on cases before Judge alone at the Auckland Supreme Court until the vacation. To-day is the 31st anniversary of the New Zealand general elections of 1890, which resulted in the defeat of the last Atkinson Administration and the advent to power of the Liberal Party. The latter party remained in office for over 21 years, under tho respective leaderships of Mr. John Ballance, Mr. R. J. Seddon, and Sir Joseph Ward. This was the first election conducted on the one-man-one-vote principle. The industry of the Continenjah workers in contrast to the continual stoppages and listlessness of the British workers was noted by the Hon. E. W. Alison, M.L.C-i on a recent trip to Great Britain and the Continent. Mr. Alison stated yesterday that while industry in Great, Britain is repeatedly being interrupted the workers in France, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland are working most industriously. In Franco the whole of the people were at work, acting a healthy, laborious and courageous part. Travelling through France, said Mr. Alison, the industry of the peasants was specially observable. There seemed to be a strong, united effort to repair the ravages of war and to again build up the nation. Everybody appeared to be working'early and late, and working cheerfully, and the number of unemployed was small.

Potter's Park, the new reserve at Mount Eden, which was officially opened on Friday by the Governor-General, was largely patronised during the week-end. The children's playground, with its many attractions, was the centre of interest on Saturday for large numbers of little ones, while yesterday many of the residents of the district visited the park. Following the practice in vogue at both Victoria and Myers Parks, the apparatus in the children's playground is not available for use on Sundays. An induction and ordination service of elders took place yesterday at St. James' (Presbyterian) Church, the minister, the Rev. George Paterson, officiating. A largo congregation was present. Messrs. J. Gailey.and.t). Crawford were inducted to the eldership, and Messrs. D. Cattanach, J. 'Claiiachan, and W. Black were ordained as elders. The Rev. Mr. Paterson is now in residence at the new manse in Hepburn Street, Ponsonby. Although fine weather was experienced at Auckland during the week-end, the weather conditions on Saturday were quite different from those obtaining yesterday. On Saturday the weather was dull and threatening at times, with a fresh breeze from the South, which made the atmosphere somewhat chilly. Yesterday the wind had changed to the north, the sky had cleared, and the sun shone brightly. The day was an ideal summer one. The .barometer, which had been steady at 29.90 in. for- three days, rose at midnight on Saturday, and last night it registered 30.151n.

The discontinuance of the British Government's housing scheme, was referred to yesterday by.the Hon. E. W. Alison, M.L.C., who returned by the Maheno. Mr. Alison mentioned that when he reached England numerous blocks of brick buildings were, in course of erection under the local bodies' housing scheme, but shortly after this the Government notified that after July 1 no more grants would be made for housing schemes or private buildings, but that contracts already made would be completed. The reason given for this was the high cost of building and loss to the State under the subsidy system. It was established that a cottage which in 1913 could have been built for £250 was costing about £700, and in some localities considerably more. The heavy cost of building, in conjunction with tho financial stringency, brought v the Government to the decision that it could not continue the subsidies. The verandah of a Chinese laundry in Symonds Street, near Grafton Jridge, was wrecked on Saturday morning by a butcher's cart. From what could be gath. ered from the occupant of the premises a horse attached to a butcher's cart bolted along Symonds Street early in the morning, and the vohicle struck the single iron poßt on which the verandah rested. So far as is known no other damage was done by the runaway. The man who dived in under the wharf, fully qloth'ed, from the ferry steamer Eagle at the Birkenhead Wharf on Friday evening to rescue a youth who had slipped in, was Mr. Frank Pugh. It is stated that Mr. Pugh has on other occasions rendered valuable assistance in time ol need. Three'boys appeared bofore Mr. J. W. Poynton, S.M-. in the Juvenile Offenders Court on Saturday charged with having annoyed an old-age pensioner by throwing missiles at him. They were admonished and discharged. A considerable stir was caused in Morrinsville a few days ago by the disappearance of a two and a-ha!f year old child.-. The child had been missed for about two hours when' it was reported that it had been seen wandering in the direction of Piako. A number of. motor-cars and a troop of boy Bcouts were' employed in the search. After about six hours' effort' the child was found contentedly eating a scone at the home of some Maoris at Piako, about three mile's from its home. When found it was the least concerned of the excited company. Owing to the existence of fireblight in New Zealand, the Commonwealth Govern-, ment has prohibited the importation into Australia from the Dominion of all plants, including fruit, except agricultural, grass, vegetable and flower seeds. Seeds of any plant of the family Rosaceae and of fruit trees'are, however, prohibited. A regulation has been gazetted provid-. ing that at the request of persons sending telegrams, the messages may bo telephoned from the destination office to the addressee. This arrangement has hitherto involved an extra charge of 3d for each message, but the telephone transmission U now to be freot ' •'