LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17984, 9 January 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Maheno arrived at Sydney at 2.30 p.m. yesterday.

A large number of passengors went South bv the two Main Trunk express trains which left Auckland yesterday evening. Since December 16 two extra express trains havo been running, one from Auckland and one from Wellington, on six days a week. The last of these ran yesterday, when the two evening trains from Auckland took away about 800 passengers. The first express consisted of nine passenger carriages, with the seating accommodation for, about 350 passengers all taken up. The second train had 13 passenger carria«es with a total of about 450 passengers.

.Fine weather has been experienced in Auckland since the advent of the New Year. The strong north-easterly wind which wsis blowing during the early part of last week moderated on Wednesday and was followed by a light wind from the same direction. Typical summer weather prevailed during the week-end with a light wind, clear sky, and bright sunshine. The barometer was practically steady at 30.30 in. until Friday when it began to fall dowly, and last night it registered 30.15 in.

Municipal activities in Auckland will be resumed from to-day, the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson, having returned from his vacation. The programme of works for the coming year will be arranged as soon as possible. A special meeting of the City Council, for tne purpose of considering matters in regard to the proposed new des'tructor, ana other matters, will be held at noon to-day. The next ordinary meeting of the council will be held on January 26.

Gold coins are such rarities nowadays that they might almost be supposed to have passed out of circulation. That some gold is still circulating, howover, was shown a day or two ago, when a donor contributed half a sovereign to the Herald Protestant Orphanages Eund.

A mild sensation was caused at the Waikato Trotting Club's meeting on Saturdaj by some rubbish in the guttering of the grandstand catching fire. Tho fire brigade extinguished the outbreak before any damage was done.

An elderly man, Mr. Robeut Thompson, fell off the pavement into the roadway near tho Throe Lamps, Ponsonby, at about 7 p.m. on Saturday and was taken to the hospital suffering from a fracture of. the right leg. Mr. Thompson, who is 50 years of age, resides at 12, Edmond Street, Ponsonby.

The office of the Auckland Patriotic Association will be reopened on Monday next. Tho usual meetings of the executive wil] be resumed in March.

A special feature of interest in regard to yesterday morning's service at the Baptist Tabernacle was the presence of Miss F. Lammas, of Nelson, whose cure from her long sickness, after having written to Ratana, the Maori healer, has created wide-spread interest. The subject lof the Rev. J. W. Kemp's address was ["Death Defeated and Distress Cured." The service was abridged, and at its close Mr, Kemp introduced Miss Lammas to the eonerwation. at the same time making reference to the circumstances of her case. Such miracles, said Mr. Kemp, were the normal conditions of Apostolic days. The ppwer given to tho Apostles had never been withdrawn, although it might appear to have been lost. Miss Lammas answered a number of (Juestions put by persons who had relatives and friends who had been | pronounced " incurable."

The Waiuku branch railway which was officially opened by the Primo Minister on Thursday will be included in tljie working lines of the Railways Department from tomorrow. The time-table for the present will be limited to two days a week. Trains will leavo Waiuku on Tuesday and Friday at 6.20 a.m., arriving at Paerata junction, on tho Main Trunk railway, at 7.20 a.m. The return train will leave Paerata at 5.30 p.m., arriving at Waiuku an hour later.

"I never saw the King Country looking better in all my experience of many yam than it was recently when I passed through," said Mr. W. T. Jennings, M.P., in New Plymouth last week. He added that if money wns short Nature was compensating by providing good grass in plenty.

How best to deal with a man who is unable to exercise any degree of moderation in his consumption of liquor is a question that often exercises the minds of magistrates. Whon a man, with tlireo previous convictions for drunkenness against him, appeared before Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., in the Wellington Police Court, Sub-Inspector McNamara mads a suggestion that the offender should be sont to the inebriates' home at Roto Roa for a term. "It is his only chance," said the sub-inspector. "Whenever he is in liquor he has seizures and collapses in the street. Since October 30 he has cost the country £9 14s in medical and ambulance fees." The Magistrate: "It is a great shame that the country should have to keep an able-bodied man like this. I do not believe in sending him up to tho island for a holiday. Fishing off the rocks is no good. I will give him three months' hard labour, and if that does riot cure him I will despatch him to Roto Roa for two years."

The proprietors of a. number of factories in the Levin district are congratulating themselves or the feet that the steamer Somerset, by which they had despatched cheese for Home, was delayed for some weeks in discharging her cargo in London. The market wwt very bad ior cheese when she arrived, but by the time she had discharged there was a considerable improvement, and the cheese, although damaged, sold exceptionally well, compared with prices ruling when the ship arrived.

Both wheat and oat crops in the Fordell district and further down the line toward Maiton are now showing signs of ripenirlg. Some of the growors are apprehensive regarding the weather, as rust has made its appearance in some crops. From all parts of the district reports indicate that potato crops are blighted. Some of the l&te-sown crops will oe almost worthless. .

_ Aviators of experience Bay that Wellington ill the worst flying town in New Zealand in point of view of the unreliability of the weather. As it is not advisable to fly in the light Avros in heavy wind, the number of flying days in the last quarter of 1921 were very few. Even when the conditions are favourable pilots have always to be on the alert for a change of wind in Wellington. Ait aeroplane always rises and alights against the wind, anil bo quickly does the wind veer round on occasions, that it has been kuown to change while a machine was in the air on a short trip.

Mount Egmont has claimed a full share of attention from holiday-makers throughout the Christmas and New Year vacation. Tlio North Egmont acoommodation has. been fully .taxed, both the main hostelry and the old house being occupied. hi spite of the unsettled weather a large Winner of ascents to the summit have osoii made. A Taranaki paper states that on<3 man who stayed at North Egraont for eight daye went to the top five times.

A meeting of farmers held at Tauranga on Saturday discussed the question of reviving the agricultural show. After considering the matter, the meeting decided that a show should be held this autumn. A committee was set up to further the project and to report to a meeting in a fortnight.

The whole of one man's time has been taken up in the Christchurch public gardens for the last fortnight in watering lawns, and ovon shrubs growing under large trops. The curator states that tho period referred to has been the driest in his experience in Christchurch, the absence of rain being intensified by a very dry