LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18021, 21 February 1922, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

«. The reduction in the Main Trunk express service, announced last week, came into force yesterday. The "cut" involves tiie withdrawal of the express trains that have left Wellington at 8.35 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and Auckland nt 1 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. There was plenty of" spare seating accommodation in the express that left Auckland for Wellington last evening. The train consisted of 15 passenger carriages, of which some had come from Wellington as extras, and were being returned there. There was a large number of people on the train, some of whom, no doubt, would have travelled today had the mid-day train been running. The Mount Eden Borough Council last evening decided' to ask the City Council to revert to the ordinary tram fares on Sundays. Mr. J. Smith, who moved the motion, said it was not desirable that people should be compelled to remain at homo on Sundays, and facilities should he provided in order that they might be able to enjoy the fresh air. The Mayor said the attitude of tho Tramway Committee was that as double wages were paid to the men on Sundays, it was necessary that the fares be increased. After all, the people went out for their own pleasure on Sundays, and should expect to have to pay for it. The town clork reminded th 0 council that when this matter came before the City Council it did not want to increase the fares, but the extra charge was made on a suggestion from other local bodies interested.

The Otahnhu Trotting Club's Summer Meeting, which was concluded at andra Park yesterday, attracted an attendance of about 10,000.. Tho leading event, the Dominion Handicap, was won by Mr. A. George's Moneymaker. The sum of £41,578 10s was invested on the totalisator, making a grand total of £88,337 for (ho meeting, compared with £92,797 10s at the corresponding meeting last year, a decrease of £4460 10s.

The election of the Auckland HydroEloctric Power Board was mentioned at the meeting of the Mount Eden Borongh Council last evening, when a motion, proposed by Mr. G. L. Taylor, that the Mayor of Auckland, Mr. J. H. Gunson, the members of the City Council, and the other local bodies interested, be congratulated upon having brought the matter of setting up a board to a successful issue, was carried. Mr. Taylor said it was felt the board would be a great benefit to the whole of Auckland, and would be appreciated by all the people.

The weekly luncheon of the Auckland Rotary Club was held yesterday, the Hon. G. Fowlde presiding over a good attendance, including a number of visitors. The matter of a visit to Waitakere on March 4 to witness operations in connection with tho sawmilling industrywas referred to tho Entertainment Committee. Mrs. Walter Gray sang "Can You Sew Cushions" and "Ca" tho Yowes."

To cure a common cold is said to defy the resources of modern medical science. That a pharmacist, occupying an honoured position in his calling, is as helpless when he catches a cold as anybody else was evidenced at the opening of the conference of the Pharmaceutical Society last night, Tho chairman of the conference, who is also chairman of the Pharmacy Board, was obviously suffering from a cold. With all his knowledge of materia medica and skill in compounding remedies, his only course was to apologise to his audience, and incidentally to remark that it must be a special Auckland microbe, as ho never suffered similarly in Wellington.

A narrow escape from serious injury was experienced by a driver, Mr. J. E. Picknell, who was kicked in the face by a horse He was holding in a blacksmith shop at Onehunga, at about 5.30 p.m. yesterday. He received severe injuries to the face, and somo of his teeth were knocked out. Mr. Picknell was admitted to the Auckland Hospital. He resides at 46, Queen Street, Onehunga, and is employed by Messrs. Cunningham and Company.

A meeting of creditors in the estate of George William Rashleigh, milk vendor, of Ohakuno, who was recently adjudged a bankrupt, was held at the office of the official assignee yesterday. As the bankrupt was not present, no progress was made, and it was decided to ask the official assignee to appoint a date for a further meeting and to hav e tho bankrupt subpoenaed to appear for examination.

The annual Dominion conference of the Master Plumbers' Federation will commence in Auckland this morning, at the Employers' Association rooms. The conference which is expected to last till Friday, will be opened by the Mayor, Mr. j. H. Gunson, at 10.30 a.m. Mr. F. V. Hoffman, of Auckland, is president.

An outbreak of fire occurred on Sunday night at half-past eleven at the Victory Engineering Company's premises, Beaumont Streot. The fire originated in some coke, but was extinguished by the City Fire Brigade before much damage was done.

Speaking of conditions in England, Mr. W. J. Napier, who arrived by the Niagara yesterday afternoon, after a visit to Britain, stated that there was a steadily increasing desire among tho peoplo toward emigration to New Zealand, and active steps should bo taken to further this desire. Better support should be given to New Zealand's emigration officer in London; not only should his staff be increased, but the office should contain far moro up-to-date literature with regard to New Zealand. A now set of pictures was also required by tho High Commissioner, those in use being sadly out of date and misleading so far as present conditions were concerned.

A gloomy view of tho i outlook in Scotland is contained in a letter recently received by a Wanganui resident. His coi-res-pondent says that some of the largo steel works, employing tens of thousands of hands, have only been in operation three out of 12 months, s>nd the conditions of poverty in the industrial districts are appalling. During the war period tho men were paid high wages, but no provision was made by them for the " rainy day." Families which earned up to £20 a week are now dependent on charity, and the outside world has little conception of the real condition of the unemployed in industrial centres.

At present nearly 5 per cent, of the N.Z.E.F. are in receipt of permanent pensions, says the annual report of the Wellington War Relief Association, but—as long lists of transfers of_ temporary to permanent pensions are still being received from the Commissioner of Pensions—it seems highly probable that in the final result there will be from 6000 to 7500 exmembers of our forces in receipt of a permanent pension. These figures do not include men suffering with tuberculosis, nearly all of whom at present are in receipt of temporary pensions only.

"What I want is a camouflaged car,'" said the r&nger far the Horowhenua County Council in a recent report. His trouble, he said, was that people who allowed their stock to stray on the roads knew his car, and whenever he passed a house it seemed that the telephone was requisitioned to warn the neighbours that the ranger was on the road. "The other day I went to Palmerston North by a circuitous route, and thought I would catch some offenders by surprise. But I had the same experience as usual—not a stray cow or horse on the road. Next day I went out in a borrowed car, and a number of offender* will bt prosecuted," ''