LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18120, 19 June 1922, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Tho City Fire Brigade received a call at B.GO o'clock yesterday morning to a chimney fire at the promises of H. S. Chambers and Sons, boot manufacturers, 232, Karanguhape Road. The outbreak was suppressed before any damage had been done. The premises, which are owned by Mijrs-, C. Wood, and occupied by the manager of the business, Mr. T. J. Mullin, are insured for £1000 in the Atlas office, where the contents are also covered by a policy of £100. The City Brigade received a call to a fire at Kelly's Foundry in Kingston Street at 10.30 o'clock last night. A quantity of phosphorus in some moulding sand b(icamo ignited, but the fire was extinguished , before any damage was done.

One' case of diphtheria from the city and four from the country districts were notified to the health office on Saturday. There were no notifications of typhoid fever.

A large quantity of wool is being shipped from Auckland for England, The steamers Huntingdon ami Maimoa, which are loading at the Quean's Wharf, will take over 6000 bales, a large quantity being Government wool. The two vessels will take away practically all the scoured wool at present in Auckland.

Fine weather was experienced at Auckland during the week-end. The fresh southerly wind which had been blowing for some days died away to almost a calm, and yesterday was the warmest day experienced here for some time. The absenco of the keen wind that had made conditions somewhat wintry rendered the sunshine the more pleasant. The barometer, which had been steady at 30.00 in. for two days, began to rise on Saturday morning, and last night registered 30.25 in.

That the Church should do more than it does in specially catering for the children was strongly emphasised by the Rev. Joseph W. Kemp at yesterday morning's service in connection with St. James' Sunday-school anniversary. "We should as a Church," ho said, " throw open our doors wider than we do to tho children. We wonder why, in later years, they do not stand more by the Church than they do. It is really the Church's own fault in not looking after them better when they wero younger."

The rapid expansion of the Mount Eden borough is being shown at the Dominion Road tramway terminus. It is intended to shortly erect a new picture theatre. A block of shops will form part of the new structure, which will be a decided acquisition to this already busy locality. The improvements effected in recent years to tho main road have given a great impetus to business enterprise.

Through the generosity of the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson, the city has received two very fine pictures for hanging in tho Mayoress' room at the Town Hall. These pictures were selected from those shown at the recent Art Society's exhibition. One of them is a large oil painting by A. F. NicoU, entitled, " The Hush of Twilight," and was undoubtedly one of the gems of the exhibition. The other is a water colour, "The Mystic Hour," by J. Weeks. In making these gifts the Mayor oxplained that it was intended to remove the photographs at present decorating tho walls of the Mayoress' room and replace them with paintings, while the Mayor's room would contain the excellent collection of historic photographs now in the possession of the council.

Tho Canadian Government steamer Canadian Miller, which sailed for American ports, via Rarotonga and Papeete, on Saturday, took 33 head of ca£tle and two horses from this port for Rarotonga. The cattle included a bull, a cow, and a heifer for breeding, the others being beef animals.

The erection of a new fire station for the Northcote Fire Brigade is to be commenced this week, a tender having been accepted for the work. The lower portion of the structure is to be in»brick, with rough-casted outer walls. Provision on tin uppsr floor is ioado for a gymnasium, ii)i sleeping quarters for the driven of the motor fire-engine. The lowest tender was that of Mr. H. Wrightson, at £413, but the Borough Council subsequently decided to eliminate certain work specified, with the .esult that the contract price was reduced to £388.

A collision between a motor-lorry ami a motor-car occurred at the intersection of Owen's Road and Gillies Avenue, Epsom, on Saturday afternoon. The lorryescaped damage, but the bonnet and radiator of tho motor-car were broken.

An elderly man, Mr. Frederick Kite, who resides at Otahuhu, was knocked down by a motor-cycle and side-car in Queen Street, near the intersection with Durham Street, on Saturday morning. He sustained head injuries, and was admitted to the Auckland Hospital. His condition is not serious.

Instruction in pruning was given by Mr. J. W. Collard, tho Department of Agriculture's instructor, at Mr. F. Hayman's orchard, Birkdide, on Saturday. Keen interest was evinced by the large gathering of fruitgrowers, who elicited much useful information by questions and brief discussions on many phases of the treatment of different varieties of trees, and the comparative future values and effects of alternative systems of pruning.

The New Zealand Association of British Manufacturers and Agents is tendering a complimentavy luncheon to the Prime Minister and the Hon. W. <Downie Stewart in Wellington to-morrow, as a mark of the British manufacturers' apprecie'ion of what Parliament has done, through the recent revision of the customs tariff, in the interests of British trade.

Laughter greeted a statement of the Hon. G. J. Anderson at the opening of the Taranaki Winter Show that he could say, among other things, how much oil had been produced in the district. The Minister retorted that the laughter of those present showed that they had not the faith of a miner. He was a son of a miner, and had some oil the old mining spirit in his blood, and he believed that before many years had passed there would be an oil field in the district. He believed that if boring had been stopped at the level at which oil had been obtained— <■ about 200 ft. —the district would have been supplying New Zealand to-day. Plenty of oil was there, he believed, but faith, capital, perseverance, and science were required to reach it. Men who understood the thing were wanted, and he did not know whether there had been many men connected with the operations who thoroughly did so.

The district telegraph engineers and the chief telegraph engineer have been conferring in Wellington with regard to telegraph and telephone matters. They had an interview with the PostmastersGeneral. The matters under discussion include the question of telephone charges, and the work of the year in the various branches of departmental activity.

A party of visitors to the bush country in the Ohau Valley got bushed last week. Some alarm was felt in the evening, and search parties were organised. Although the bushed party was in a comparatively small licit of "timber, it was daylight next morning before they found themselves out in the cpen, after having spent a somewhat uncomfortable night.