LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18283, 27 December 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The weather remained fine yesterday, ■with the exception of a short shower in the morning and a light drizzle in the afternoon. The atmosphere was humid and hazy, and conditions were generally " nuiggy." The barometer was low, registering 29.75 in. during the greater part of the day.

The Auckland Racing Club's Summer Meeting opened at Ellerslie yesterday, and though the weather was threatening the attendance was well up to that of previous years. The Governor-General, Lord Jellicoe, and Lady Jellicoe w ®J" r e present, and the Prime Minister, Mr. Vv. F Massey, was also numbered among the visitors. The Auckland Cup gave rise to an exciting contest, victory going to Mr. Eric Riddiford's four-year-old gelding Scion. The totalisator investments amounted to £123,550- 10s, which) shows a decrease of £7763 compared with tlio sum handled on tho corresponding day last year.

A young woman fainted in the witness box at the Police Court yesterday when giving evidence, in a case aaginst her husband, who was charged with having assaulted her and having attempted to commit suicide on Saturday. The witness was? carried out of the Court by the Court orderlv. She had stated that hoi. husband was very Rood_ to her except when he had been drinking.

The theft- of motor-cars in Christchurch for "joy riding" still continues. On Wednesday night a car "was taken from tho Gloucester Street parking place,-and evidently driven a considerable distance. It was "found in Sydenham on Thursday morning undamaged, but with a little, less petrol in the tank. Tho car belonged to Mr. O'Neill, a farmer of Doyieston, -who iiad gone to Christchurch to visit the exhibition.

A thunderstorm of more than usual violence passed over the Woodlands, Morton Mains, and Mat-aura Island districts of Southland last week. At Mataura Island hail covered the ground to a depth of 2in. in a few minutes. Tho trail of tho storm was well defined. Ib measured about 40 chains across, the strip of hail presenting a most unusual sight. It is not often that anything in tho nature of a romance is associated with politics, but a wedding that was celebrated in Dunedin had its origin in the North Dunedin by-election, which was held in June last. On that occasion an official who is prominently connected with the Reform Party in Wellington visited Dunedin, and during his stay there ho met the lady of his choice. Returning to Dunedin a day or two ago, he made, arrangements to be married, and after the wedding had taken place at an early hour, a.well-known Dunedin citizen acting as best man. the couple left lor the North by the express. A man named Cecil Claude Smith was knocked down by a motpr-car at the corner of Queen and Customs Streets fast evening. He was taken to the hospital, but after having his injuries attended to was able to return home. A tramcar was derailed about 11.15 a.m. yesterday, while turning from Symonds 'Street, into Khyber Pass. A certain amount of delay was occasioned to the outward traffic on that route, but most of tho race traffic was diverted to the Pamell line. Tho heavy downpour of rain last Saturday will be long remembered by 0110 Auckland suburban resident. He had made a resolution to take regular rainfall records from the beginning of the New Year. For this purpose he procured a gauge, and installed it on his lawn. This work was completed on Saturday morning —just in time to register a fall of about 2Ain. later in the day. Of this quantity about 2in. fell within about three hours. Tho enthusiastic observer is now wondering whether it was some kind of prophetic intuition that moved him to complete the installation of the gauge in time for the heavy f a "- Regarding the arrangements for the supply of Lake Coleridge current to Timaru, the present state of progress_ is that the wiring of the transmission line has been completed to Temuka, and probably will be completed as far as Timaru by the end of the yea*, with the exception'of the gap represented by the Rangitata crossing. The transmission line is to be carried over that river on special steel towors, wnictr Tihve been on order for some time, and aro expected to come to ho<nd shortly. Nothing has been done yet at Ashburfon arid Timaru sub-stations pending the arrival of equipment. It will be, possibly, about the middle of next" year before Lake Coleridge current is aivailablo for South Canterbury.

In spite of the warnings issued by the police on previous occasions concerning the letting-off of fireworks in streets, quite a number of miniature bombr/rdmcnts were conducted in the main streets of the city on Friday evening, says a Christchnrch paper. As usual, the loud detonations caused havoc among the horse traffic, and more than frightened many women. As a result of the sense-

less festivities two youths had their names taken, and many more were lucky in that they have, so far, had no notice to appeal before a magistrate. Harvesting operations have commenced in North Canterbury, a paddock of ripe oats near Wcedons being now in stook. "The Canterbury Society of Arts is now even moi'e sensible than it was last year of the fact that surely something must be done frith regard to the Art Gallery,'' said the retiring president, Dr. G. M. Lester, at the annual general meeting. "Every time I come here and see thoso infernal idiots —oh! I don t suppose T had better say that!—these young folk jazzing round these rooms, it gives mo the blues; I don't like it happening in this gallery. But I am still more annoyed when I see fancy fairs with stalls and booths built almost up to the pictures on the walls. All this moving about takes pi aco in the midst of our collection of pictures. I hope somo steps will be taken this year to stop it." There was no discussion 011 the subject. The Union Steam Ship Company's coal discharging plant erected at the end of the Gladstone Pier, Lyttelton, was put into commission for the first time a few days ago in discharging the Koromiko's cargo of coal from Newcastle. All who saw the plant in action wore surprised with its speed. Though it is a new machine and the -workmen are not yet familiar with its tise. the plant discharged coal at the rate of 240 tons an hour with its two-ton grab. When in full working order it will be able to discharge up to iOO tons an hour. The grab discharges two tons each lift into a bin, and out of this bin the coal is released into trucks. It is possible to fill the trucks as they aro moving along at a slow rate. "The demand for entrance to this institution is so great now that we are booked pretty well two years ahead," said Mr. H. 'A. Knight, chairman 'of the Board of Governors of the Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, in tho courso of a farmers' day function held at the college recently. Shooting at the rifle range at Waipnkurau, during the week-end, a young territorial, Trevor Wallis, won the Bryee gold medal for the 500, 600, and 800 yards' match, ten shots at each range. The lad's performance in beating the old shots is all the more meritorious, when it is considered that the tyro utilised a short service rifle with an open sight only. A motor-car ran into the tramway shelter shed at the corner of Remuera and Market Roads yesterday morning. Both car and shed were somewhat damaged, but nn one was hurt.