LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18297, 13 January 1923, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Two express trains left Auckland for Wellington last evening, both being well filled. The first train, which left at 7.10 p.m., carried the usual complement of seven passenger cars, two sleepers, and two vans. About 300 passengers travelled bv it. The second train, which left at 7.40 p.m., consisted of 10 passenger cars, a sleeper and a van, and carried over 400 people. The petition.. the election of the Hon. C. J. Parr as member for Eden has been forwarded "to the , Registrar of the Supreme Court in Wellington. The necessary bond for security of £200 for expenses was lodged with the returning officer for the district, the bondsmen being Mr. M. J. Savage, M.P., and Mr. H. G. R. Mason, the Labour candidate for the Eden seat. Mr. A. G. Quartley is the solicitor for the petitioner, John Pool. Mount Albert, and Mr. H. H. Ostler has been retained on behalf of Mr. Parr. A deputation from the Auckland Methodist Women's Missionary Auxiliary waited upon Queen Salote, of Tonga, at heir residence, Uplands Road, Remuera, in response to an invitation to bid farewell to two of the widows, of late Tongan teachers, who had dono noble TOrk in the „ Solomons. The native women with their children left by the Navua. on Thursday for their home in Tonga. The Queen accepted a small token of appreciation from the executive of the auxiliary. One of the members of the auxiliary haß in her possession the first book printed in Tonga, and the Queen was greatly interested in seeing this. A tuatara was killed at Devonport two or three days ago. It is stated that the reptile was, given its despatch by a resident who was unlware of the identity of the unusual class of visitor. : The lizard, which measured 21 inches in lencth, was sent for identification to the curator, of the Auckland Museum, Mr. T. F. Cheeseman, who pronounced it to be a fine specimen. It is not known how the lizard found its way to the North Shore, but it is suggested that it may have arrived as a stowaway in one of the small craft from one of the islands on which the tuataras are known to exist: A quick motor trip from Auckland to ; Rotprua was mads yesterday by Mr. R. Spedding, of Rotonia. : He left Auckland at .'midnight, and reached Rotorua at 10 a.m. He reported that the road oyer the Rangiriri and. Mamaku hills were in satisfactory condition. .J< ,-,;;' ;",' The- thick,' misty weather which prevailed along the West Coast on Wednesday morning considerably delayed; the Arrival of the Rarawa* from New Plytjriouth. Although the steamer arrived off 'the Manukau Heads about 8 o'clock it was not until about two and a-haU hours .later that the captain was able to pick up the land and negotiate the crossing of the bar. The steamer was very full, beds having to be made up in the smoking room, social hall, and dining saloOh, and numbors of the passengers experienced much discomfort as the vessel lay rolling in the trough of the seas while waiting to pick up the land. A demonstration of unemployed seamen took place at Auckland yesterday morning, when after attending a meeting at the Trades Hall, over 600 marched in procession through the city. The procession was headed by the Seamen's Union banner, and a piper and kettle drummer. The route taken was along Hobson Street, * Victoria Street, Albert ; Street, Quay Street, and Breakwater Road to the union's office in Customs Street East, where the men dispersed. The action of the Auckland Advertising Club in organising a carnival week in March was discussed yesterday by the executive of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association. ' The opinion was expressed that the club's scheme would bo prejudicial to the interests sof the Winter Exhibition which the association is holding in May. It was decided to ask the promoters of the carnival to defer fixing definite dates until they had consulted with the Winter Exhibition Committee. Residents of Remuera are advised to keep an efficient watch over their pantries and meat safes, as a number have been reported to have been robbed in that locality. In moat cases it has been loaves of bread, meat and milk that has been stolen. ;■ . , '■ v r : :. : An unusual sight to train travellers was witnessed a few days ago on the Kaipara line, when a team of 14 bullocks, drawing a load of large logs, was seen toiling up a steep road almost parallel with the railway line. The sight, which is not uncommon in the back blocks, was an object lesson to the large number of schoolboys who were passengers, by the train. ■'..•■, ;;/.;;,, ,:;: ' ■"*■;: -''■-. < A scythe that was brought out to- New Plymouth in 1843 by the late Mr. '. H. Bnmball, and has seen service,for the intervening 30 years, has been presented to the New Plymouth Museum. ' A vote of condolence with Mr. W. Newell, a prominent Waikato breeder, who recently lost his only son by drowning, was passed yesterday by the executive committee of the A. and P. Association. A similar vote was passed to the family of the late Mr. Whewell, of Tamahere, a well-known Friesian breeder. A smart arrest was effected at the Timaru railway station by Detective Norman Abbot," of Timaru, and Constable Swan, of Waimate. on the arrival, of the slow train fromj Waimate. It appears that a wallet containing •_ £10 was snatched from a man's hand •in the Waimate Hotel. Later, it was found that a man answering to the description of the offender had embarked on th« = train for Timaru, and! telephone communication with the Timaru police was immediately established. The constable, who had arrived from Waimate by motor-car, and Detective Abbot were on the station when the train arrived, and the suspect was taken into custody. , The unusual sight of a farmer rounding up his cattje by motor-car was witnessed by a number of passengers on the Main Trunk express on Wednesday. All the manoeuvres of an experienced stock horse were performed by this unusual steed, as the farmer described an erratic course over, the paddock in pursuit of the lagging stock, ■■ while impetus was given by a series of discordant notes on the horn, which did excellent duty as a whip. One passenger, commenting tipon the farmer's efforts, suggested that the installation of a series of arc lamps in' the poultry yard should be adopted by /this modern man to spur the fowls to further effort. :"'•'.'' '■-:.]-'■ /■'!. ■' _";-:-=! '■; ' j! : :.■ '■_•,'■} ■; : : '; V-; ":;■■■' '■■' ■: ■" ■':'-.'-'..' ''■'' -Av-i'y.'!": '<.-■ '\i;j :'^'^ : '-'''.''. ! '; '■ A'C';:",^--: