LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18340, 5 March 1923, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

I, About 500 people travelled South by the Main Trunk express last evening. The train; included ■ 16 ; passenger: carriages, three of > which were sleepers. To meet the number of passengers,' three coaches ■ were added just before the train left.' Judgment will bo given to-day in the Supreme Court by Mr. Justice HoskTng and Mr.' Justice Stringer in the Eden election petition. The hearing of the petition took place on Monday and Tuesday last. ' ' ~': '.:'■■ ■ \t';\'. ," Sailing ' calmly across a dark blue sky, undimmed by even the vestige of a cloud, the harvest moon last evening sued a glorious flood of light over the city. So clear and brilliant was the night that at about nine o'clock it was possible to read a book by the licht of the moon. Against the clear moonlit sky. telegraph wires stood out like bars of ebony, while the skyline was as clearly defined as a silhouette. No wind rustled the trees and palms, whose shadows fell clear-cut and black against the moonlit ground. A forceful object-lesson was driven homo to the inhabitants of Takapuna on Saturday night by the helpless condition in which they found themselves when St. Joseph's Orphanage took fire. Though a corps of firemen—from the neighbouring borough of Devonport— the scene of the fire in good time their services were useless, for the simple reason that Takapuna has not provided itself with a proper water service for fire-extinguishing purposes. Everywhere its water reticulation is a low-pressure service for domestic use alone, so that the situation would have been the same, no matter in what part of the borough a five had broken out. In point of fact, this is the second time within a very few years that one of the largest buildings in the district has gone up in smoke while inhabitants could only look on impotently and let it burn out. The other instance was the old hotel that stood almost on the margin of the lake. It so happens that the Borough Council of Takapuna is at the moment considering the question of an _ enlargement of the water supply, which will include provision for fire-fighting. The present lesson may strengthen the bands of the Mayor and councillors when they place the proposal before the ratepayers, as will be done in the course of the next few weeks.

The season for deer-stalking in the Auckland acclimatisation, district will be from March 15 to May 13. Only 50 licenses will be issued, each license permitting the shooting of five fallow-deer bucks. There are separate regulations for the various red deer herd areas in the Rotorua acclimatisation district, the number of licenses available in each case being as follows: —Tokaanu-Taupo area, three licenses each for two stags; Rotoiti area, 12 licenses each for two stags; Okareka area,,licenses, the number of which is not limited, cover four stags and one hind; Galatea area, 14 licenses, each for two stags; Waikareir.oana area, licenses cover three stags each. Two members of the crew of the 18ft. yacht Champagne had an exciting.experience on Saturday while taking part in the i Ponsonby Cruising Club's regatta. The i Champagne was heading for a mark boat moored off the western tide deflector, when a ferry steamer hove in sight. The wind from the steamer caused tho yacht's mainsail to come.aback, and without any warning two members of her crew were knocked overboard. The yacht was quickly rounded up, and both men were hauled aboard without any difficulty. The Champagne then continued on her course. While the heavy rains of the past few months have in many cases had disastrous effects upon the oops in the Otago district, they have had the opposite effect upon the dairying industry, which is at present in a fairly flourishing position. There is plenty of feed, and the herds are in -such condition as .to give very high returns. The output of dairy produce at present, in fact, represents an increase of 47 per cent, over that of last season. Referring to the finances at a meeting of the Southland Power Board, the secretary stated that the board's overdraft at the local bank was £15,366 18s 4d, the amount of loan money in London was £373,876 4s Ad, and the net amount available, when the overdraft had been met, was £35,850 9s 6d. . The resolution of the special meeting of the Wellington City Council held on February 1 last, to raise a special loan of £30,000 for the provision of machinery and the general development of the municipal milk supply, was confirmed at a special meeting of the council last week. Some of the money has unavoidably been spent already. A special rate has been struck for interest and sinking fund on "the loan. %■ At a meeting of the Otago Acclimatisation Society it was stated/ that the Governor-General, Lord Jellicoe, proposed to visit the Hunter Valley next month on a deer stalking trip. The society decided to make . arrangements to provide Lord Jellicoe with guides during his visit. . v, '■;-;;! '• The Stewart Island oyster season opened on Thursday last. The fleet has been thoroughly overhauled in readiness for trawling, and it is anticipated that the season will be a prosperous one.

There are some very heavy wheat crops in the Upper Wairarapa Plain this year. If the weather would. only mend there would probably be a few/ 50 to 60 bushel yields. Last year one Upper Plain farmer threshed 57 bushels to the acre. During the recent floods in the district Mr. H. H. Godfrey, of Rongomai, had the misfortune to lose over 30 stud sheep. He was away at the time the flood commenced, and only arrived home in time to save three of the sheep, which were on the flat, by swimming to them. His house was also surrounded by water. .'.,."' ■ ;\ ',*«, VThe port of Wanganui, since the inauguration of the wool sales has made considerable advances as a port for shipping wool and the quantity which the brokers anticipate will be sent over the local wharves will be very much in advance of the previous year. The extent to which advantage has been taken of the services rendered by the port is to be found in the fact that already this year eight or nine home vessels have loaded in the roadstead, all taking wool as well as other cargo. The "ragging" of new pupils was the subject of a short discussion at the monthly meeting of the Southland High Schools' Board. Mr. J. Carswell said there was a certain amount of "ragging" that the board should wink at, but a case had come under his notice the other day in which a boy had shown fight, and as a result, so he was informed, he had been put through ' the "ragging" ceremony every day that week. The boy had been ordered to sing in the train. Ho had refused to do so and was again "ragged." As a result of the affair the boy had left the school. The chairman: Of course a boy is well advised to go through it and be done with it. The secretary said ( the boy's parents could not, understand why he would not go to school, ; nor why he appeared •so worried at the time. Tho boy would not eat or sleep. Evidently he had not told his parents about the "ragging." The boy was a clever boy and above the average. The secretary undertook to go into the matter. " Then the previous witness, who stated on oath that you kicked the victim through the gate, has given false evidence as you say you pushed him out of the gate," said the Chief Justice, Sir Robert Stout, in the Invercargill Supreme Court to the accused in an assault case. '* No, he was not swearing false," said the witness, "as I : pushed him through the. gate with my I boot." (LaughtwL. . .