LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18374, 14 April 1923, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

An arrest was made by the Auckland police yesterday of a man who is suspected of having been responsible for some of the many burglaries that have occurred in Auckland recently. The accused will be charged at the Police Court this jnorning with breaking, entering and theft. The official opening ceremony in connection with the completion of the new Nihotupu dam will be performed by the Minister for Public Works, the Hon. J. G, Coates. at half-past, two • this afternoon. An invitation to ' citizens to attend the ceremony has been extended by the Mayor and councillors, • and as special motor trips are being arranged, there will doubtless be a large attendance. Tho situation and surroundings of the new dam are most picturesque, and given fine weather, an interesting and enjoyable outing is assured. H.M.S. Laburnum, which has . been cruising in the South since February, is due back at Auckland to-day. She will berth at Devonport, and will later go into dock for cleaning and painting. A second instalment of the new serial story, " The Lost Lode," by Silas K. Hocking, appears in the Heßalb supplement to-day. ■ The last of the damaged • cargo in the No. 4 hold of the steamer Raikoura, on which the fire occurred last Monday, will be discharged to-day. A largo quantity of it has suffored but little damage from the fire, but it has been blackened by the smoke. Besides the 5000 bales of wool, the hold contained about 190 barrels of tallow and 240 oases of tins of sugar of milk, shipped at Dunedin. Tho latter cargo may hava been affected by the heat. The damaged wool has been divided into three sections. That which is dry and only slightly damaged has been stored in the shed on the Queen's Wharf. The badly-damaged bales have been. sent to the fellmongers for re-con-ditioning, while a quantity of charred loose wool has been stacked on the reclamation east of the King's Wharf. This will bo offered for sale by auction at 10 a.m. to-day.

A woman collapsed in the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, after, the hearing of a case in which she applied for a maintenance order against her husband. She was carried from the courtroom in an unconscious condition, but afterwards recovered sufficiently to leave the building.

A discussion in regard to»the cost of feeding seamen on board ship took place in the Arbitration Court yesterday, during the hearing of a claim for compensation by a sailor. It was mentioned that in the old days 10s a week per man was deemed sufficient, and counsel for the defendant steamship company, in dealing with the vastly-different present-day conditions, said no doubt it cost more to feed the men in the steamer. Niagara than in a coasting steamer. He cited an instance of an American ship in which the firemen went on strike untifthey were supplied with ice-cream.

A petition in bankruptcy has been filed by William Osborne Tilsley, of Te Aroha, labourer. The date of the first meeting of creditors has not yet been fixed.

There has been an epidemic of small burglaries in Christchurch recently. Business premises in the city have been entered on several occasions, while Knox Church and St. Andrew's Church have also been visited. It is understood that the police will institute prosecutions in connection with certain of the burglaries at an early date.

Optimism in the future of Christchurch was expressed by Mr. D. Reese at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Builders' Association. Recent figures had shown, he said, that the population of Christchurch was now about 107,000. While Auckland, owing to its geographical position, would be the largest city in the Dominion,, he believed that Christchurch would always be a good second. He considered that' with the opening of the Arthur's Pass Tunnel in sight', the prospects for tho building trade were distinctly bright.

Discussing the present position of thp building trade a well-known Wellington builder expressed the opinion that there was no immediate prospect of a drop in the present cost of building, but notwithstanding this, he stated that even with pr'ces at their present level the trade was fully occupied.

The comparative cost of carting metal by motor lorries and by horse drays was discussed at a meeting of th© Waipa County Council, the opinion being expressed by two or three that lorries are more expensivo, when allowance is made for damage to roads by the heavier type of lorry. The engineer was instructed to prepare a report on the matter.

Permits for 27 new buildings and 17 new alterations to buildings, representing in value £14,819, were granted in Hamilton during March.

Mr. Justice Stringer will leave tomorrow evening for Hamilton to preside at the Supreme '■ Court session in that town, and will be„absent from ' Auckland for the next two weeks. Mr. Justice Herdman is at present attending the sittings of, the Appeal Court in Wellington, and there will be no further civil fixtures at the Auckland Supreme Court until April 30. The criminal sessions, in Auckland will open on May 8, and the next Bankruptcy sitting of the Court will be held on May 25. . <,

A man, apparently under the influence of drink, walked off the wharf and into the Wanganui River. His cries were eventually heard, and after about an hour's immersion on a ledge beneath the wharf he was rescued by means of a rope. He was weighted down with a full quart bottle of beer in each pocket, and was rescued with his " luggage'' intact. The man appeared at the Magistrate's > Court on a charge of "being found drunk in the Wanganui . River."

Fifteen pheasants have been released in the Tadhapo district. and 15 at Mangaweka by the Acclimatisation Society. Pheasants were plentiful in the Taihape district at one time, but have been veiy scarce in recent years.

Dry Ashburton is experiencing a very dry spell, and feed is going off. The diamond-back moth, which is usually present about these times, is to be seen m much greater numbers this season, and the rape crops are suffering in consequence. This class of crop is said to be affected throughout the county, and many farmers state that the pests have eaten the leaves practically bare, all that remains being the ribs. The dry spell is also having its effect upon the cottage gardens, the rough work being delayed until a good shower of rain comes.

A little bit of powder, a little bit of paint. . . • It is the same with everything. Scrap away the veneer and you will find what a thing really is. For instance, there is the " gold cup," the trophy upon which Lyttelton yachtsmen who sail the smaller craft look with covetous eyes. It looks the real thing, but it is only a lamp socket, with two handles, an imitation ebony base, goldpainted inside, and an aluminium finish on the outside. That is what Lyttelton yachtsmen race for in earnest. As an asset, it would be marked down at 30 pence! But racing for it provides just as much sport as racing for a hundredguinea cup, says a Christchurch paper.

A scheme for beautifying Hamilton, decided on by the Hamilton Beautifying Society, is meeting with success. About 500 bulbs have already been donated.to the society. It is intended to plant bulbs in the Memorial Park, on Ferry Bank, and in other places.. :