LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18494, 3 September 1923, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

■:■'. Two Main Trunk-expresses left for Wellington last evening, , the usual ■ one. at 7.10 o'clock, and a second at 7.40. > : The first train consisted of 11 cars, and carried ; about 300 passengers, :nearly whom werei for south .of .' Frankton Junction The second train consisted of five firsthand "six second-jclasa cars, a; sleeper, and a van, a total of 13.' About 400 passengers, including three 'football, teams, Otago, 'King Country, v and -. St. Patricks College, travelled; by this express.,. : • .•,

,■-;■," There is always a temptation to a parish priest to forget the absolute need for study, and sometimes to undervalue the importance of the regular hours spent in reading, and ..in the preparation of the food for his flock," said Bishop Averill, in a sermon at St. Mark's induction service on Saturday evening. "If _ the men who neglects his visiting in failing in his duty as a faithful pastor, so, surely, is the man who expects his flock to feed on husks and moral platitudes. It is also sometimes necessary to remind a congregation; that, the parish priest cannot be expected to be at everybody's beck and call during the whole day. and that his studv hours are quite as important as his visiting hours."

The true atmosphere of a kauri bush camp was delightfully depicted nt :Scotg Hall on Saturday night at a meeting of the Auckland Savage Club, That every detail of life in " the forest - primeval " was correctly set forth was guaranteed by the fact that, the stage setting had been carried out by Mr. J. Butler, man-aging-director of the Kauri Timber Company, who was in the chair. Lifting jacks and felling axes, camp ovens and swinging ; oil lamps, together with all the usual camp equipment were in full evidence. Palms and fern partly hid the bushmen's wooden shanty, and in the background was a carved Maori wharo. Young" forest trees including a 17-year-old kauri, five or six feet high—gave the true bush aspect, and rising loftily in the background ; was the clean rmle of a kauri, towering austerely to tfce"~sky. Bushmen, in picturesque attire were present, and the whole scene, intended to convey the idea of the camp on & Sunday morning, was full of moving life and particularly so, when they sang some rousing song in chorus.

The ground improvement scheme inaugurated by the committee of the Ko«hai Junior High School 13 taking definite 6hapo. As a result of a recent householders' meeting to consider the project, a number of residents of the district have signified their desire to assist in promoting" the scheme. It to intended to organise a series of concerts and carnivals with the object of raising funds to carry out improvements for which plans are now being prepared.

The number of men seeking work at the Auckland Labour Bureau at the end of last week . was 183, the same as at the end of the previous week. There were 128 men fit for heavy work, including 76 labourers, 8 fitters, 7 storemen, 6 farm hands, and 6 drivers. During the week 20 men were given employment, with the Public Works Department, and 10 were placed in private employment.

No notifications of pneumonic influenza were received by the medical officer of health, Dr. T. J. Hughes, on Saturday, and no deaths were reported. Only one notification of influenza was received on the previous day..

The total period of bright sunshine in Auckland in August, as recorded at the Albert Park Observatory by the official observer, Captain !W. W. Stuart, was 182 hours and 12 minutes. The maximum was 9 hours and 40 minutes on Tuesday last. In July the total sunshine was 137 -hours and 40 minutes, while during the wet month of June it was only 86 hours and .10 minutes. There were seven sunless days •in Juno, two in July, and one last month.

The fact that every separate church should have its own individuality as a corporate part of the Church itself was emphasised "by Bishop Averill, at St. Mark's Church on Saturday evening. " Every, church has something" correspond, ing to personality In the individual," he said, " and the duty of a church, as well as of an individual, is to develop and strengthen its personality. Every congreRation must me Ice its distinct contribution to the life of the whole Church, and not sink into narrow parochial ruts. No church' liveth unto itself, and the spiritual contribution which each makes is needed for the healthy spiritual life of the diocese." ...',>.• ' -'

There was no doubt about the sportsmanship of the crowd assembled at Qiristchurch on Saturday to see the second test match, New South Wales versus. New Zealand. They gave the Welshmen "■ a ..splendid reception. On the two occasions upon which the Welshmen scored lie crowd loudlv applauded There was only one "incident" in the game so far as the spectators were concerned. A New South Wales player charged the ball before it was grounded for Sinclair to have a shot at goal. He charged into the ball and the New Zealand fullback, and the crowd in the corner of the. embankment near* the enclosure barracked him upon what it considered.his, unnecessary display of I energy. The player rather foolishly grimaced at the crowd and a section of the onlookers hooted;

The breaking of a buffer delayed the 12.20 p.m. train from Auckland to Swanson for about SO minutes at Newmarket on Saturday. : The carriage on which the accident occurred -had to, be taken off before the train \ could proceed. '

.The small steamer Huia, which sailed from Onehunga for : Hokiznga on ? Friday afternoon, developed engine trouble when she was outside the Manukau Heads. She therefore returned to port for repairs, and reached Onehunga at mid-day on .Saturday. ' Repairs will probably be completed in time for the vessel to r« sume her voy age to-morrow mojrning. ;<

Some excitement was caused at Carolino Bay, TuTiaru, by the recent appearance of a large, seal. A crowd of spectators soon gathered and watched the movements of the rare ; visitor with great interest, and -a doc, evidently taking the seal to be a : patch of seaweed, rushed into ' the surf to : investigate, but . the seal raised its head and greeted -the investigator with a vicious snap. The dog hastily made for the beach. "

iCoatlesa, hatless, and lonely, but admittedly not afraid of the terrors that darkness usually holds for small boys, a youngster of. seven years of age was found gazing disinterestedly into a Christ-church shop window the centre of <> the city at 2.45 a.m. ; a■' few nights ago. Inquiries elicited the fact that he lived at Sumner, so. a kindly constable' took temporary charge of him and gave him shelter until he could be restored to his parents. ■'■'■

•According, to the annual report of the Selwyn Plantation Bosjrd,, Canterbury, there are Oregon pine trees 36 v years old on the ; Racecourse Hill plantation, which have reached a height of 70ft. The board has 133,000 Oregon "pines in its plantations, all of which are fluid to have made abnormal■'•; growth. From one pound lof Japanese larch' seed the board : succeeded in raising 28,000 sturdy plants. ;; ; :

Some large catches of opossums are reported to have been made in the Paraparaumu reserve, Wellington district, But the,; species are for the main part the brown and . red-brown .-■ type. The more valuable greys are resident in the Tauherenikau , and , Waiohine ; valleys on the ether side of jfche ranges. -. ■