LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18551, 8 November 1923, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Prices for-.beef- at the Westfield fat Block sales yesterday were equal to last week's rates. Extra choice ox realised £1 12;, per, 1001b., other grades from 18s to £1 10s. ' Cow and heifer beef brought from 15s to £1 9s per 1001b. Sheep prices showed a slight decline. Wethers in the wool brought from £1 12s to £2, shorn wethers £1 2s to £1 19s, shorn ewes £1 6s 6d to £1 10s, hoggets in the wool £1 8s 9d to £1 15s. Lambs sold at prices equal to recent quotations, the best realising from £1 10s to £1 13s, others from £1 to £1 Bs. Pigs were slightly easier, choppers and bacon pigs realising from £2 to £5 ss. The quantities of strawberries reaching the Auckland markets have show,. .. marked increase during the past week and aKhough the consignments sent in yesterday did not .0111110. equal those of tho previous day tho quality was even better. Tho flush of tho strawberry season will not bo reached until about the. first week of December, but the indications point to the crop being better than usual. Tlu warm sunny weather of the past few days should tend to hasten the ripening of the advanced fruit and, if accompanied by warm rains within the next few days, this should increase tho quantities eomiug forward. Small consignments are coming in from a number of scattered districts it. addition to the supplies from the areas I on tho north side of the harbour, which provide the bulk of the strawberries consumed in the city, but the Mount lloskil' district is becoming an increasingly large supplier. Yesterday the prices for strawberries at the markets showed a slijj>increase., ranging from Is 3d to Is 8d a chip.

" She's had her nose well buried in the snow," said Mr. R. L. W>ley last evening, when giving his lecture on Mount Cook, and describing a picture of an unfortunate young lady ski-er, who had fallen over in deep snow. Referring to the introduction of skis, pronounced " shees," from Australia in 1912, Mr. Wigley told of a story of the difficulty of the customs officials. They had not previously had experience with such things and did not know if the skis were dutiable. So puzzled were they that they reported the matter to the Minister, who said, "If this man is going to bring a harem with him, you had better not let him land."

The difficulty of obtaining adequate finance for roading was emphasised recently by tho executive of the Bay of Islands sub-provincial district of the Farmers' Union. A remit from the Kohu kohu branch "that some form of assured finance should be granted to local bodies" was adopted. In support of tho remit it was urged that in ftorth Auckland a largo amount of revenue was derived from the natural assets of the district, particularly timber and kauri gum. These industries did an immense amount of damago to the roads and bridges, but very little of the revenue was available 101 road construction or repairs. Moreover, there was no part of the Dominion so heavily loaded with uncollectabl* native rates. The remit will be considered at the next meeting of the provincial executive.

An employee of the Auckland Harbour Board, Mr. John O'Shaughnessy, received injuries yesterday afternoon which necessitated his removal to the hospital. Mr O'Shaughnessy was engaged discharging stones from a barge at the eastern breakwater, Parnell, when he fell, factoring his knee cap. He was conveyed to th«» hospital in tho Harbour Board ambulance. An operation was performed.. The injured man, who is 42 years of age, resides at 20, Haden Street, city.

A statement with regard to the erection of the Waikino school in so isolated a position was made by the acting-chairman of the Education Board, Mr. A. Burns, at yesterday's meeting of the board. "A lot of blame has been attached to tht. board for placing the school where it was," he said, "but the board, really bad nothing to do with the matter. Twelve years ago I asked why the school had been built in such an out of the way place and was told the site had been selected by the warden of the district, and that the board had protested ajrainst it without avail. But even had the school been situated elsewhere it is very improbable that the tragedy would have been averted."

A petition in bankruptcy has been filed by Hare Taitumu, alias Huiatahi Taitumu, aboriginal native, of Te Rena, near Kakahi. Bankrupt's liabilities, all to unsecured creditors, amount to £110 Is lOd, and assets are expected to realise £5. Bankrupt states that through sickness his earnings as a labourer for the last three or four years have not averaged £1 a week. Of £200 received for his interest in the Waimanu block, £130 had been used to settle debts, the remainder being employed toward the support of himself and family. A warrant of committal issued against him by a creditor had obliged him to file. A meeting of creditors will be held at Taumarunui on Friday, November 16.

A freak egg has been laid by a duck on the property of a Dominion Road resident. On being opened, the egg showed, instead of the yolk, an inner and much smaller egg, with shell intact.

The cups and trophies to be awarded at the Auckland Spring Show on December 7 and 8, are on view at the premises of the E. and F. Piano Agency, Ltd., Queen Street, and are a very fine collection. The Lovell and Christmas Metropolitan But-ter-fat Challenge Cup, which has just arrived from London, is to be awarded to the pedigree cow of any breed which gives the greatest weight of butter-fat on the first day of the show.

The assistance of the Auckland Education Board in teaching children to observe the new pedestrian by-law was sought in a letter received by the board vesterday from the City Council. Members of the board agreed that it would be a good thine; for the children to learn early to direct their steps aright, and decided to circularise headmasters asking that the matter be brought under the notice of the children.

The annual trout-fishing competition among members of the Heretaunga Anglers' Club, Hawke's Bay, for the cup and ten not presented by Mr. W. P. MoConuack took place during last week end. There were 18 competitors, but the conditions were not by any means satisfactory to the fishermen, there being a southerly gale and scattered showers, and the rivers were cloudy. The result wns judged on the weight of the fish, Mr. W. Richmond, with a baa 1 of 19. being the winner. Mr. H. Douglas, with 11 fish, was second, and Mr. T. Pickett, with 12 fish, third.

When counsel for one of five , youths, who were charged at the Otaki Magistrate's Court with assaulting a Chinese, was addressing the Court on his clients' behalf, he stated that it was well known that Otaki was one of th« most notorious towns in New Zealand, and boys had but little chance there.

The defendant in a prosecution under the Rabbit Nuisance Act at tho Magistrate's Court at Taihape stated that 4000 rabbits had been taken off bis 1250 acres bv two trappers in a few weeks. A witness, who is a rabbitcr, when asked if this could be considered a material reduction of the number of rabbits on the property, said it depended on the number of rabbits on the property in the first place. If there were very many, it would not tako long for the 4000 to build up afain. He had taken 76,000 rabbits off 5000 acres in 18 months in the Moawhango district.

Although a fair number of residences are »n course of erection in Wanjranui and suburbs, there has been a slacken-ing-off of order& for building timber during the past three weeks, which indicates a lull in building there between now and the end of the year. The Eketahuna Amateur Athletic- Club has decided to. devote the net. proceeds of its' annual sports meeting to the purchase of books for the new library in Ekfltajmoa*