LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18577, 8 December 1923, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A slight outbreak of fire occurred about nine o'clock last night in a shed in the Auckland railway yard, near the station. The shed contained lockers for storing ■workers' belongings. The fire was confined to the lining boards, and was practically extinguished by men working in the vicinity, before the City and Parnell Fire Brigades arrived. The damage was very small. A plentiful supply of fish has been maintained in Auckland this week. Favourable weather and the fact that " school '* fish abound in the gulf, have enabled the trawlers to secure uniformly good catches. Though schnapper has predominated, other varieties have not been wanting. Crayfish have been fairly numerous, and a sprinkling of English mackerel have found their way into the trawl nets. Particularly good catches have been obtained during the week by the two new trawlers, Brolga and Gunandaal, which are proving valuable adjuncts to the local trawling fleet.

Accidents on the waterfront resulted in two men being admitted to the hospital yesterday. Shortly before noon Mr. William Nicholls, a single man, 25 years of age, who resides at 31, Nelson Street, and who had been working in the Tofua, was knocked down by a motor truck, receiving injuries to his left side and arm. Mr. James Kirrane was working in the hold of the steamer Waihora, discharging coal, when he fell a distance of' about 20ft. He received severe injuries to his right arm and leg, and was taken to the hospital by the Harbour Board ambulance. The injured man, who resides at 4, Grey Terrace, off Grey Street, is 33 years of age and married.

Exceptionally large quantities of eggs have reached the Auckland market during the last day or two, and pricey have accordingly been comparatively low. This is most unusual at this time of the year. It is thought that many poultry -keepers kept their eggs back until the end of the week, expecting a rise in price

The spell of fine wearier which has lasted for about two weeks showed very little indication of an early change last night. No rain has fallen in Auckland since November 25. The wind most of the time has been from the north and the weather has been noticeably warm. Yesterday morning the wind changed to the west and blew lightly from that direction. The sky became dull and cloudy and at middav a few spots of rain fell, but it was hardly noticeable. The sky remained dull and threatening up to a late hour, but the rain kept off. The barometer been very high since Monday, the reading being between 30.30 in. and 30.40 in. It registered 30.50 in.. last night without any indication of falling. The steamer Sir James Ross, mother ship, and two of the whalers row en route to "Ross Sea, were duo at the Macquarrie Islands on Thursday and the fleet is to leave for the whaling grounds to-morrow morning. A wireless message to this effect has been received by the Marine Department from Captain G. Hooper, who is on the Sir James Ross as representative of the New Zealand Government. Four large cases of clothing, donated by Auckland students to the' Students' Relief Fund in Europe, were despatched yesterday by the St. John Ambulance Association. The gifts, which were sorted and packed by the association, were consigned to the British Red Cross Society in London, for delivery to the officials of the relief fund.

The sixth anniversary of the declaration of the Independence of the Republic rV Finland fell on Thursday. In honour.,if the occasion a flag was flown at/ the Finnish Vice-Consulate, at the off'/»j of John Burns and Company, Ltd., Customs Street. Mr. Robert Burns was p /pointed Vice-Consul for Finland at Aud/And some months ago.

/ The concreting of the no'/Aern side of Jervois Road from the T'.'ree Lamps to Curran Street has been and until this new work ha/'had time to set and harden, the recey- iy-completed concrete paving on the southern side will carry the traffic. The City Council's paving plant has- been transferred to Fanshawe Stree'., from where the concrete is to be r tinned up the western side of Hobso", Street to Victoria (Street, the eastern /,de of this thoroughfare having alr?/iy been treated. The lor -. proposals of the Takapuna Borough Council were discussed by the Baysv ,a -Belmont Progressive Association this week. It was unanimously resoll er-: " That in view of the Mayor's asruuncc that he will bring down propc Ja'i for a loan for side-streets before his f arm of office ends, and also that a res' lu .ion coming before the council that flie sums allocated to each street or drairig( area will be spent on that street or Jr -.inage area only will have his support, the association supports all the loan proposals." , One of {lip best streams for fishing in the Stratford district is the Manganui. In an hour or two, Mr. T. Gardiner, of Stratford, secured some fine trout, none less than 41b. each. Those secured were not tho ordinary brown trout, but ! sea-running trout, which, according to the fisherman's standpoint were "good fight}ers." Mr. Gardiner regards the Manganui as an ideal stream to fish in. The Katikati Domain Board is moving in the direction of making the public domain at Bowentown more attractive in anticipation of increased patronage when tho railway' line from Waihi has been completed. To .this end a substantial sum of money has been ear-marked, and it is understood that a privatelly owned ferry service will cater for visitors to the domains. Trains will be met by motor vehicles in which passengers will be conveyed to the ferry landing, and thence by boat right to the camping ground at the Heads.

Tho demand made upon the Christchurch high-pressure water supply on Monday constituted a record for any one day. The total quantity of water pumped on that day, with all electrical plant running to full capacity, was 3,957,300 gallons. The level of water in the reservoir at 9 p.m. was 9ft. 9in, which represented 668,125 gallons. By midnight, however, the level of water in the reservoir had risen to 12ft bin, or 845,750 gallons. The extra heavy consumption of . water was apparently due to the combination of unusually dry weather -conditions and washing day. Had more water been available from the artesian strata the suction gas stand-by plant at Cashmere station couid have been run in addition to the electrical plant, thus giving an extra 65,000 gallons an hour, or 1,560,000 gallons a day.

A large patch of blue metal (coarsegrained grey wack) has been located on Rocky Creek, half-a-male upj the old J-Jorokiwi Road, which leaves the Hutfc road about half-a-milo on the Wellington side of the Korokoro stream. Messrs. James Martin, of the Hutt, and George Haigh. of Wellington, who have secured a block of 25 acres of this land, have .submitted samples to the Minister for Mines, who after having- it. analysed, has pronounced it to be a good class of metal, excellent for road-making. Great boulder*:, some 15 to 20 tons weight, lie' about the creek, and there is said to be an extensive face of metal, equal in quality to thai, submitted to the Department. Though the Horokiwi Road is- stiffly graded, tie creek lies 50ft. to 100 ft. below it at the point where the metal is exposed, and it would not be difficult to make a tramway from the spot to a position alongside the Hutfc road suitable tor the establishment of a crushing plant.