LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18584, 17 December 1923, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

A careful scrutiny of the City Council's chlorination of the Western Springs water is being maintained by the Health Department.;.. The tests carried out by the ■ council are 1 regularly checked by the department, and so far the results of the | chlorination are considered to. be ; quite I satisfactory. It is the opinion of Health Department officials, however, that constant vigilance is necessary m the case I " of Western Springs water. | Two Main Trunk expresses were despatched for Wellington last evening. Each train consisted of eight ordinary passenger carriages and one sleeping car. The first mid-day express will be run today. • 1 The Parnell Fire Brigade received a call shortly after 11 o'clock yesterday morning to a vacant section near the bottom of St. Stephen's Avenue where a scrub fire had got beyond control. The outbreak was suppressed before any damage was done. A similar fire occurred in Alberton Avenue, Mount Albert, at about five o'clock last evening. The Mount Albert Brigade extinguished the flames after a boundary fence had been partially destroyed. An inquest concerning the death of the young man Francis Harding, who received fatal injuries through being knocked down by a tramcar in Queen Street on Friday morning, was opened on Saturday before the coroner, Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M. After formal evidence had been received, further hearing was adjourned until a date not yet fixed. • The number of unemployed on the books of the Labour Department on Saturday was 119, compared with 130 on the previous Saturday. Of the total, 80 were classed as fit for heavy work, and the remaining 39 for light work. Thirtythree labourers were willing to do heavy work, and nine to do light work. Included in the lists .were. 11 clerks, nine storemen and packers, eight handymen, and seven motor-drivers. , During the week, 16 men were placed in private employment, and nine with the. Public Works Department., . A board to control the Mount Wellington Domain ha been appointed by the Government. The members are Messrs. A. S. Thompson, H. Brown, S. B. L. I. Hamlin, A. J. Loomb and P. Malone, and the first meeting of the board is fixed for to-morrow. The Auckland Education Board , has accepted a tender of £3600 for preparatory excavation work .in . connection with the new training college which is to be erected on the Eden-Epsom reserve. This work will be ; undertaken immediately, and tenders for the building will be called in January. The Director-General of Health in asking for a return of the proposed capital expenditure for five years pointed out to the Waikato Hospital Board last week that in view of the increasing burden of local bodies' loans on the ratepayers it was desirable that capital works be financed by levy and subsidy as far sis possible. Only in such /cases as wouid result in too great an increase in total maintenance and capital levy .should a loan be contemplated, and then for as short a term as possible. The importance of adopting comprehensive roading schemes for the district was emphasised by Mr. C. F. Gardner, chairman of the New Lynn Town Board on Friday evening. The occasion was a welcome home by Now Lynn residents to Mr. Gardner, who has been visiting Britain and America. Replying to speeches of welcome Mr. Gardner dwelt specially on the importance of good roads, the malting of which, he averred, must be undertaken in no piece-meal manner., What he had seen in other countries had impressed him with the fact that modern traction meant motor traction, and good roads were essential to the progress of any district. .

The city picture theatres will be open on Christmas Day from half-past two o'clock in the afternoon. Permission to this effect has been granted by the city council. '

A sharp word of admonition was drawn from : Mr. Justice Reed when advised th at a case could not be proceeded with at the Supreme Court on Saturday. The ostensible reason was that one of the counsel was not ready. ' "You people are getting slack," declared His Honor. "I am prepared to do the work, but the work is not here. It vanishes when I come into court." It' was no use for the Auckland bar to complain that they could not get their matters attended, he added. At least half his time had been wasted since he had been in Auckland owing to matters not being ready. The executive of the Returned Soldiers' Association has received advice from the Registrar of Pensions that in future first-class travelling warrants would be granted to-all amputees travelling for treatment/ irrespective of rank. . /V' : An incipient outbreak of fire occurred in Messrs. McEwen's brass moulding workshop in Patteson Street, Freeman's Bay, at ."bout 3.30 p.m. on Saturday. The City Fire Brigade suppressed the flames before any serious damage was done to the building or machinery. Included on the cargo list of the Ruahine, which is now discharging London merchandise at Wellington, is an entry for two cases of earwigs, sent from England to the Cawthron Institute at Nelson. Many and varied were the instructions for feeding the insects on the passage, and it ia to the credit of their attendants that the majority have reached the Dominion safely. Several of those which died were eaten by their fellows. The Presbyterian Church has its eye on modem developments in science and custom. At a meeting of the Christchurch Presbytery on Wednesday, notice was given that at the next meeting it would be moved that a committee should consider the question of the use of radiobroadcasting for church propaganda. One of the 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. Those secured were net the ordinary brown trout, but sea-running trout, which were "good fighters." Mr. Gardiner regards the Manganui as - an ideal stream to fish in. | "We Want something more than the husband's evidence that he can't find work. All husbands say that," declared Mr. C. R. Orr-Walker, S.M., during the hearing of a civil case at the Petone Police Court. During the hearing of a civil action at the Magistrate's Court, Palmerston North, counsel inquired of a witness whether he was married? "I'm very much married!" was the retort. " What do you mean by that?" queried counsel. " Well," replied the witness, " I have been married for 30 years " Special arrangements have been made to enable State pensioners to collect their December payments prior to the festive season, all classes of pensions Being available from Friday next. In the case of old-age pensions payments will be made at the Cook. Street Hall on Friday next. After that date old-age pensioners will require to attend at the usual post office for payment . The thrush has been' responsible for a great deal of mischief in his day, but his latest exploit is that of attacking the trout at the Dannevirke hatchery. Recently the curator noticed that fry were lying on the concrete floor. A watch was set, and it was seen that thrushes preyed on the young fish as they swam • along the top of the traps, and dropped them on the floor, where they devoured them. Wire netting has since been erected across the foot to protect the fry. p;