LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18690, 22 April 1924, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

An outbreak of fire occurred at two o'clock yesterday afternoon in a sixroomed wooden bungalow, at 17, Claude Road, One Tree Hill, owned and occupied by Mr. Archibald Coyte. The fire started in the absence of the owner, and before the Remuera Fire Brigade could overcome it considerable damage was done to the ceilings and walls in tReT centre of the house. The furniture was damaged by water. The cause of the fire is not known. Both the house and furniture are insured, but the amounts are not available. * •

The Auckland Racing Club's Autumn Meeting was concluded at Ellerslie yesterday, when there was again a large attendance. The Governor-General, Lord Jellicoe, was unable to be present, but Lady Jellicoe attended and remained on the course till after the running of the seventh race. The Great Northern St. Leger was won by Mr. H. A. Knight's gelding Ballymena, and the Autumn Handicap by Mir. M. Tim's gelding Te Kara. The sum of £92,671 was invested on the totalisator during the day, making a grand total of £180,725, an increase or £16,755 on the amount handled at last year's autumn meeting.

The weather at Auckland was somewhat showery yesterday, light rain falling at intervals during the day and evening. The showers were light, fortunately for the thousands of people on holiday bent. In addition to the thousands attracted by the various fixtures in the city, there was a large number of excursionists to the various seaside resorts in the Hauraki Gulf, all the excursion steamers being well patronised. There was very little movement in the barometer. It registered 30.10 in. at mid-day, but last night it had risen to 30.15 in.

Severe injuries to his head were sustained by a single man, Mr. William Waddell, aged 62, who resides at 6, Church Street, Ponsonby, through falling in Queen Street shortly before seven o'clock last evening. Mr. Waddell was admitted to the Auckland Hospital.

The survey* of the East Coast Main Trunk railway permanent line between Waimana and Kutarere is now nearing completion. This railway will pass within a few chains of the Kutarere Wharf, and when the big block cutting about half a mile from the wharf is complete, with room for the traffic road, it will save a mile on the round trip for motor-lorries. Now that work on the railway to Taneatua is nearing completion, there is an agitation for a start being made on the Waimana section. It is understood that the surveyors have their work advanced enough for starting formation work . this winter. An old resident ,of Waverley, commenting on the exceptionally fine autumn, states that he lias never known such a continuous spell of sunny days or so much feed to be available at this season of the year. Another resident of the district complains that the heat had been instrumental in bringing swarms of flies and fleas to his farm. In view of the fact that the country is now becoming a network of wires transmitting electric current, the Education Department has been requested to warn the school children, through the medium of the School Journal, of the danger arising from contact with live wires which may, through falling treos, storms, or some other cause, becomo broken. It is stated that if the Moumahaki State Farm is disposed of, there is a probability of a chain of experimental plots being established along the West Coast of the North Island, including one at New Plymouth and one at Hawera. The present land at Marion will be developed further, and an area will probably be used in Levin. The scheme appears to be favoured by certain leading members of the Farmers' Union. "Like driving on city streets," said a Napier business man who recently drove from Taranaki to Hawke's Bay. lie was not referring to the trip in general, but only to the Eltham-Wanganui section of the road, which was tar-surfaced nearly all the way. Wanganui to Palmerston North, he said, was very good on the whole, but once in Hawke's Bay the roads were execrable in contrast.

In an address to a meeting at Waverley last week, Mr. Christensen said £30,000 was a small sum to ask the farmers to subscribe toward the Patea freezing works. In Wanganui, for instance, a few commercial men had not hesitated to find £50,000 to erect a new hotel. In the hotel business, there was a danger of prohibition being carried, but with freezing works there was no such danger. '•

An unseemly struggle by scholars for tram tickets was mentioned at a meeting of the Wellington City Council last week. Mr. J. Burns asked the Mayor if some better system could not be devised for issuing monthly tram tickets to the pupils of secondary schools. He had been at Courtenay Place recently, and had witnessed a disgraceful scene. Hundreds of pupils besieged the one small pigeon-hole, and had scrambled to get tickets. Two girls had fainted in the crush. The Mayor said that arrangements had been made to issue the tickets in bulk to the Girls' College, and it was hoped to do the same •with the Boys'. College.

In referring to the meat industry at a meeting of Waverley farmers last Thursday, Mr. Christensen touched upon the matter of main ports. He considered that there was room for a good port at Wanganui. At the present time, he said, New Plymouth had the lead on Wanganui in this respect, but he believed with the vast back country Wanganui as a port would eclipse New Plymouth.

The catching of an eel by a seagull was witnessed in the Queen's Gardens, at Nelson, last week. A resident watched the gull for 15 minutes trying to swallow the eel. The bird got it down about halfway and struggled over and over again to swallow it, but failed. On investigating it was found that the eel was about 16in. in length.

An Oamaru resident recently was seriously perturbed at a water-tap in his yard being turned on regularly and allowed to run. He kept a watch, and discovered that the culprit was a trotting horse that was running in his paddock. Every time the horse wanted a drink he turned the tap on with his teeth, but he always forgot to turn it off again.

"Was a quantity of champagne placed in your hands for sale?" asked counsel of a plaintiff auctioneer in a Court action heard at the Palmerston North Magistrate's Court. "Yes," was the reply, "and as it is hard stuff to sell, it is frequently necessary to give samples to the intending purchasers." After further persistent questions as to the fate of some of the liquor, the" witness said, "I used three bottles of it in shouting for three solicitors ***>*' 9- big land sale."