LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18706, 12 May 1924, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

■ j .• ■ ... ■' .wm ..,..,, , The City Fire Brigade -received a. tall at 1.41 p.m. 'yesterday to a six-roomed house in Day, Street, off Beresford Street, owned by Mr. Alex. Bell, of Remuera, and ' occupied by Miss Eliza McCracken. The damage was; confined to one room, .which ; was J practically gutted. The brigade suppressed the outbreak in about a quarter of an : hour. "The cause of the fire is not known. .A gaily-coloured turban, worn • by an ; Indian Salvation Army officer, was ■• used yesterday at His Majesty's "Theatre; by General Booth to', emphasise his remark's in regard to the evangelistic work carried -' ri in 1 India.. He - cited the / instance of an Army officer, a woman, whose district was widely scattered. Some part of her travelling had to be done by pony, but the pony would not go where snakes were. So the intrepid woman travelled those reions on foot, and her/Walking might. extend to 100 miles. The turban, apart from protecting ' against * the' heat of; the sun, served the Army's workers at times as a.pillow. ,: And in an emergency, the general added with a twinkle, it would do to take a collection in. The completion of the Northcote war memorial is- to-be -put in hand shortly. Work was suspended owing to insufficient funds. A further £90 was raised. at the rose fair promoted by the local Women's Progressive League, and it is estimated that this will nearly suffice to finish the memorial. / / Mr. W. F. Wilbur,' formerly American Consul in New Zealand, has donated a handsome silver challenge cup, valued at 350 guineas, to the Manawatu A. and P. Association. The trophy is being devoted to a group'"of Friesian cattle, and will reach ; New Zealand, in time for competition' at' the Royal Show in November. The cup stands on a black wood base, is 52£ in. high, and has the figure of a Friesian animal on top, giving this valuable trophy a fine appearance.. / ;."; >■..-.. ; • * A delightful story of the late ' Cecil Rhodes was told by. General Booth at his meeting in His Majesty's Theatre yesterday. " I went to an Army colony in England,"' said the general,- "with Rhodes. In the little hall was the penitent form. i With folded arms Rhodes stood and looked at the form, and then he said, ' Yes, I see; it' is the dividing line between the old life of evil and the,new life of good.' " That,/said the general, was a fine definition to come from a man like Cecil Rhodes. u .;'-..."/. ; v y"- '-■ : ..'-.-, ,-..., A narrow escape ' was experienced : the other day by Mr. M. Power, a resident of banrievirkej - and two youths.- Mr. Power, accompanied /;by /his young ' son and another boy, were motoring between Oringi "arid Tahoraite when a bullet ripped its way through -the" car's windscreen, coming from the rear of the car and passing between the heads of the boys. / The police seem inclined to scout the idea that a bullet was the cause of the trouble and favour the loose stone theory. ' It is not suggested that the shot was the outcome ,of deliberation, but it ' remains a puzzle'"*. why a sportsman should be using bullets instead'/of shot. ' ■■ The lack of -assistance given to the teaching ;of swimming -in the schools was deplored in ■ resolutions. passed at the , annual householders' meetings in Wellington : suburban districts on Monday evening. The meetings passed motions to the effect that, •-,' in view of the valuable national /work of the New Zealand Swimming Association among /the school children of the Dominion, they regretted that it was left to individuals and to private institutions. They purged, that the Government : be asked to increase the financial assistance granted to the association, y,; . ; y iThe ~'' reforming .of Auckland" was humorously referred to by the Hon. C. .J. . Parr when speaking .at the Salvation Army gathering in His Majesty's Theatre yesterday. At Wellington, said Mr. Parr, he once mentioned that when he held the position of Mayor of Auckland he had, with the aid of the Salvation Army, quite reformed the city; he had even said they had made Auckland the finest city in New Zealand.r* Mr. /Parr admitted he had got into hot water for making those remarks, and had been told he/was all wrong about Auckland. Anyway, he would leave his ; audience to decide who was impartial. "A / A Progress/League has been .formed / 'at Nelson./ The - dissemination of information regarding the scenic and residential attractions of the district is one •of the principal aims of the new body. ; . A youthful witness in the// Supreme Court in Wellington last week was continually urged by c the Crown Prosecutor, Mr; :; P. S. K. Macassey, to " speak up." ■ " Imagine that you are 'y at a /"football match," suggested the '. Chief '. Justice, Sir Robert-Stout. -The ; latter remark had the desired effect. 5 f■ Not many people v know the origin of Ahuriri, the name of-Napier's port, but according; to a /native authority the name is derived from a; place on the seashore offthe Mahia /Peninsula. ;/■ Here the '.oldtime Maoris, fori. the voyage.'• across the bay -to /the] place where Napier has since been / built, used ■'. to 'ballast ■ their cargoes with sand from the beach; At' the other end of , the journey the sand •; w&s dumped ashore,, and the ! leading place, where Port ■ Ahuriri; is now ; situated, ; took the name Ahuriri from the name of the beach ' Where the sand came : from. '?;■ '■'■. •' /,"-;/ A movement is on foot in Christchurch to' form a'/-! Lancashire Society, the .main objects being y- to give;/ assistance :to the many new arrivals from ; that • county in the Dominion, and to promote gcodfellowship among natives' of Lancashire by holding ; social gatherings periodically../ ■- ' "The. Southland ; children '.' lead New Zealand in/physical fitness," said Mr. Cree, physical instructor, -at a meeting of the Invercargill Carnival Committee, "and ; the Southland people- should come and see them. ; There is'no' doubt about the / physical fitness of %,. the Southland children, .' and .;; they are a splendid type. They .prove that Southland .is a good place to live in." Three v common : jurors v applied for exemption from ; service at the •• Dunedin Supreme Court the other morning. One juryman stated that he was indispensable to" a /business employing 100 men. "What happens/ when you get influenza?" dryly asked : Mr. Justice ' Reed. '•; The j applicant admitted that the business did not close up. " I think you can serve, then." added His Honor. One juror was exempted on the ground of deafness / and another because he was working at night. As - a result of r the recent delegation to Wellington the/placing of groups of men rendered idle bv the closinc of the Grand Junction mine is now rapidly; proceeding. Mr. Wood, inspecting engineer, acting under instructions; from the Minister for Public"! Works, has ; visited Waihi, /arid a ballast train, ■as promised /by - the Minister, will ; arrive in a few days, necessitating the employment /of, some' 40 men ,on the Waihi-Athenree' ; section of the East Coast railway. - ■■'■ /•'/•/ //'y/ •';'t /";:'. -,/• ' * ';- ?'■■: ':'',;'/"• v/y ;"•'": ■-'.; ';/-/; ; -- - : "- ":-■■ f'.-'-,