LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18827, 30 September 1924, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Parncll and Kemuera Fire Brigades received a call at 4.20 a.m. yesterday to the corner of Green Lane and the Great South Road. On, arrival it was found that an alarm had been maliciously given. Interior improvements to the Mount Eden Swimming Baths, authorised by tho Borough Council last evening, should place tho baths on a footing with the most up-to-date institutions of the kind in Auckland. Mr. G. L. Taylor, commenting on the council's new step last evening, said tho contemplated improvements should make the baths unique and the best in Auckland for swimming carnival purposes. The Jewish New Year's Day, 5585, was celebrated yesterday, when a largelyattended morning service, tho chief feature of which was the blowing of the trumpet, was held at the Synagogue. The Rabbi, the Rev. S. A. delivered a New Year's address. ,

The delay in the completion of the new offices for the Auckland Electric Power Board has resulted in considerable inconvenience, according to statements made at the meeting of the board yesterday. The chairman said the contractor was four months behind time. It was now thought that occupation could be obtained at the end of November. It was a decided to inform the contractor that the board intended to enforce the penalty clause.

Amendments to the Amusements Tax Act came into operation yesterday. No tax is now levied on tickets up to and including the value of 2s.

Burglars entered the fur depot of Mr. A. Blandford at Palmerston North last week and removed a number of furs of varied values. The thief, or thieves, gained admittance by the door, which was fastened by an : ordinary Yale lock.

A large flock of shags, estimated between 500 and 600. was passed in the vicinity of Banks Peninsula recently by tho coastal steamer Holmdale. The flock, when sighted, had discovered a shoal of small fish about two miles off the land, and every bird was busy swallowing fish after fish as tho steamer approached. Small spouts of water over a wide area indicated that the fish were making frantic efforts to escape from the hungry birds. The shags were in their element, and very few fish escaped their quick eye and alert movements. The shoal than swam deeper in an effort to escape its enemy, but the shags dived deep, and each bird came to the surface some seconds later with a gleaming morsel in its bill. ' The flock only withdrew from the banquet when the Holmdale was almost among it t

" The jolly old rabbit is taking as much out of New Zealand as anything else," said Mr. W. A. Banks, at a meeting of "the North Canterbury executive of the Farmers' Union, when the question of the rabbit pest in that district was discussed. The question arose through an unofficial protest, that the Waikari branch of the union had made against the proposal of the Hurunui Rabbit Board to raise a loan of £20,000 for the purpose of erecting . rabbitproof fences. Mr. Banks said that the farmers thought that the Government should provide netting and standards at a cheap rate. It was felt that the Government could .import the material and distribute it at cost price. The question was an important one, because many runs were being devastated by the pest. . '

A valuable hint to club treasurers was given by a. member of a Timaru club at its annual meeting held recently. Ho stated that in the good old days it was customary for tho treasurer to commence the season by adding the letter " O " to the names of all members, Mr. Brown becoming "Mr. O'Brown " until his subscription was received, when he would automatically revert to his correct name.

The land market in the Stratford district seems to be fairly active at present. It is stated that several. properties have recently changed hand at from £60 to £100 an acre.

About 40 men are now engaged on platelaying, bridge-building, and other work on tho Bullcr Valley railway, between West-port and Inangahna Juraction. Provision is being made for accommodation of another 150 or more, showing that the Government is at last determined to proceed actively with the construction of this railway, which it is expected will result in an increased output of coal from Wcstport. •■.■•■-■-.

According ,to a well-known land and estate agent, thero is something of a boom in land and business values in Oamaru. Recently the Queen's Hotel which was purchased some eighteen years ago for £5000, changed hands at £18,000. Tho Commercial Buildings, in Thames Street, have 'also passed into new hands at a cost of £8000. These buildings were purchased many years ago for £350.

One after another the dairy factories of Taranaki are finding that it is cheaper to forward their produce to New Plymouth by motor-lorry than by rail. Even those companies whoso factories are situated alongsido the line are deserting the train for the lorry. At the annual meeting of shareholders of the Tariki Dairy Company, one of whose factories is situated a few chains from a railway station, tho chairman of directors, Mr. W. V. Harkness, announcod that a contract had been arranged for the carting of the company's produce- to New Plymouth for 10s 6d a ton. By rail it would cost 15s 2d and it would cost at least 3s 4d to get it to tho line. The policy, he remarked was bad, because the public as a whole would have to face any loss on the railways in the long run. The directors, however, felt that they had a duty to the shareholders, for whom they could save £160 a season.

The serious results of the recent long spell of dry weather in the South Island were greatly in evidence, just before the rain came, in the districts between Geraldino and the Waitaki River. Shortly before tho first showers a. dairy farmer in the Waimato district killed his ninth cow, as much to avert a lingering death from starvation as to give tho remainder of his herd a better chance of surviving one of the worst dry periods that has ever been experienced in Canterbury and Otago. Feed was almost unprocurable, and the .cattle were comparatively worthless as a saleable commodity. A dealer who purchased about a dozen head of forward young cattle at 10s per head in the North Otago district railed them to Burnsidc for sale. The best offer was 12s per head, and this after paying railage and feed for the cattle for several, days. It is . unnecessary, to , add that he lost something by tabs transaction.