LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18885, 6 December 1924, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The composition of the Main Trunk express last evening was an unusual one. There were as many sleeping cars as there wero second-class carriages—five of each. Three of the sleepers were occupied by wool buyers. The total number of carriages on the train was 17.

A considerable quantity of mail matter will arrive at New Zealand from overseas early next week. The Royal Ma.il steamer Niagara is due at Auckland from Vancouver at mid-day on Monday wich a large English and American mail for New Zealand. Another 221 bags of mail from Australia and beyond will reach Wellington from Melbourne by the Moeraki the same day. Both' mails will arrive too late for letters to be answerod by the outward mail, which will be despatched from Wellington by the Tahiti, sailing for San Francisco on Tuesday. Tho mail will close at Auckland at 5.30 p.m. on Monday.

The reflection of the cheering effects of tho buoyant state of the wool market is being felt in various walks of city life. Apart from its invigorating influence on all who have business relations with pastor alists, one hears of direct improvement in the financial position of woolgrowers, and consequently of their city creditors. For instance, business men tell of the payment of accounts which have necessarily been in debit during years of struggle, and Government departments and local bodies owning endowment lands, after having been in despair of collecting some arrears of rents, are now seeing an immediate prospect of their liquidation our, of the proceeds of wool cheques. Altogether, the result is giving a distinctly brighter tone to the city atmosphere.

The weather at Auckland was somewhat unsettled yesterday when a moderate breeze was blowing from the south-west. The sky was dull and threatening during the day and in the evening the weather was showery with a light variable wind blowing. The barometer, which registered 30.10 in. at mid-day on Tuesday, fell slowly from then until 6 p.m. yesterday when the reading was 29.70 in. It was practically steady at that reading up to a late hour. . Although not-stormy on the we,it coast the- wind was squally yesterday from the south-west. There was a considerable break on the Manukau bar with the result that the Arapawa was unable to cross outward last evening for Waikato Heads. It was expected that the* sea will have mediated sufficiently at daybreak to-day for the vessel to resume her trip.

About 350 passengers, including a number of immigrants, ' will reach Auckland from Liverpool to-morrow afternoon by the New Zealand Shipping Company's liner Iluapehu. The vessel's steerage passengers total 267. On arrival the steamer will anchor in the stream for medical inspection, and will berth later at the Queen's Wharf; IE tho Runpehu arrives early in the afternoon the passengers for South will leave Auckland by the Main Trunk express to-morrow evening. Two other passenger steamers will arrive at Auckland from overseas at tho beginning of next week. The Royal Mail steamer Ni.igara is due from Vancouver on Monday with 650 passengers lor New Zealand and Australia. The Marama will arrive from Sydney on Tuesday with a number of passengers for this port.

The publicity campaign which is being conducted by the Auckland Automobile Association with the object of increasing its membership, has so far proved eminently satisfactory. At a special meeting of tho council of the association, no fewer than 300 new members wero nominated and enrolled.

A further remit will be considered at the quarterly meeting next week of the Primary Schools Committees' Association. The Te Kuiti District High School Committee asks: "That as there is a continual and ever-increasing demand for commercial education, non-compulsory commercial classes be included in the curriculum of district high schools." In support of the remit . the letter states that at the present time the State makes no provision in centres like Te Kuiti to meet the needs of students who wish to train for a commercial career, and the present school regulations do not permit of high school day pupils attending night classes.

An accident in which a tram-car, No. 123, and a motor-bus owned by Mr. J. Kimmer, were concerned, occurred about 8.30 a.m. yesterday in Symonds Street just below East Street. Although the colliding vehicles were well-filled with passengers, no one was injured. Both were travelling toward tho city when the driver of the bus, which had overtaken the tramcar, attempted to pass between it and another vehicle a short distance ahead. A piece of iron protruding from the side of the hood of the bus caught a stanchion on the front platform of the tram-car. The apron of the tram was torn away, the controller extensively damaged and the windscreen smashed to fragments, but the bus was only slightly damaged. Prompt application of the brakes by Motorman William Newberry averted more serious consequences.

The City Fire Brigade received a call at 2.45 a.m. yesterday morning to a buildinj; on the corner of Queen and Darby Streets, owned by Messrs. Macky, Logan, Caldwell, and Company, Ltd., and occupied by Mr. J. H. Kinnear, dentist. An electric motor, which had been left switched on, caused a wire to fuse, thus igriting a wooden bench. A few business papers woro burned and slight damage was done to the bench.

A dislocated collar-bone, abrasions, and bruises were received by a young motorcyclist, Mr. T. J. Muir, as the result of a collision with a motor-car in Dominion Road at 12.30 p.m. yesterday. He was riding toward the city when a five sea.ter motor-car proceeding in the opposite direction at a fair speed, crashed into his machiuo before mounting tho footpath. Mr. Muir was thrown heavily and rendered semi-conscious, while tho front wheel of tho motor-cycle was badly smashed. Without inquiring into tho welfare of tho injured man the motorist, it is stated, drove away, his car apparently escaping damage. Mr. Muir suited that the car's sudden swerve caught him completely unawares as there was no street intersection in its path.

A resident of Oamaru, Mr. A. F. Stock, can lay claim to being the possessor of one of the longest-lived birds ever heard of in his district, a goldfinch belonging to him having just died at the ago of 17 years. Another local resident states that ho had an African parrot which lived to the age of 42 years.