LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18996, 18 April 1925, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Tho fact of Anzac Day, April 25, falling on a Saturday this year will result iti a longer interruption of Main Trunk express traffic than usual. . Since Anzac Day has become a close holiday the Railway Department has not despatched expresses on tho preceding evening. In accordance with the rule therefore expresses will not leave Auckland for Wellington on the evening of Friday, April 24. As there are never expresses on Saturday evenings there ■ will be no express trains from Auckland to Wellington between Thursday and Sunday next week. A further improvement took place yesterday in the condition of Miss Gertrude Best, tho young woman -vlio was severely wounded about the neck arid body with a razor in Upper Queen Stite* last Wednesday evening. Following the fine days in Auckland during tho early part of tho week, the weather since Wednesday has been changeablo and somewhat wet, with tho wind blowing most of!the timo from tho south-west. On Thursday showers fell in tho, morning and again in tho evening. At an early hour yesterday there was a sevoro thunderstorm, - accompanied by vivid flashes of lightning and heavy rain, particularly in tho suburbs. Afterwards the conditions improved, but tho weather was dull and showery all day. The rain-

fall for the 24 hours ended midnight, as registered by the Herald gauge, was ,13 inches. Judging by the barometer, the weather conditions are more promising for the week-end. On Thursday morning the 3 glass fell to, 29.75 in., but it has, been 1 rising slowly- since and tho reading last I night was 2955 in. * A contract has been let by tho Cambridge Electric Power Board for the erection in Cambridge of a block of 3 offices and showrooms. The block will 5 be of two storeys, in concrete, and the . plans provide for a neat and imposing j structure. 1 Notification has been received by Mr. 5 F. W. Webster, secretary of the Wha- , ngarei sub-provincial executive of the } Now Zealand Farmers' Union that the Department of Agriculturo has decided to hold a farm school at Whangarci between May 17 and 25. The necessary [ arrangements arc accordingly being 1 made. I la the course of his remarks at the > rowing dinner given at Blenheim to the i Marlborough rowing representatives who ' recently visited Now South Wales, Dr. ' R. Noble-Adams, who witnessed the fifth cricket test match in Australia, remarked ' that Grimmett, tho so-called Australian, ' was the first New Zealander to represent i the Dominion as a test match cricketer. Unfortunately, the people in Australia, ; never mentioned that he was a Few Zealander, the fact being studiously ignored. Dr. Noble-A dams stated that he had taken it on himself to write to one of the Sydney papers pointing out that Grimmett was born at Caversham, Dunedin, but for some reason his letter was not published. The number of racegoers carried on the railway from Christ-church to tho racecourso was less this Easter as compared with the same season last year. A completo comparison is noli possible, as, owing to the strike, no race trains ran on tho sefiond day of the Easter races last year. On Easter Monday this year 1942 pasengers were carried, as compared with 2556 ou the first day of tho races last Easter. On Tuesday 768 travelled to the courso by rail. Proof that orchards might be cultivated with advantage at Eketahuna is afforded by tho fact that a local resident picked 4001b. of apples from one tree. This did not represent the entire crop. An unusual impounding incident was reported at a recent Hawera County Council meeting. Some months ago a horse of better quality than usual was impounded and when sold it realised £22. Tho owner was now found and he claimed the residue over and abovo expenses. It : was resolved that this be paid, less a commission of 5 per cent, for work done, i A Rangitikci farmer states that owing to the unsatisfactory prices being realised for chaff a much less area will be sown in j oats next season. Farmers are finding it much more profitable, even on cxpen- , sive land, to fatten lambs, consequently , largo areas are being sown down in grass ( this autumn. Turnips and swedes are reported to be doing fairly well. ( In replying to the toast of tho "Taranaki ( All Blacks" at tho New Plymouth High ( School Old Boys' reunion dinner tho 1 other evening, Mr. S. S. Dean, manager of the All Blacks' team, mado reforenco to the comparisons constantly mado last 1 season between the performances of tho ! 1905 and the 1924 All Blacks, and the 1 harm done by such comparisons. Quite 1 a number of the mon in the team got grey hairs through worrying how to break the ' 1905 record, ho said, and tho team lived 1 in constant fear of not living up to the * expectations of the public, formed on tho basis of, tho 1905 team's score. Personally 1 he thought the 1924 team was every bit f as good as the 1925 one. He -would leave the question at that. f i "The Scottish people wero very disap- \ pointed that the All Blacks did not play s there, and are very bitter against their own union for the attitude that was adopted toward tho New Zealandors," s States Mr. N. A. Tilly, who has just re- f turned to Palrnerston North from Scot- s land. Mr. Tilly adds: "So bitter indeed t are sonle of them that there is a strong 1 movement to make a clearance of the t present officials of the union, and replace \ them with others of a more liberal s view." b The question of the paying for shags' - eggs was raised at a recent meeting of tho Waitaki Acclimatisation Society at V Oamaru. Mr. F. W. Ongley stated that 3 lie was sure that someone would breed ° liens that would lay shags' eggs if they ° decided to pay for them, particularly if they were to receive six shillings a dozen. \ j "I have worked in a good many towns , li in tho Old Country and in New Zealand," recently remarked a Wanganui draper, t " and I have never known moths to be so destructive as they are in Wanganui." He went on to state that thoso in tho trade had to keep the goods moving f' quickly, otherwise they wero bound to sustain considerable damage through ,] moths. g I