LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19040, 10 June 1925, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The departure ,of the Niagara for Vancouver yesterday was delayed for a short period for minor repairs to the engines. The vessel left the wharf at half-past eleven and anchored in the stream. Repairs were effected in an hour and at one o'clock the Niagara sailed.

An expenditure of £IOO on the importation of chukor and seesee partridges, under the auspices of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society, has been sanctioned by the Tongariro National Park Sports Club. The secretary, Mr. John Cullen, said that after much negotiation the zoological authorities at Calcutta had agreed to procure and forward a large number of these birds, on receipt of £IOO or £l5O. They would provide splendid shooting in the area in which they were liberated and would doubtless thrive being accustomed to upland districts at the base of the Himalayas. Mr. Cullen also stated that two brace of francolin, a species of partridge, had been procured by Mr. Justice Ostler from South Africa and negotiations were proceeding for a further supply.

The fusing of an electric cable in Grey Street early yesterday morning resulted in the city brigado being called out. However, their services were not required as the matter was taken in hand by the power station officials. To-day is the nineteenth anniversary of the death at sea of the late Mr. R. J. Seddon, who was Prime Minister of New Zealand for over 13 years. He died suddenly on the steamer Oswestry Grange while on his way from Sydney to Auckland early in the evening of Sunday, June 10, 1906. To-day is also the thirty-ninth anniversary of the Tarawera eruption.

The indiscriminate dumping of empty benzine tins on roads, in the Mount Roskill district has recently become so prevalent that the local Road Board is offering a reward of £5 for the conviction of anyone responsible. Tho discarded tins constitute a source of danger to vehicles.,at night and are anything but ornamental.

J A suggestion that vessels from Sydney might berth at the Central Wharf to facilitate the work of the customs officers was contained in a letter received from the acting-collector of customs, at the meeting of the Auckland Harbour Board yesterday. The harbourmaster, Captain H. H. Sergeant, reported that it would bo impossible to mako the required arrangements without seriously interfering withj the general berthage accommodation of the port. It was resolved to advise the Customs Department accordingly. In connection with the visit of the American Fleet to Wellington in August the Wellington Harbour Board has allocated a sum of up to £I2OO to be spent in providing the necessary landing stages and barriers required at the wharves.

Recently some members of the Wanganui Pigeon-flying Club had the misfortune to lose several birds during a flight from Auckland to Wanganui. The secretary of the Auckland Club was communicated with. He states that about the date of the race it was reported that eight pigeons flying just outside a certain,, town near Auckland were shot down by Maoris. The secretary added that ho was familiar, with the law relating to the protection of homing pigeons and would willingly take the matter up if the Wanganui Club so desired with a view to obtaining a conviction. He would be pleased to know whether tho missing birds were registered, and the number, ttigether with tho colour and sex. In conclusion, lie added that the Auckland Club was keen on making an example of shooters of pigeons.

A measure of daylight saving for the winter months has been introduced into a number of New Plymouth factories. The clocks have been left unaltered, but work is now started at 7.30 in the morning and ceases at 4.30 in the "afternoon. The effect so fan as indoor businesses are concerned is a saving of lighting charges in the afternoon, while the men reach home in daylight. The scheme is stated to be a popular one with both employers and employees. According to Mr. 11. E. Napier, secretary, of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers' Federation, it pays to be an optimist. He told the Marlborough Fruitgrowers' Association at its recent conference that the estimate, furnished at the beginning of the season just ended, of the amount of fruit to be exported was 140,000 cases. However, being optimistic, he had booked extra shipping space and actually 235,000 .cases were exported. That, he remarked, was .how much reliance could be reposed in the estimates growers formulated of their season's production. The chairman, Mr. S. Marshall, admitted that he did not expect the season's export would be as large as it had been. " See what it is to be an optimist," laughed Mr. Napier. A large lump of what is. supposed to be ambergris was picked up by Mr. H. McKechnie, jun., on the river beach at Maclennan, Otago, recently. Its value has been put down by local residents who have seen it at £BOO. Maclpnnan is situated at the junction of the Maclennan and Tahakopa Rivers, about a mile and a-half from the sea, and it is quite possible that the interesting find may have floated in on the tide. A New Plymouth resident states that conditions in Taranaki at present are decidedly favourable. Stock, he says, are in fine fettle and well able to Withstand the rigours of a severe winter. There is an abundance of grass owing to the favourable season experienced, and inquiries throughout the district show that butterfat production is well up to standard. An Invercargill resident who has been building a holiday "crib" at Stewart Island is amused because, before he could take a barrow-load of stone# and a couple of bags of sand from one of the beaches, he had to obtain two permits, one from the Stewart Island Council, authorising him to take the stones, and the other from the Marine Department, permitting him to "remove the two bags of sand. The sharpest frost of the season was experienced at Eltham last Thursday. Early in jt-he morning the whole landscape appeared as though it were under snow. Most of the few remaining flowers in the gardens were wilted, and many of the plants presented a very droopy appearance. In one of the gardens there were icicles 3in. in length hanging from a rose tree. A farmer in the district says that when his cows were milked in the morning, they yielded nothing but ice .cream—but this statement requires verifi- s cation. The frost was succeeded by bright sunshine* 5