LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19125, 17 September 1925, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Prices for beef at the Westfield fat stock sales yesterday were maintained in most grades. Extra choice ox sold to £2 2s per 1001b. and other sorts from £1 12s to '£l 16s. Prime young cow and heifer beef made £1 14s to £l,lßs. Sheep were penned in moderate numbers, extra heavy prime wethers selling from £2 6s to £2.105. A fair yarding of pigs sold at late rates, heavy baconers realising from £4 15s to £5 Is and heavy porkers from £3 12s to £4 Is. The installation of the automatic telephone system at Takapuna is expected to be completed about next July. Replying to a request by the Takapuna Borough Council that the Takapuna exchange should observe continuous hours, the Chief Postmaster advised the council last evening that continuous attendance would operate from the date of the cut-over to automatic. If continuous attendance was desired in the meantime, it would be necessary for two-thirds of the business and private subscribers to intimate in writing their desire for such attendance. The by-laws inspector was instructed to canvass the subscribers for signatures to a petition asking that continuous attendance be observed immediately. A complaint that the police in the course of their inquiries visit the public schools was received in a letter from a parent at a meeting of the Auckland Education Board yesterday. The chairman, Mr. A. Burns, said the visits of police to schools disturbed the children, while the inquiries could just as easily be made at their homes. 'When one child was questioned by a policeman all the others wanted to know what it was about. It was decided to refer the matter to he Commissioner of Police. ' Several matters affecting the city ratepayers are to be represented to the Mayor, Mr. G. Baildon, by a deputation from the City West Ratepayers' Association, at the Town Hall to-day. The deputation proposes to ask that details of the extra expenditure of £30,000 on the Zoo should be supplied to the ratepayers and to urge that the council should turn the Civic Square area into a rent-producing property as as possible. In addition to this the deputation intends to suggest the desirability of reconsidering its decision with regard to the Lake Taupo water supply. The fairly 'coihriion practice; among motorists of painting numbers either in the front or rear of their cars is not allowed under the regulations. A car-owner was prosecuted in the Police Court yesterday by the Mount Eden Borough Council for not having an authorised index mark on the front of his car, affixing an unauthorised mark and failing to notify the deputyregistrar for the purpose. of receiving a new plate. Defendant said he had lost his number plate and* painted the number on the car thinking it would serve .the purpose. He was unaware, that this was l a" breach of 'the' regulations.. " I do not think' the regulation is ob'mmonly known,'' said; the magistrate, Mr. Ciltten, in imposing a fine of 10s and costs. The freedom of Takapuna from serious epidemics and diseases may well be attributed by 'its residents to 'the wellspaded ■ residential allotments of the district, the cleanliness fJf the borough, and a healthy, thp; seaside. At any rate, statistics show that only one case of diphtheria hafe occurred during the. last 12 months, and that occurred last November. No infectious diseases have been reported in the borough for 12 months. r \ Particulars of the work of the. Division of. School Hygiene were given by Dr. A. G.' Patersori,' director of the division, at a mWiihg v 6f the k'lSckland Education-Board yesterday. i>r.- Patekwn said the work was' partly remediM -and partly educational. An effort was made to give the children high ideals in regard to health and there seemed to be a definite improvement 1 in conditions as a result of the work done. There were 32 nurses attached to the division and many thousands of visits were made to home 3 in the course of the year. The co-opera-tion of the parents was desired, and their presence at the medical inspection of the children was welcomed. No one can Accuse Christchurch of having a fickle climate. f This year has shown it to be 6n the contrary—wonderfully constant—constantly wet, says a local paper. Since the beginning of the year rain has fallen on 109 days, out of a total of 256. -The; distribution of rain over the days of the week for that period has been as follows -.—Monday 17, Tuesday 16, Wednes-' day 15, Thursday 16, Friday 16, Saturday 15 ana Sunday 14. It was decided at a meeting of the Wellington School Committees' Association that it was desirable that the Education Department should assist education boards to provide and maintain free of charge to committees a properly-equipped first-aid outfit •in each school. A sub-committee was set up to inquire as to what amount was available by the Wellington Education Board for the purpose of capitation. "When will the 'general election be held?'' is a question which, everyone is asking. It' was asked at a meeting of the New Zealand Political Reform League held at Ngaio. Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P., who spoke, oould giye no definite information on the point. The chairman of the meeting, Mr. B. Lynneberg, amid laughter, hinted that the elections could not be held during the second week in November, as that was the week of the Christchurch races; nor the third week, as that was the period of the opening of the South Seas Exhibition at Dunedin. "The elec tion will ' have to be held in either! the first week of November or the fourth week,'' he remarked. An amusing contretemps arose in connection with the visit of the New South Wales Rugby touring team to Gisborne. A deputation from the Rugby Referees' i Association ascertained that' an official appointed by the Now Zealand Union, in a capacity that made his visit an event of special interest to the association, ih'ad been quartered at the Masonic Hotel. There they discovered a gentleman who answered to the name of the official, and the deputation formally greeted him and extended a welcome to ..the town. The stranger was somewhat embarrassed, but replied in equally cordial .terms, and though apparently at a loss to account for the importance ; attached ; to his' presence there, went through the introductory process with a good grace. When the deputation passed on to more specific details in connection with the visit, however, the blank expression on he face of the guest raised a suspicion in tht minds of the deputation, and explanations were shortly in . order. The guest selected happened to be a country resident of the same name as the official visitor.