LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19209, 24 December 1925, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

There will be. no publication of tho Herald to-morrow, Christmas Day. Tho office will be opon to-morrow evening from five o'clock to ten for the receipt of advertisements for Saturday's Herald.

The Auckland launch Ruamano will set out on an ambitious cruiso on Saturday morning, when she will leave for Russell en route to the North Cape and Dunedin, via the West Coast. The Ruamano, owned by Mr. A. Court, is the latest of Auckland's largo cruising launches. Her appointments and equipment are admirably suited to ail extended voyage, and her unusually large tank capacity removes any anxiety as to fuel supply. She will visit most of the principal ports of the Dominion. Included in her special equipment is a cedar dinghy of ample proportions, yet so light that it can be launched and hauled aboard without the slightest difficulty.

Tho frequency of cases of breaking and entering was commented upon by Mr. Justice Reed in tho Supreme Court yesterday. " One hesitates very much," said His Honor, " about giving probation unless the circumstances aro exceptional. Breaking and entering has been going on all over the Dominion, and it has to bo stopped." His Honor was speaking of tho cases of two men committed for sentence from Whakatane. As the police report had not arrived from Gisborno, the headquarters of tho district, he remanded them until after tho holidays, remarking that Mr. Justice Stringer would probably bo able to deal with them early next month.

Much practical sympathy is boing extended by Aucklanders of all classes to members of tho Australian Ladies' Pipe Band, who will have to remain stranded in Auckland for a month owing to an unfortunate oversight in regard to the completion' of passports. When their dilemma became known yesterday, they received many messagos offering assistance and they hope shortly to be able to organise entertainments which will relieve pressing financial necessities. Local band organisations are interesting themselves in the misfortune of their sister band and some combined effort Will shortly be made to help matters. The band estimates the monetary loss in failing to connect with tho Aorangi at £650.

The effort made by the Checker Taxicabs on Tuesday night on behalf of the Rev. Jasper Calder's fund for the purchase of Christmas gifts for the poor and needy of tho city resulted in the collection of close upon £4O. This sum represents tho proceeds of 12 taxicabs from 4 p.m. until after midnight on Tuesday.

Housewives are reminded that bakers, butchers and grocers will be closed from to-day until Monday morning. Bakers and grocers will observe the late night to-night but butchers will close at halfpast four this afternoon. Shops will be closed again from New Year's Eve until Monday, January 4.

At least one resident of Takapuna may be excused if his thoughts at the Christmas dinner table are not as merry as becomes the season. He was presented with two very fine live geese by a friend in tho country. One he generously gave away to a friend, but the other was to have beeti the centre of interest at the greatest feast of the year. But the gods willed otherwise, and when tho family arose yesterday morning the goose was absent. It could not possibly have escaped, so that it will probably hold the place of honour at a gathering in some other home. Its former proud owner tries to find consolation in deceiving himself into the belief that it was a terribly tough goose.

The trustees of the commercial travellers and warehousemen's blind soldiers and sailors' fund, Wellington, have received £250 from the Auckland Commercial Travellers and Warehousemens' Association, being tho amount allocated out of the first portion of cash distributed in connection with its charity fund.

The matriculation examinations were held a week later this year than usual, and the results will be correspondingly late ip appearing. The university authorities do not anticipate that they will be ready before January 20.

Arrangements have been made with the Railway Department by a local motion picture producer for the production of a film entitled "The Daylight Limited," New Zealand's National Train." It is intended to film tiie scenic grandeur of the trip and also advertise the scenic and commercial possibilities of the various districts through which the train passes. The film is to be screened throughout New Zealand and in other parts of the Empire-

A hospital patient, was taken on board the Wahine at Wellington yesterday morning for the passage to Lyttelton. The steamer was filled with passengers for the daylight trip, and sailed with such punctuality that the ambulance driver and his assistant, who were seeing to the patient's comfort, were carried away. Another driver had to be sent to return the ambulance to the hospital.

The executive of the Trentham scholarship fund has now made its .awards for the year 1926. The amount available annually from the original fund, covering principal and interest over a period of 20 years, is £2840. This has been supplemented by a grant of £IOOO a year for a period of 10 years from the Canteen and Regimental Trust Fund Board, bringing the total amount available up to £3840. After very careful scrutiny it was decided to exceed the amount available by £IBO, making the total amount awarded £4020. This represents 121 renewals, equalling £2565, and 70 new awards, equalling £1455. Tho work of each bursar is carefully scrutinised, quarterly reports being sent, in. This reveals a highly satisfactory state of affairs, and in nearly every case the assistance granted is being taken full advantage of, and in only nine cases was it found necessary to cancel the awards on account of poor results.

A Wanganui Harbour Board official got something of a shock tho other morning, lie was assisting a small boy in collecting cigarette cards, those with pictures of animals being in demand. He communicated his laudable intention to some of his friends, with a parting injunction to save him any cards in the animal line. The instructions were obeyed literally, for when tho Harbour Board official got up to bring in the milk in tho morning lie found a dead hedgehog tied to his front door handle with a note that read " This is the only animal we hav<s> got so fw."