LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19216, 4 January 1926, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Royal Mail steamer Niagara wfS not reach Auckland from Vancouver until ten o'clock to-morrow morning. According to advice received by the Union Company, the slieamer arrived at Suva at 6.30 on Saturday morning, 24 hours behind schedule time. She cleared Suva at noon the same day. After landing passengers, mail and cargo for New Zealand the Niagara is to sail at ten o'clock tomorrow evening for Sydney. During the boisterous weather on Friday a dinghy containing Mr. and Mrs. E. Esdailo r..nd Mr. E. Binden was blown away from Takapuna, and the party was forced to land at Rangitoto. When they did not return on Saturday morning fears wero entertained for their safety, and the matter was reported to the wharf police. Before a search party could be despatched in a launch from Auckland news was received that the party had reached home safely shortly after midday. They had sheltered for the night with some people who were camping near Rangitoto Beacon, and on Saturday morning a launch towed the dinghy, with the party on board, back to Takapuna. A remarkable escape from being dashed over a cliff at Castor Bay on to jagged rocks 30ft. below, was experienced by three occupants of a five-seater motor-car yesterday morning. Tho car was standing on a roughly-formed roadway, which fell away at tho side over a pathway directly to the edge of tho cliff. Two women, a boy and a girl were sitting in it when tho brakes slipped with the strain upon them. The vehicle made for the pathway and dropped about 4ft. on to it. In the meantime tho boy had jumped out, while tho screams of the women attracted the attention of people on the beach below, who could see the car heading for the cliff. The heavy landing on the path fortunately broke tho front axle, and tho wheels buckled. This had the effect of stopping the car within feet of the cliff edge. Several holidaymakers later helped to haul it back to the roadway. The boisterous weather in Auckland on Friday continued during the early hours of Saturday morning, with the result that a number of harbour excursions were cancelled. Later a change of wind to the south brought about fine, clear weather, which prevailed over the w T eek-end. Large numbers of holidaymakers travelled by motor and ferry services on Saturday afternoon ;ind excursion steamers were well patronised, yesterday. The barometer, which fell to 29.50 in. at mid-day on Friday, has been rising since, and last night the reading was 29.95 in. While riding Peter Amans in tho Auckland Hurdle Race at Ellerslio on Saturday, Samuel Henderson was thrown at thfi third hurdle. He was semi-conscious when picked up, and was removed to tbe hospital by the St. John Amublance. His injury consisted of a cut over the left Ave whoro the horse' 3 hoof had struck him. His condition was not serious. Mrs. Clara Macbeth, a visitor from West Australia, who is staying at Takapuup,, fell oh a patch of scoria on Rangitoto yesterday afternoon and sustained a broken ?vnkle. She was brought to Auckland by the ferry steamer and removed to tho hospitaL A practically new motor-car, driven by Mr. H. Whistance, of Ponsonby Road, was almost completely wrecked through colliding with a tramway centre polo in Ponsonby Road at about five o'clock on Saturday morning. The car wa3 proceeding towai.-d Three Lamps when a tyro burst, causing it to swerve and strike the polo vrith great force. Tho driver and a passenger were thrown out of the car and received bruises and lacerations. First aid was rendered by Mr. R. C. Wiles, chemist, outsido whose shop the accident 'accurred, and tho injured men were ablo to proceed to their homes. Tho Auckland i Racing Club's Summer Meeting was concluded at Ellerslie on Saturday, when there was an attendance of 21,000. Surprise victories were the order of the day, not one favourite making any roturn to his supporters. It is notable that if an investor had purchased a pound ticket on every horse in every race he would have made a handsome profit of over £SO. The Royal Stakes were won by the two-year-old colt Joy King, ownod by Mr. A. B. Williams, whose stake-winnings for the meeting totalled £6IOO. The totalisator investments amounted to £84,919 10s, which gave a grand total of £422,780 10s for the | meeting. Although sharks have been reported in the harbour of late, they do not appear to have been quite so numerous further out. The various trawlers which "returned to the ha.rbour at the week-end state that no interference from sharks has been experienced in trawling operations. Frequently sharks are taken in the trawl nets but of late they have been absent. Visitors to the Tongariro National Park this holidiy-time have been interested to find a recreation hut fully built and ready for use at tho Whakapapa huts. * This building has been erected by tho National Park Board at a cost of £3OO. It measures 60ft. by ,50ft., and has a roomy kitchen attached in which an iron range provides facilities for cooking and supplies a convenient hot water service. Parties encamped at the huts in the past few days have found the building a suitable meeting . place in the evenings. If a gramophone has been included in the party's equipment, dancing may be added to the nightly amusement. Strawberry, a Westland cow, won a trotting race at Reefton last week. Her name was not on the official card and no I money was invested on her, but she won j in a most determined fashion. Just as ' the field for the Scotia Handicap was I nparinc' the bend for home, Strawberry j ambled On to the track. Seeing quite a j number rf horses with their legs tied I together, she apparently decided to show J them what a healthy cow could do if she j chose, and in spite of a mixed gait she i had speed enough to pass the judge first. The tra.wling fleet which returned to port during the week-end reports a plentiful" supply of fish in the gulf, in fact, large shoals have been met with off the coast, ami catches have in consequence been somewhat prolific. While schnapper and terakihi. have predominated in the hauls, other varieties, such as John Dorv, gurnard, frost fish and trevalli have not been wanting. The present season has been one of the best in ithe fishing industry for some time, the favourable weather greatly assisting the trawling and seine netting.