LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19292, 3 April 1926, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Workmen were engaged all day on Thursday in repairing the damage caused by the bro!»en water main at the intersection of Queen and Customs Streets. Two large holes had to be dug to arrive at the seat of the trouble. The task of clearing the roadway is not an easy one. New piping will have to be fitted and a new bitumen surface laid on the portions of the road damaged by the water. The improvement in the weather yesterday came m time to prevent many motorists from cancelling their Easter tour arrangements. Scores of cars carrying holiday equipment passed outwards on the Great South Road yesterday. Although in a bad state as the result of Thursday's rain, the Mamaku Road was passable yesterday and was improving under a fresh wind. Unless further rain falls, motorists should have no difficulty in reaching Rotorua to-day. On the Putaruru-Lichfield Road, the popular route to Taupo, the small unmetallcd section was satisfactory yesterday. Favourable reports of all clay roads were received from the various agencies of the i Auckland Automobile Association last evening. The Auckland office of the association will bo open this morning, when the service officer will have the latest advice from the country agencies. The duplication of the railway line between Westfield and Otahuhu is proceeding apace. A large gang of men is employed continually on the work, and providing all goes well the new line should be available for use about September next. When this section of about, a mile is completed there will be a double set of rails between Auckland and Otahuhu, a, distance of nine miles. Eventually, it is hoped to extend the double track as far as Papakura, a distance of 20 miles from Auckland. An unusually heavy demand has been made on the staff of the city traffic department by the rush of motorists desiring to take out their motor-driving licenses for the year 1926-27. The Motor Vehicles Act requires drivers of motor vehicles to be in possession of their new licenses by April 1, and on Wednesday and Thursday the traffic office in the Town Hall was thronged with applicants. Up to the closing of the office on Thursday afternoon for the Easter holidays, approximately 2500 of these licenses had been issued. The number of licenses issued last year by the department was in the region of 15,000, so that the task of the staff is by no means completed. The chief traffic inspector, Mr. G. Hogan, stated on Thursday that a reasonable time would be given for all motorists to obtain their new licenses in place of the old licenses, but the police and traffic department, which were working satisfactorily in controlling the city traffic, were agreed that if at the expiry of this period »ny driver failed to produce his license a prosecution would follow. The striking of a match while a motor-cycle tank was being filled with benzine on Thursday evening Tn a garage occupied by Messrs. ITenry and Henry, Manukau itoad, resulted in the machine beiug suddenly enveloped in flame. A chemical extinguisher was used and the City Fire Brigade was summoned. The blaze was extinguished after the machine had snffered slight damage. A wilful false alarm was sent to the City Fire Brigade at 7.30 on Thursday evening from the box on the corner of Cook and Albert Streets. Within two or three minutes the brigade was on the scene. Pure white whales were seen by the Algarrson North Pole scientific expedition last year, according to Mr. Gordon Burt, of Duhedin, who was chief engineer on the island. In an interview in Dunedin he said a shoal of the whales was sighted when the ship was returning from the Arctic to Franz Joseph Land. He believed that white whales had been rarely seen. The expedition had endeavoured to kill a specimen for zoological purposes, .and although men had gone out in boats and fired rifles, the attempt was not successful. The. whales were between 20ft. and 30ft. in length. An enthusiastic meeting of amateur chrysanthemum growers was held this week, when it was decided to form an Auckland Chrysanthemum Club and to affiliate with the Auckland Horticultural Society. It has been recognised for some time that the society's autumn show is too early for a good display of chrysanthemums and that this section has been somewhat neglected. The new club has beer* formed to work up greater enthusiasm and better ogranisation among growers and particularly among amateurs. It is expected that the queen of autumn flowers will be made more widely popular than ever. The new club starts with a good membership and a strong committee. Mr. A. Galloway was appointed secretary. The fact that although tenders have not yet been called for the erection of the new North Shore Grammar School a certain amount of brickwork is already being built on the site, has caused some comment among passers-by. It is explained that preparations are being rushed ahead in order to enable Sir James Parr, Minister of Education, to lay the foundation stono of the newbuilding prior to his departure to take over the High Cummissionership in England. The date of the ceremony of laying the foundation stone has been fixed for April 16. Fish sold in largo quantities on Thursday. In anticipation of a large demand the shops had plentiful supplies. Owing to the restrictions of Lent, fish is one of the necessary food commodities over the Easter period. Eggs were also in great demand, and at Thursday's sale at the. Auckland city markets hen eggs averaged 3s per dozen, duck and pullet eggs being slightly less. Owing to the very low level of water in the Arikikapakapa Lake, the temperature has risen considerably, says the Rotorua Chronicle. This produces a fine scenic effect at sundown. The colder air condenses the steam over the lake, and the whole area looks like some vast crater enveloped in billowing steam. In spite of the rain of last week, the lake is lower than it has been .for the last fifteen years. The mud geysers and subsidiary pools have also dropped in sympathy. While in the course of " breaking-in" a horse at Flock House, one of the boys was thrown and sustained a dislocation of the elbow. Ho was taken to Feildmg for treatment by a member of the party which visited the institution with th-a Uovoruor-General.