LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19383, 19 July 1926, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

One of many memorable sights seen by Mr. C. H. Burgess, of New Plymonth, in the course of a world tour, was the sun rising over Mount Everest. Mr. Burgess said he was fortunate enough to witness the scene on a beautiful fine morning. It was a truly wonderful scene, and one long to be remembered.

There was a large number of passengers on the expresses which left for the South last evening. A party of 65 members of the Wellington Savage Club who visited Auckland during the week-end, and the Southern members of the New Zealand hockey team left by the limited express. On the ordinary express were members of the Maori Rugby football team and the Hamilton High School Rugby team.

Thirteen overseas and intcV-Colonial steamers are expected at Auckland this week. The Kaimanawa is due from Lautoka to-morrow, as well as the Maheno from Sydney, the Comeric from Texas, the City of Shanghai from New York, and the Gisla from Nauru Island. Expected arrivals on Wednesday include the Wirral from Montreal, the Sittang from New York, the. schooner Resolution from Norfolk Island, the Ngakuta from Raro--tonga, and the Devon from Gisborne for loading. The Southern Cross from New Hebrides, H.M.S. Dunedin from Suva and the Hinemoa from I\"iue Island are due later in the week. There are nine overseas vessels already in port, and a number of coastal steamers arc also expected at an early date.

A brief interruption of the supply of electric power occurred in a small aiea of the city between the west aide of Queen Street and Freeman's Bay at about 5.30 on Saturday evening. Lights went out for a few moments, and trams in Queen Street were held up for about four minutes. The fault soon corrected itself.

No specific business will be added by the Auckland City Council to the orderpaper of the special committee of the House of Representatives that will meet at Parliament Buildings on Wednesday to consider the Motor Omnibus Regulations. The council will be represented by Mr. T. Blood worth and Mr. A. H. Johnstone, acting-city solicitor.

The Auckland quota of 108 of the 358 assisted immigrants who arrived at Wellington from London by the steamer Tainui reached Auckland by the express yesterday morning. The quota comprises 31 men, 41 women and 36 children.

One of the largest crowds seen at Eden Park in recent years attended on Saturday, when two big attractions were provided in the third hockey test between the Indian Army and New Zealand, and the Rugby match between the New Zealand Maoris and Auckland. The attendance was officially estimated at 18,000, and the gale takings amounted to £1554.

"T must congratulate the welfare branch' of the Education Department on the excellent provision that has been made for this Court," said Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., when the Children's Court met in its new quarters in the Unity Hall, Upper Queen Street, on Saturday morning. The new courtroom is certainly a great improvement on the old one in the Y.M.C.A. It is well appointed and there is an atmosphere or refinement about the whole place.

The practice of the Sydney broadcasting stations of describing sporting events from the grounds, together with all the noises accompanying the play,' brought Auckland wireless enthusiasts into close touch with the Rugby test match between New Zealand and New South Wales on Saturday. Although the atmospheric conditions were not all that could be desired, the listeners-in were able to follow quite satisfactorily the progress of the match some 1200 miles away, and their elation knew no bounds when the New Zealanders scored the winning try. According to a letter written to one of the Sydney broadcasting depots by a Wellington resident, he has arranged to sell seats at his house for football enthusiasts to listen to the wireless accounts of the .All Blacks' matches. ,

"One hundred years ago they would have hanged him for this offence, you know," suid Senior-Detectivo Hammond in the Children's Court on Saturlay, when a youth, aged 17,. was charged with horsestealing. Accused was before the Court a fortnight ago and the Case was adjourned to see whether he could be dealt with in the Children's Court. Mr. Hammond said he was afraid he could not reduce the charge to one of common theft because horse-stealing was a serious matter. Accused will now be dealt with in the Police Court.

Eighty candidates . were presented at the confirmation service conducted by Archbishop Averill in St. Peter's Church, Hamilton, yesterday. The church was crowded.

The Railway Department has arranged to stop the north-bound ordinary express at Pukekohe, if required, in order to set down passengers who join the train south of Frankton. The south-bound trains will not be affected. The inclusion of the new stop will not delay the arrival of the train at Auckland, as the stop will only be brief. It. will take effect to-morrow.

Many amateur gardeners will be surprised to learn that the large striped slug sometimes known as the tiger slug, on which they wage ruthless war and which appears such a voracious enemy of growing plants, is in reality a very good friend to the gardener. Mr. R. W. Roche stated in a lecture on Saturday evening that this slug was a cannibal and ate large numbers of small slugs. He had never seen one of the slugs touch a vegetable, but he had often seen them eating young slugs and snails. He had often seen a tiger slug with its head buried in a snail which bad previously been killed with lime. When putting lime on slugs in the garden at night he always took care to put the tiger, slugs to one side well out of reach of the lime. Mr. Roche also added that tHe common practice of putting a ring of lime round a plant- to protect it from slugs was quite useless. Even if the lime were unslaked it became slaked immediately on coming in contact with the damp earth, and slugs would be crawling over it by next morning. The only way to kill slugs with lime was to put unslaked lime directly on them.

Considerable damage was caused in Stratford by a severe storm on Friday night. Rain fell in torrents and the wind developed great force. Trees and outbuildings were blown over and the telephone lines were affected. The maternity annexe at the hospital was damaged. A large ventilator was torn over the roof and carried into the garden. Roof angles and tiles were forced off and scattered.