LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19469, 27 October 1926, Page 12

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A large number of foreigners arrived at Auckland yesterday by the Marama from Sydney. They comprised 22 Yugoslavs. three Italians, six Indians and seven Chinese. Strawberries sontiaxia to come on to the Auckland market in fair supplies and a consignment was si Id yesterday. The berries should be plentiful at this time, but the recent rams and cold weather have retarded growth, and the fruit sold yesterday was of some what poor quality. Prices ranged from Is "d to 2s 4d a chip. If the present warm weather continues there should be better supplies of the fruit within the next tew weeks. Two stowaways were discovered on the Marama, which arrived at Auckland yesterday from Sydney, rhe men were not discovered until Sunday evening, when the vessel was two dayis out from Sydney. They were hiding in a recess above tho boilers. Almost at every hoar of the day people can be seen waiting outside tho Post Office in Queen Street, some patiently, others manifestly impatiently, for their turn to use the public telephone-boxes. These are very popular with the public, and although tho conversations in them by some of the users may err on the long side, thus contributing toward the cause of delay, yet it is certain that additional boxes would be a boon to the public. Unfortunately, tho space which would accommodate four more public telephones is devoted to advertising signs. The confidence of a jury was sought in a rather unorthodox manner by a Maori accused in the Supreme Court yesterday. He was addressing the jurymen at some length on his own behalf and, admitting that he had been in trouble before, he naively suggested that, like him, tho members of the jury had done a number of things of which the Court knew nothing. The suggestion, delivered in all seriousness, produced smiles in all parts of the Court. As the mult of special efforts made on behalf of the Waikato Hospital Patients' Sunshine League last week the sum of £3OO was raised and will be devoted to providing comforts for patients in the Waikato Hospital. A moving picture machine was recently bought and installed at the hospital, and the liability in connection w-ith this purchase will be discharged. As a result of falling from a bicycle, John Godfrey, aged JB, of 56, Grange Road, Mount Eden, was admitted to the hospital yesterday morning suffering from concussion. He recovered consciousness last evening and is progressing satisfactorily. The death occurred in the Auckland Hospital yesterday afternoon of Maera Tiariki, a 20-months-old Maori girl, who was admitted on Monday afternoon suffering from severe burns. The injuries were sustained by the child while she was playing near a copper.

The gift of a piece of land at the corner of Balmoral arid Mount Eden Roads, from Dr. R. 11. Walton, was accepted by the Mount Eden Borough Council last evening. It is inteaded to round off the corner, which is at present dangerous to motorists owing to the obstructed view at the intersection. It was decided to thank Dr. Walton for his -generous gift to the borough. "While speaking of corners," said Mr. J. M. Melville, "I intend to move in the near future that the bowling green corner at the top off Valley Road should be round?d off. It is the most dangerous in the borough." Several speakers added that other dangerous corners would have to be improved.

A six-days' course of military training will bo commenced by 160 cadets of the 37th Company on thA Atondale racecourse grounds next Monday. The cadets belong to the Avondale, New Lynn and Point Chevalier districts. Training will commence at 9 a.m. daily, and will continue until 4 p.m. Daring the lurit;!, fiy cess a hot dinner will be provided f,, r trainees. As a conclusion to the wt'cl-. r, training a tabloid athletic and sp. meeting will be held on the aftcruo< tl! »f Saturday, November 6. The Lady Godley shooting cup and athletic prizes will be presented, and afternoon tea will be provided. According to advice received by the Navy Department the mine-sweeper Wakakura, the latest addition to the New Zealand division, will not reach Auckland until Christmas, owing to delay at Trinidad. The vessel sailed from England on June 15, travelling via Cape Yerde, Trinidad, Colon, Salina Crux, San Diego, Honolulu, Pago Pago and Fiji. She is now oxpected to clear Fiji on December 19 and to reach Auckland about December 25. The new penny stamp depicting the King in military uniform will be on sale on November 15. A statement to this effect was made by the Hon. W. Nosworthy, Postmaster-General in Wellington this week. The action of the Onehunga Borough Council in deciding to tar a certain footpath where the residents kept their frontages in good order, cutting with a lawnmower the strip of grass between the footpath and carriage-way, produced an interesting sequel at last evening's meeting. A request for the same preferential treatment was received from residents in another street, who advised that their frontages had now been similarly improved, and the council decided to do the tarring at an early date. The Buiok mctor-car owned by Mr. Trevor Gedye, of Pukemiro, which was taken from Elliott Street on Saturday evening was found abandoned at the corner of Sussex Street and Richmond Road early yesterday morning. Writing to a friend in Wellington Mr. Hugh J. Ward endorsed the report of his retirement from the Ward Theatres Proprietary, Limited. "I am temporarily retiring from the business," he says. " I found it very tiring continually going to America and England and back. There have been talks here of mergers, amalgamation, and all the rest of it and 1 thought it' would be a very good thing for me at the psychological moment to retire oil a cash basis. This has been accomplished and we are finishing under the friendliest conditions. There is still an open door for me out here to produce a play if I wish but 1 can just please myself. I think lam the happiest theatrical man in this country for the reason that I am not entangled in anything and I am free of all the unpleasantnesses of the game."