LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19517, 22 December 1926, Page 12

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A reduction in the retail price of bread in Auckland is expected to take place at the New Year, by which date the master bakers will have overcome the rush of seasonal orders and will be in a position to meet and discuss the effect on bread prices of the recent reductions :in the values of flour. Mr. J. Heaton Barker, secretary of the Bakers' Association, stated yesterday that it was impossible for the bakers to leave their business at the present time. No clue has bwm discovered as to the identity of the owner of the bloodstained razor and coat, waistcoat and cap which were found on the steps at the end of Queen's Wharf late on Monday night. Exhaustive inquiries were mado yesterday by the wharf police, but nobody was reported as missing. The cap was of grey cloth, of English make, and written inside with indelible ink >s the namo W. Smith. A handsomely-bound album, containing views of the Port of Auckland, is to be presented to the Duke and Duchess of York by the Auckland Harbour Board. It was stated at the meeting of the board yesterday that the album would be enclosed in covers of choice New Zealand woods, suitably inlaid and characteristic of New Zealand artistry, and that the contents would consist of historic views of Auckland Harbour and the Hauraki Gulf, as well as shipping and yachting scenes. Paintings and photographs in the Old Colonists' Museum are to be drawn upon for the historic reproductions. The Auckland representative cricket team, under the management of Mr. R. Dow, left last evening to fulfil Plunket Shield engagements against Canterbury at Christchurch on December 25, 27 and 28, and against Otago at Dunedin on January 1, 3 and 4. The team will also play a friendly match against Wellington on January 7, 8 and 10, and will return to Auckland on January 12. Another cricket team, composed mainly of senior grade cricketers, will leave this evening on. a holiday tour of Hawke's Bay and the East Coast. This team, which is under the management of Mr. E. C. Beale, will also return on January 12. The reconstruction of the northern portion of High Street in concrete is being carried out with a minimum of inconvenience to traffic. Owing to the use of quick-setting cement it was possible to use the section from Vulcan Lane corner to Messrs. L. D. Nathan's warehouse entrance, completed last Saturday, on the following Monday morning. It is expected that the remaining section to Shortland Street will be laid down by Thursday evening and will be ready for use next. Monday. The relatively high cost of quick-setting cement makes its use impracticable for extensive roading works. " This sort of thing has been tried before,, but has never got very far," said Mr. G. Knight, at the meeting of the Auckland Hospitsd Board last evening, when it was suggested that a minute of a special meeting of the board should be altered to cover action taken subsequently. The chairman, Mr. W. Wallace, settled the point very quickly by asking if the minute was a correct record of the proceedings of the board, and on the members answering in the affirmative, he had it confirmed. Passenger accommodation on the express trains arriving at and departing from Auckland yesterday was taxed to the utmost. despite the fact that extra carriages were placed on most of the trains. The heavy traffic caused a delay of .about an hour to each of the three expresses which arrived yesterday morning from Wellington. The trains to and from Rotorua, Thames and Whangarei all carried large numbers of passengers. Seats on the first two Wellington expresses last evening were almost all reserved, the 8.40 train serving to carry the short-distance and casual travellers. . The weather in Auckland yesterday was very changeable. Rain Tell in the morning, and although the showers were not very heavy they were very beneficial to gardens. The rain ceased at mid-day and conditions in the afternoon and evening were close and humid. The barometer, after falling to 29.80iu. in the morning, remained steady until the evening when it rose to 29.90 in. The New Zealand Society of .Professional Teachers of Music, which was established in 1924, will hold its fourth annual conference in Auckland commencing on January 25. Last year's! gathering was held in Dunedin. An amendment to the traffic by-laws which will prohibit "double-banking" on bicycles has been adopted by the Christchurch City Council and will come into force on January 1. A rule prohibiting any person from interviewing patients at the Auckland Infirmary on business matters unless accompanied by the medical superintendent, the lady superintendent or the house manager was made by the Auckland Hospital Board last evening. The rule is designed to safeguard the interests of the old. people from persons who have some personal object to serve in seeking their agreement to business transactions. A few years, ago it wa3 estimated that there wero fully 3000 goats on Kapiti Island and that they were doing an immense destruction to the native flora. It now appears that the number was grossly exaggerated. In any case they have been almost exterminated, the present custodian of the island believing there are only about foux left. Opossums also have been much reduced in numbers, but on the southern end of the island there are still, about 1000 wild sheep, which are. destroying the undergrowth in places. Some oit' the patients in the Napier Hospital are troubled greatly by mosquitoes. An endeavour to ascertain the breeding grounds of the pests is to be made and then an attack will be made upon them. Dr. J. A. Berry, medical superintendent of the hospital, informed members of the Hospital Board this week that he was of the opinion that the breeding grounds of th© mosquitoes were £.ll within a mile of Napier. He suggested that one ol bis staff should be permitted to make investigations as to where those breeding grounds were. The suggestion was approved. A remarkable return in early lambs was mentioned last week by a, well-known sheep breeder of the South Taranaki district. The breeder stated that from 950 breeding ewes on a farm in the Hawera district, the first draft of lambs numbered 981, the average weight being 36jflb. The season is regarded as unusual in many respect!! but the drafting in the instance quoted is regarded as outstanding. Usually 75 per cent, of lambs is viewed as a good number for the. first draft but the figures mentioned show a percentage of ICS.