LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19608, 9 April 1927, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Wireless enthusiasts in Auckland report having received an exceptionally clear transmission of a speech by the Duke of York at Government House, Brisbane, last evening. The broadcasting was carried out by 4QG, Brisbane, by means of a microphone installed on the lawn m front of Government House. The announcer described the costumes of the Duchess and her ladies-in-waiting, and selections by the orchestra were heard with remarkable clarity. At the conclusion of his speech, the Duke expressed a wish that the King's voice may shortly be hoard in the Dominions by means of wireless.

A stoker on the Shaw, Savill and Albion steamer Raranga, which arrivod at Auckland from London yesterday morning, was operated ,on for septicaemia in the arm two days after the yessel cleared Panama. The operation was carried out in the steamer's saloon by Dr. R. B. Martin, the ship's surgeon, and Mr. F. G. Brookes, the chief officer, administered the anaesthetic. So successful was the operation that the patient had recovered and had resumed work by the time the vessel reached port.

"It is a very modest demand," remarked Professor Worley „ when it was mentioned at yesterday's meeting of the council of the Auckland Institute that the grant for which the Auckland City Council would be asked this year toward the expenses of the Museum would amount *o £2OOO. An estimate of the expenditure with which the institute was faced in regard to the Museum was submitted by the curator, Mr. Gilbert Archey. He said that the expenses of removal into the War Memorial Museum Would alono total £7OO at the least.

When the Royal Show lambs were exhibited at Smithfield, London, for judging, .one .of the ,princ;pal prizewinners, Mr. A. Rowlands, had on hand copies of the Auckland Weekly News with pictures of tlie Royal Show in progress at Auckland. He had these pictures mounted on show cards and exhibited with the lambs. The public took great interest' in the pictures, the stock, jumping events and grand parade attracting particular attention. Many favourable comments on the fine clear illustrations were made by visitors. Mr. Rowlands remarked that he had arranged to divide one of the lambs so that Sir Edmond and the Hon. S. Vestey would get some really choice lamb, and part he had sent to his own home so that the family might imagine themselves back in New Zealand on Sunday.

The activities of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society for the year ended March' 31 last included the distribution or 700,000 trout fry in the rivers and streams of the district. The allocation consisted of 600,000 of the rainbow species and 100.000 brown trout. The small streams running into the Warkato River above Arapuni absorbed 150,000 of the fry. The deputation of unemployed which waited upon the Mayor yesterday included a lady whose husband has been out of work since he arrived in the country six months ago, "He goe3 out looking for work every day," she told Mr. Baildon, " and I have not seen him from half-past six in the morning to dinner time at night since we- canfe to Auckland." She strongly criticised the way New Zealand was advertised in England. A great deai was made of its prosperity and nothing of its unemployed problem, which she found to be the only thing that mattered >vhen she arrived here. "It is a shame to see the way this country is boosted in England," she said; " it is more, it is a crime."

An Austin motor-car belonging to Mr. M. H. Tisdall, of Mt. Hobson Road, Remuera, was removed without authority from Shorthand Street between seven and nine o'clock last evening. ■ A MorrisCowley, the property of Mr. S. J. Harbutt, of 35, Selwyn Road, Epsom, was taken from Little Queen Street on Thursday evening. It was recovered undamaged in Grafton Road yesterday morning. The condition of the jockey, C. Regan, who was injured in an accident at the Whangarei races last Saturday, was reported to b6 much improved yesterday morning. Regan, who is in the Whangarei Hospital, was fully conscious at intervals. . .

Over 800 pheasants were liberated by the Auckland Acclimatisation Society during the year ended March 31 last. The total purchase for the season was 1100 and the birds still in captivity are being distributed in batches. The society will hold 290 cock pheasants until the end of the shooting season.

A new Dominion record for the discharge of bulk oil cargoes was made in Wellington yesterday by the Vacuum Oil Company's tanker Plume, which arrived in port on Thursday afternoon from San Francisco. ; While berthed at the Miramar Wharf the Plume pumped into the storage tanks on the hillside 2000 tons of motor spirit in four hours.

The report ot the commission appointed by the Government to inquire into the proposed operations of the Proprietary Articles Trade Association is being prepared. The report will be presented to the Minister of Industries and Commerce, Hon. A. D. McLeod, at an early date and wilJ be placed before Cabinet for consideration.

Referring to improvement in railway traffic, Mr H. C. Guinness, chief traffic clerk at Christchurch, said: "People are using the railways who have not done so for years, and it is clear that we have won much traffic from the roads. 'The success of fast train services between Christchurch 'and Parnassus and between Christchurch and Little River has been noteworthy. The daily average on the Parnassus line has grown from 28 in 1926 to 61 in 1927, although these figures rather magnify the increase. The electric carriage service to Little River is a great success."

Noticing the peculiar antics of a shag in the water, a Stewart Island resident steered his launch close up to the bird. As he drew near, the shag appeared to be struggling against something which was holding it down in the water, and this, on closer inspection, proved to be a small octopus, which had one arm tightly round the bird's neck, and was trying to swim down to the bottom dragging the shag with it. The theory, states the Southland News' correspondent, is that the octopus did not intentionally attack the shag in the fiist place, but collided, with it when the bird was diving for fish among the kelp. Another resident stated that some fifteen years ago he saw the.same thing occur between an octopus and a mutton bird.